Begin by heating a large pot over medium heat. Add the ground sausage. Break it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks. You want it to brown nicely and release its flavors—this will be the base of your soup. This ought to take about 5-7 minutes. Aim for a nice golden-brown color.

Once your sausage is browned, add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pot. Cook them together, letting the onions become soft and transparent—about 3 to 4 minutes will do it. Make sure to stir this mix, infusing the flavors of sausage into the onions and garlic.

Stir the flour into the sausage mixture. This will create a roux, giving your soup a lovely thickness. Keep stirring for about 2 minutes until the flour is fully combined with the other ingredients.

Next, gradually pour in the chicken broth. As you add it, use your wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot. This will incorporate all those flavorful bits stuck to the bottom. Once it’s well mixed, bring this to a gentle simmer.

Once it’s simmering, throw the chopped kale in. Along with that, add the dried basil, oregano, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, mustard powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix everything well and let it simmer for about 5 minutes until the kale has softened.

Now it’s time for the star of the show—tortellini! Add them to the pot and let them cook according to the package instructions. It typically takes about 3-5 minutes. The tortellini will puff up and absorb some of that delicious broth.

After the tortellini is just about cooked, stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice. This adds that luscious creaminess to your soup. Allow it to heat through without bringing it to a boil.

Lastly, taste the soup. Adjust the seasoning if needed. A pinch of salt and perhaps more pepper could elevate the flavors even more. Once satisfied, it’s time to serve up this beautiful dish!