CEIMB: Tortellini-Spinach Soup

For this week's Craving Ellie in My Belly dish, I got to choose! After some careful consideration, I decided on this Tortellini-Spinach Soup. I'm really happy with my choice; it was a surefire winner for us!

As with so many of Ellie's recipes, this one is very easy to assemble. A few veggies are sauteed, then a can of tomatoes and some chicken broth is added and brought up to a boil. Shortly before you are ready to eat, you drop in a package of frozen tortellini and some fresh, thinly sliced spinach, and simmer until the pasta is done. That's it!

As usual, I took some liberties with this one. Just a couple; I wanted to stay pretty close to the original version. I omitted the crushed red pepper and added two roasted, chopped jalapenos. They gave the soup a nice smoky heat. Then, when it came time to add the can of diced tomatoes, I gave them a quick whirl with my immersion blender, so there wouldn't be any large chunks of tomato. I also left off the sprinkling of Parmesan cheese at the end, although everybody else had some on theirs. To each his own!

All in all, we really enjoyed this soup and I'm happy to be adding it to my soup rotation. However, if there's one criticism I would make, it's the fact that my tortellini were a tad on the large side. They weren't easy to eat within a soup. I found myself chopping them up with the side of my spoon so I could have more bites of tortellini per spoonful of broth. It's a small complaint though, and I'm sure it's an easy fix. I'll just buy littler pasta shapes next time!

To find out how everybody else made out with this soup, be sure to check the CEIMB blogroll, here. I couldn't find this recipe on Food Network's website, so I posted it below as Ellie has it written in the book. Enjoy!


Tortellini-Spinach Soup
from Ellie Krieger's So Easy
makes 4 servvings

Ingredients
1 tsp. canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced (1 1/2 cups)
2 ribs celery, chopped (1 cup)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 14-ounce can low-sodium diced tomatoes, with juice
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3 ounces baby spinach, sliced into ribbons (3 cups)
1 9-ounce package fresh store-bought spinach-and-cheese tortellini (2 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/2 ounces)

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a 4- or 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the onions are translucent and the garlic is softened, another 3 minutes. Add the carrot, celery, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the broth and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the spinach and tortellini and cook until the tortellini are cooked through, 6 minutes. This soup will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

3. For a lunch to go, put the warm soup into a wide-mouth thermal container designed to hold food. Pack the Parmesan cheese in a separate small bag. And don't forget a spoon!