Tortellini Soup is the Perfect Meal for Cold Weather

Cooler weather is here and it's hard for me to accept that fact.  It feels like it was just summer not that many weeks ago! In the northeast, long sleeves and jackets are daily requirements and the nights are even cooler.  With even colder weather on the horizon, it's imperative to stay warm and comfortable.

Soup is always one of my go-to meal's during the colder months of the year.  The best thing about soup is that it can be prepared in so many fantastic different ways.  Whether you want chicken and sausage soup, chicken noodle, tomato and rice, or even gazpacho, all of them would make your taste buds happy.

If you're looking for a fantastic soup to make on a cold night, I have the perfect option for you.  Tortellini soup will satisfy your pasta and soup cravings all in one bowl.  

This recipe will taste like you spent hours making it in the kitchen, but in reality it's so quick to prepare.  

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

3 stalks, celery, chopped

1 onion diced

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans water

32 oz box of chicken broth

Family size package of cheese or beef tortellini, half cooked

Steps to prepare:

1.Put olive oil in the bottom of a large soup/stock pan

2. Saute garlic, celery, carrots, and onions until tender

3. Add frozen spinach and break up the blocks of spinach as you cook

4. Continue to sauté until spinach thaws then heats up

5. Add cream of chicken soup and water

6. Add chicken broth and then add tortellini

7. Heat and serve

The soup came out fantastic and was full of flavor.  I added some pepper and seasoned salt to kick up the flavor a notch because it was slightly simple.  What I noticed was the broth not overly thick even though there was cream of chicken in it.    I opted to leave the celery and onions out as I do not like them.  You can substitute kale for spinach if you'd like, and you can also add more root vegetables too.  

My family really enjoyed the soup and it was a nice diversion from a standard everyday soups.  Serve a slice of warm buttered bread on the side for the perfect meal.