Tortellini Soup
pantry staples in a savory broth to warm your soul and fill your belly
Ingredients
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 medium red pepper diced
- 4 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 15 oz stewed tomatoes or for smoother soup, use sauce
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 1-2 cups water
- 1 lb dried tri-color tortellini or mini ravioli
- 1-2 TBS Italian Dressing mix
- 2-3 cups baby spinach roughly chopped
- fresh herbs chopped
Optional:
- 1 ham steak diced; 2c cooked, shredded or diced chicken;1/2-1 lb sliced/crumbled Italian sausage
- 1 15 oz can beans great northern, garbanzo, kidney, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in stock pot.
- Add in onions and peppers.
- When almost soft, add in garlic.
- Add tomatoes, broth, water and seasoning (and meat, if adding) and bring to a boil.
- Add in tortellini. Stir and cover. Reduce heat to simmer for 12-15minutes or until pasta is tender.
- Just before serving, add in chopped spinach.
- Adjust seasonings and serve with freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese and, if desired, freshly chopped herbs (ie: parsley or basil).
Notes
I have also added in carrots, celery, green beans, whatever veggies I had on hand (fresh or frozen). Crowd pleaser every time, no matter what is in it! You can make this with fresh tortellini too, just reduce cooking time to 3-5 minutes.
We used to buy the dried tortellini or mini ravioli at Trader Joe's but they don't have them anymore :( Now I watch for dried pastas at Sam's Club or Costco and stock up. You don't have to use a filled pasta for this, but it does make it much heartier and as far as cheese goes, I think you can never over do it!!!