Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

My mom made this recipe first and I loved it. I've made a few changes to suit my taste and it's just wonderful!!

4 cups fresh chopped tomatoes, seeded
4 cups chicken broth
10 to 12 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup butter
1 package of tortellini (your favorite kind)
1 zuchini diced or cut into chunks

In a Dutch oven or large pot, combine tomatoes, chicken broth, basil leaves and
salt and pepper.
Simmer for 30 minutes. (or throw it into a crockpot all day)

In a blender or food processor, puree tomato mixture. Return to pot and add half &
half and butter. Whisk together.
Add tortellini and zucchini. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, being Careful as to not burn.

OR if you're in a hurry... This is how I usually make it

Place a heavy pot on medium high heat and add 1T of olive oil and 1lb of Graziano sausage Cook sausage through. (Even better if it sticks to the bottom of the pot. The crunchies taste awesome.)
Turn the heat to high and dump in 2 cans of tomato soup plus one can of water. (more depending on how thick you like it) Use a plastic spatula to scrape the sausage crunchies up from the bottom of the pan. (technically this is called deglazing but its not usually done with tomato soup. Ha!)
Once it's boiling add tortellini and cook for 5 minutes.
Add zucchini if you like - I don't.
Once the tortellini is done, serve.



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