Creamy Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup Mix

Today is my birthday. Don't ask how old or how much I weigh...I might punch you in the forehead. Respectfully. Then give you smooooches. I will always be younger than my geezer- pushing husband Ace ...and I just lost 33 lbs. That's as close as I will get as far as straight answers go.

As for today's Mix Monday, last week I shared the basics of Holiday Soup and Gravy Mix (The 101) so I thought for the next couple weeks I'd follow up with the actual recipes from the class. This week it's the recipe for my creamy Italian sausage soup mix. Put everything in the bottle in the order it is listed in the recipe, the cream soup mix on the bottom of a pint mason jar...

My Cream Basic soup mix:

1/2 cup flour (or for gluten free use 1/4 cup cornstarch or thick-gel)

2/3 cup instant milk powder

1 bay leaf

2T dehydrated onion,

1T freeze dried celery

1 tsp granulated garlic

1tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2tsp thyme

2T bullion (optional) (omit previous salt if you use bullion)

Then to turn that into the Creamy Italian Sausage and Tortellini soup mix, I top the rest of the jar to the rim with these ingredients in order:

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, dash of dehydrated grated lemon zest, 1/4 tsp fennel seed, 1/4 cup freeze dried bell pepper, 1/4 cup sausage TVP, 1/4 cup freeze dried mushrooms. The jar should be full to the rim with freeze dried veggies.

They keep fresh up to 5 years (for best flavor) so please be sure to label and date clearly with an oxygen packet at the top of the jar.


To prepare, combine soup mix with 8 cups water if you are not using noodles (for a richer cream soup, use milk) and whisk until combined over medium heat. Simmer 15-20 minutes.

Decorate the jar as desired. Label with cooking directions for the folks you're giving the mix to, or for yourself for future use.

Where are the noodles?! I give them with the soup in a little cutie baggie with a ribbon. Isn't that girlie? Yeah. They are the dry tortellini...tri-color. I use two cups. Add the noodles to the soup when you add the water or milk. It is also possible to put the whole mix (noodles included) into a Quart size mason jar! Then you don't have to have a baggie at all. Increase the water to 10 cups for recipes using 2 cups of dry noodles so the soup won't be too thick.

I like how the bag looks in a little red wagon.

There you go. Make some holiday mixes!