This Italian sausage tortellini soup offers savory warmth after a long blustery day

Halloween is right around the corner, and it can be a busy day for those with young children. My children are grown, but I still remember many cold and blustery days of trick-or-treating with them when they were young.

I usually tried to plan ahead and have something already warm and ready to eat for us when we got home. My slow cooker turned out to be helpful in accomplishing this. Our meals often included chili, stews and soups, and this recipe for Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup was one of our favorites.

I have a confession. I was always a Halloween overachiever. I made homemade costumes, helped at school parties and even had a life-size brain gelatin mold.

I would fill the mold with a "Jiggler" mixture that yielded a sturdy brain, and the kids would use a small plastic knife to do a little brain surgery to carve a piece for themselves. The look on their faces as they did this was priceless. If this idea interests you, you can find the mold and recipes in party stores and online.

While the brain was a bit of a trick, treats are always part of Halloween. For kids of all ages, myself included, candy is always a treat, but I would argue this soup is full of treats, albeit of a different kind.

Loaded with vegetables, Italian sausage and cheese tortellini, all swimming in a seasoned tomato-infused broth, this soup is as delicious as it is satisfying and the perfect meal to be waiting for you after a long day.

The original recipe was published by Bon Appétit magazine in their August 2004 issue, and I was lucky to enjoy it for the first time at my friend Kerry's, where she served it with warm bread - a perfect addition.

My version of the recipe adds celery, crushed tomatoes and, if you are lucky enough to have one in your freezer, a Parmesan rind. I also like hot or spicy Italian sausage, but I have used other varieties of Italian sausage, including chicken, and still enjoyed the soup.

Next to the flavor, the best thing about this soup is how easy it is to make. You brown the sausage and onions, remove the excess grease and add everything except the tortellini to the pot. After cooking for 40 minutes, add the tortellini, and 10 minutes later, you are done.

One tip is to add as much tortellini as you think you will need for that meal, as I find they tend to break apart when repeatedly stirred and reheated.

I have found this soup tastes even better the next day, so I will often prepare everything except the tortellini a day or so ahead and stash it in the refrigerator until I need it. When ready, reheat your soup on the stove or in your slow cooker.

While this soup would be perfect after an afternoon of trick-or-treating, it is also delicious every day of the year. We like it so much that I usually double the recipe and freeze half if we don't eat all of it first. I hope you like it as much as we do!

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. Contact Penny at DhCulinaryAdventures@gmail.com.

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (mild or hot, your choice)

1 large onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

5 cups beef stock or canned broth

1 29-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1½ cups sliced zucchini

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 medium-sized green bell pepper, diced

½ cup dry red wine

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Parmesan rind, optional*

8 to 10 ounces fresh cheese tortellini

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Sauté Italian sausage, onion and garlic in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a large bowl.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from the Dutch oven. Return sausage mixture to Dutch oven. Add stock, tomatoes, zucchini, carrot, celery, bell pepper, wine, basil, oregano and Parmesan rind if using. Simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. (Can be prepared ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.)

Add tortellini to soup and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Slow cooker instructions: Combine cooked sausage mixture and remaining ingredients, except tortellini, in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 4-6 hours, or low 7-8 hours, or until vegetables are tender. Add tortellini 10 to 15 minutes prior to serving and cook until pasta is tender.

*Parmesan rinds are the tough edges left after grating a piece of Parmesan cheese. I never throw these away, instead I place them in a sealed bag and freeze them until I need them. They add great flavor to soups and sauces, and some people I know even search the pot for the soaked rind to make sure it ends up in their bowl. A double treat for them.

Serves 6

Penny Kazmier