Garlicky Tortellini and Spinach Tomato Soup

March has finally arrived, and spring is at our heels. Every day I'm seeing more and more grass in my courtyard and the days are getting warmer and warmer! Pretty soon we'll be leaving our jackets at home and it won't be getting dark until way after 8 o'clock at night. 

Despite the fact that the temperature is steadily rising during the day, the nights are still pretty cold and miserable. My favorite thing to have at dinnertime on a cold night is a chunky, flavorful soup. 

For about 9 years, my mother owned her own restaurant where she became famous for her soups. She had over one hundred recipes and they were all delicious. She even had a soup-call list: you gave the waitress your name and phone number, and someone would call you the day your favorite soup was being served! That's basically like having your favorite clothing store call you the day before they have a blowout sale and  telling you that you can be the first person in the store that day.  One of Mom's customers once referred to her as the Soup Nazi!

But, being Jewish, she politely refused to be called that. Thus she became known as the Soup Goddess, and held that title for several years. She even served chilled fruit soup in the summer!

If it's one thing I miss from my mom's restaurant, it's the endless soup supply. I've spent several years living in the shadow of the illustrious Soup Goddess, but now it's my time to shine! This filling soup recipe comes from The Nest, one of my favorite lifestyle websites!

GARLICKY TORTELLINI AND SPINACH TOMATO SOUP, courtesy of TheNest.com

Serves 2-3
YOU WILL NEED:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth

6 oz. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini

14 oz canned diced tomatoes with their liquid

10 ounces fresh spinach, washed and stemmed; coarsely chopped if large 

8 to 10 leaves basil, coarsely chopped

Grated Parmesan

mise-en-place

You will also need at least a 5 qt saucepan. I made no ingredient substitutions, though I did buy whole wheat tortellini as opposed to regular. I really wanted to get spinach tortellini, but my supermarket only sold it in big packets, and I didn't want to buy that much. I actually had to buy a packet of basil this time. My first basil plant was stripped clean; and the second one didn't last as long. I got maybe one use out of it before it wilted and nothing I did could save it. Well...it was good while it lasted.

Let's make soup!

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat

2. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes

3. Add the broth and bring to a boil

4. Add the tortellini and cook halfway, about 5 minutes for frozen pasta; less if using fresh.

5. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook just until the pasta is tender

6. Stir in the spinach and basil and cook until wilted, about 1-2 minutes

7. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese

 A nice and simple soup for a cold winter night in about 15 minutes! It was a meal in itself. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make, for someone who hasn't really made soup before. I mean, I have made soup before, but only once and it was far more complicated. I'll most likely revisit the recipe for posting purposes.

In the tags, I've labeled this as vegetarian, despite the fact that chicken broth is used. There's no harm in subbing vegetable broth. Also, there's now a soup tag! I have more soup recipes planned for the future, so I might as well add it.

Tomorrow is Wednesday, so that means "Face Off" night! I'll be making crock-pot Sloppy Joes.  Thursday night, I'm not cooking, since Colleen has invited us over for taco night! Saturday is a special night - a friend of ours is visiting from Brooklyn, so I have a nice Chicken Creole recipe planned. At some point, I'm embarking on a great Italian recipe: costolette alla pizzaiola, or, pork chops with tomato sauce. YUM!!!

Until next time: eat, drink and be merry!