So Good So Easy Soup

 

 Chicken Tortellini Soup

One of the things I helped with while I stayed at Mommy's was keeping everyone fed. There was so much going on and so much zipping up and down the highway while Baby Girl was in the hospital, that I only cooked easy things. (The next-door-neighbor sent supper one night, too. Bless her.) When I walked into the grocery store down there the first time, I saw that tortellini was "buy one/get one free" and I remembered this recipe.

The soup recipe was given to me by my young friend Holly last year and she told me it was one of their favorites. Her recipe called for homemade chicken stock. Now, I am more likely to make this if I use store-bought chicken broth. So I simmered some vegetables and a bay leaf in the broth-from-a-carton before I continued with the recipe. Close enough to homemade for me!

Big Sister ate the last bowl of this at suppertime (I had made it for lunch) and she declared, "Now there are TWO soups I like!" I know she eats more than two kinds of soup, but I think it is high praise that this recipe made the "I like it" list. Best of all, this is easy enough for her to make. Maybe she'll make the family dinner one night soon.

We had a rotisserie chicken for dinner the night before and I used the last of that for the cooked chicken the recipe calls for. That made it really easy to put together.

CHICKEN TORTELLINI SOUP  
       (also called Italian-style Chicken Noodle Soup)

2 (32-oz cartons) chicken broth (that's 8 cups)
a carrot
a large stalk of celery
1/2 a large onion
1 bay leaf
8-oz. cheese tortellini (dried or refrigerated--I used whole wheat Buitoni)
1 or 2 cups of cooked chicken, cut up  (use up what you have)
8-oz. bag flat leaf spinach, thinly sliced (I only used about half the bag)
salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley (I didn't have any)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place broth, carrot, celery, onion and bay leaf in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, 30-40 minutes. While broth simmers, stack the spinach leaves and slice into thin "ribbons" and set aside. Grate some fresh Parmesan and set aside. When the broth has simmered long enough, remove the vegetables and bay leaf from broth and discard.

Add the chicken to broth. Return broth to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook as directed on package. Use the lesser time given. Add the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.


I am wishing I had this now that I'm back at home. Despite being an avid hand washer, I came home with a miserable cold. This soup would just hit the spot—if I had the makings on hand.

Take this as a reminder to wash your hands frequently during this winter. Wipe off your cell phone, computer keyboard and remote controls often. And don't forget all of the handles in your house—refrigerator, sink, stove, dishwasher, door knobs, etc. That's about the best thing we can do to stay healthy.

If the cold bug finds you anyway, make this soup!