Recipe Time: Tomato Tortellini Soup
WG asked for budget-friendly, healthy recipes and it just so happens I’ve got a file box full of them! This time of year, my family eats a lot of soup, and not simply because of the weather. We eat soup because it’s also one of the most economical meals to make and, in these weeks when I find myself trying to cut our finances as much as possible so we can pay taxes come April, I try to pinch every penny I can.
As it happens, this is also a very quick recipe to whip up, so it’s one I turn to on nights when I’m just too tired to do anything fancy. Not that my family knows how easy it is: I let them think I’m slaving away in the kitchen but, truth is, this meal takes less than 10 minutes to put together and another 20 on the stove. Plus, thanks to the tomatoes and spinach, it’s full of vitamins and anti-aging anti-oxidants.
Not that they need to know that, right?
Tomato Tortellini Soup
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes (simmering)
Calories per serving: 312
Fat calories per serving: 89
Ingredients
1/2 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken broth*
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes OR 2 whole tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 pkg. fresh tortellini (9 oz.)
10 oz. chopped fresh or frozen but defrosted spinach (I use fresh)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
cooking spray
Directions
1. Spray large soup pan with cooking spray. Heat on medium high. Sautee onions and garlic until onions turn translucent. (About 5 minutes.)
2. Add broth and tomatoes. Turn to high heat and bring to boil.
3. Add tortellini. Cook 5 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add spinach and adjust seasonings. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
6. Serve in soup bowls and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top before serving.
I usually serve this accompanied by a green salad and/or steamed zucchini, and my family doesn’t even realize they’re eating meat free for the night.
* A note on broth: I’m in the habit of saving chicken, ham and beef bones as well as vegetable scraps in the freezer. About once every couple of weeks I make a pot of broth by simmering chicken bones, for instance, with an onion (cut in halves), two stalks of celery and a whole carrot for a couple of hours. Strain the liquid and let cool, then freeze it in a muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray. Each muffin space makes 1/2 cup of frozen broth. This is so much more economical than buying broth from the store and it tastes better, too!
2 Responses to “Recipe Time: Tomato Tortellini Soup”
OMG… that sounds REALLY good. I’m not one for spinach, but I’m willing to try it seeing as how it’s going to be cooked and served.
Thanks. We need to save all the money we can!
And the H LOVES tortellini!
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It’s a yummy one. Even my little boy eats it, and he hates tomatoes and spinach!
I’ve also added ground turkey to it (just brown it with the onions and garlic). I do a very similar one using navy beans in place of the tortellini, too. Soak 2 cups of them overnight in water, rinse, then bring them to a boil and simmer for 2 hours until they’re soft. Drain & set aside. Make the rest of the soup as directed and add the beans back in when you’d add the tortellini. That one’s even more cost-effective.
Hope you enjoy it!