1 lb. Italian sausage
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg. onion, chopped
4 (4.5 oz.) cans tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 tbsp. fresh fennel or 1 tsp. fennel seeds
2 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 (7 oz.) pkg. tortellini

Remove sausage casing. Crumble into large Dutch oven. Add garlic and onion. Cook until meat is browned. Drain. Add next 5 ingredients. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Drain and add to soup. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. This makes a nice gift basket.