[ recipe ] :: tortellini soup

This is one of my absolute favorite recipes. Y'all know I'm stingy with my grocery budget, but this is one dish that I will spend a few extra bucks to make. (Yes, even if the ingredients are not on sale!) And for anyone that knows The Hubs, you know that he likes eating meat. That man is a carnivore, but he will happily eat this vegetarian dish any day!

My mom used to make this all the time when I was growing up. The recipe originally came from a lifelong friend of hers, Karin Calloway. I really like this dish because you can't mess it up - I've thrown all of the ingredients in a pot before and let them simmer until the tortellini was done. I've precisely followed the recipe and it was still delicious. Seriously - you can't lose with this one!

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 medium yellow onion, diced (or 1 cup frozen, diced onion)
1 tbsp minced garlic, approximately 3 cloves
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
32 oz (4 cups) chicken or vegetable broth
5 oz spinach (two big handfuls), coarsely torn into pieces
1 9 oz package of tortellini
1 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Spritz a large pot with cooking spray and cook the onion over medium-high heat until it turns translucent. Add the garlic and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, taking care not to over cook it. Add the tomatoes and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil then add the tortellini, and cook 7-9 minutes or until cooked through. Finally, turn off the heat and stir in the spinach to let it wilt. Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Serves 4 as a big main dish.
 

The Hubs and I love spinach, so we typically add a lot of it. Change the amount of the ingredients as you like, but keep in mind that the tortellini will swell as they cook and absorb a lot of liquid. If you increase the tortellini, add extra broth or water. I like to serve this soup with a salad on the side.

Enjoy!

- Maggie White