Creamy Tomato Chicken & Tortellini Soup
The long nights of winter are upon us and all I want to eat for dinner (and lunch!) is a warm bowl of soup. Most of the time, some chopped veggies and a bit of meat covered with broth and simmered to perfection all day long is enough to fill our bellies and warm us to our toes. Every so often though, I like to spruce it up a bit. I grabbed a bag of frozen organic cheese tortellini to pop in our freezer during the hullabaloo of moving last month and there it sat until it dawned on me that a brothy, creamy tomato soup with tortellini was just what I wanted for dinner. Luckily, I’ve recently gotten back into the habit of cooking a whole chicken in the instant pot every week which leaves me with heaps of shredded chicken and jars of golden broth. I knew that adding chicken and a bit of half and half for body and creaminess would also up the protein content keeping us full and satisfied. A new soup recipe was born and now you’d better believe that those tortellinis will make it out of the freezer more often!
Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
pepper to taste
2 cups spinach or kale, finely chopped
2 cooked chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken, shredded
12 ounces cheese tortellini
14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
8 cups chicken bone broth
½-1 cup half and half, depending on how creamy you like it!
Directions:
Heat a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Stir every so often while they cook and caramelize. Add the chopped kale/spinach. Season with the salt, pepper, and italian seasoning. Pour the broth over top and stir through. Add the tomatoes and chicken and stir again. Pop the lid on and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. About 30 minutes before serving, add the tortellini and half and half and stir though. Put the lid back on and simmer it until serving. It should thicken a bit in this time. Just before serving taste for seasoning and adjust to your presence. Serve with a nice pile of freshly grated parmesan over top and enjoy!
