MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - HEARTY TORTELLINI SOUP - SERVES 6

Last week we had a cold snap. It didn’t last but this recipe had been saved for such a day. We love a good hardy soup. I have another one on my blog at this link, which is also excellent, but there are a lot more ingredients. This one, not as many, faster and delicious. I found it at Charm Recipes and the original recipe is here.

Hearty Tortellini Soup - Serves 6

From prep to table, approximately 30 minutes.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth (I actually used beef broth as it was what I had in the pantry)

1 can (14.5 ozs) diced tomatoes (with juices)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 package (9 ozs) fresh or frozen cheese tortellini

2 cups fresh spinach or kale

Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Fresh parsley, choped (optional for garnish)

In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. 

Add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Saute for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.

Pour in the vegetable broth (or substitutes - i.e. vegetable or beef broths) and add the diced tomatoes, also their juices. Stir in the Italian seasonings, salt and black pepper.

Increase the heat and bring everything in the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the tortellini to the pot and cook according to package directions (usually about 3 to 5 minutes for fresh tortellini, or 7 to 10 minutes for frozen.

In the last couple of minutes of cooking, stir in the fresh spinach (or kale) and cook until wilted.

Once everything is cooked through, ladle the soup into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley, if using.

We thoroughly enjoyed this soup. We will probably have enough for meals the next couple of days. 

It is a very versatile dish so you can add your favorite protein. Suggestions were sausage, shredded chicken or ground turkey. 

The same with favorite vegetables. I thought mushrooms would be a nice addition.

Next time I would add 1 extra can of diced tomatoes.

Other tips can be found at the original recipe link.

I always add a cup of red wine when we add the broth and diced tomatoes. We both think this makes the broth even more flavorful.

I used spinach and not kale because I already had the fresh spinach in the fridge.

We served it with a roll toasted under the broiler after sprinkling grated Parmesan cheese on top. Left it in there until the top turned golden brown.

Full website address for this recipe is below, in case you prefer to copy and paste instead of using the link at the beginning of the recipe.

https://charmrecipes.com/hearty-tortellini-soup/

Thanks for looking, have a great week and Bon Appetit!