Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Why I Love This Recipe
This is a wonderful home style soup that really satisfies the soul. As with any soup, it's tastier the next day.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
2 cups water
1 cup red wine
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 tablespoon packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
8 ounces fresh or frozen tortellini pasta
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
DIRECTIONS
1. In a 5 quart Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove sausage and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings.
2. Saute onions and garlic in drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, wine, tomatoes with juice, carrots, zucchini, basil, oregano, tomato sauce, and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.
3. Skim fat from the soup. Stir in parsley. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.
Serve with crusty bread.
Questions, Comments & Reviews
I love soup, but can I leave out the zucchini???