Cheese Tortellini Soup with Cannellini, Kielbasa and Kale

I'm making a favorite soup of ours today.  I was first introduced to this soup by our good friends, Frank and Karen.  It's from a past issue of Bon Appetite.  First off, you can do a lot substituting in this recipe.  I have never made it with the chopped fennel.  Two reasons, one is I'm not real fond of the taste.  And two, it can be hard to find where I live.  You can also substitute spinach for the kale.  I made today's with a combination of spinach and purple kale.  Another substitution I had to make today because I bought the wrong thing, I had to use smoked sausage instead of the kielbasa.  I almost ran out to get the correct item, but it's so crappy outside with the cold rain I went with what I had.

 This is the browning of the sausage and vegetables.  I added some carrots since I don't use the fennel.

 The purple kale and spinach made for an interesting color combination.

After you brown the sausage, you add in the broth and then the kale to wilt it.  Add the beans at this time.  Lastly goes in the tortellini and cook till it's done, about five minutes. 

 The kielbasa is really what makes this soup, so don't make the mistake I did and grab smoke sausage.  What I made today is still very good, but I really love kielbasa.  

Cheese Tortellini Soup , with Cannelloni, Kielbasa and Kale

2 TB Olive oil
12 ounces fully cooked smoked kielbasa sausage, thinly sliced
1 onion chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup chopped fennel bulb
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
10 cups low salt chicken broth
4 cups chopped kale
1 15 ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans) rinsed, drained
1 9 ounce package cheese tortellini
1 cup grated Asiago cheese or Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.   Add next 6 ingredients and saute until vegetables are soft and kielbasa is brown, about 12 minutes.  Add broth and bring to boil.  Stir in kale and cannellini.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until kale is wilted, about 4 minutes.  Add tortellini to soup.  Simmer until pasta is just tender, but still firm to bite.  About 5 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and add cheese to top.