Tortellini Soup
My week days are a bit longer now. Gone is the 15 minute commute home with plenty of time to slip in a bike ride before dinner. These days I’m lucky to find traffic moving well enough to make it home in an hour. Truly a grueling drive, traffic so jammed to a crawl that my GPS will ask me if I want to switch to pedestrian mode!
Once home, the sun has set, the air is chilled and I just want to get inside to my comfy, soothing, familiar surroundings.
I always have a week’s worth of meals planned out in advance but most nights now I’m finding that I just want to be pampered. A glass of wine, Cab or Merlot, lights dimmed to candlelight, unconditional hugs and kisses from my puppies and a light meal, easily prepared, warming to my soul and senses.
Carbs tend to calm and sooth me but, in excess, have other effects on me! So to balance out my emotional needs with my physical requirements, I used spinach tortellini in this, added in lots of greens and in less than 30 minutes a big bowl of comfort is ready to welcome me home!
Tortellini Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leak, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth, preferably homemade
14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2 pound spinach tortellini or filling of your choice, i.e., cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
5 cups coarsely chopped spinach or greens of your choice
optional ingredients: 1 cup cooked cannellini beans
Freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Gently saute the leeks, crushed red pepper and garlic. Stir in broth and diced tomatoes and their liquid; bring to a boil. Add in the tortellini, spinach or toher greens, cannellini beans if using, and dried oregano. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 7-8 minutes or until tortellini floats to the top and greens have wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with freshly grated cheese. Makes about 4 servings.
spicegirlfla
I love being in the kitchen. Early mornings, soft music, a hot espresso. Easing into the preparation of delicious meals. Glancing through cookbooks, gathering inspiration and planning my day. I look forward to the cycles of the seasons, the pleasures of tasting and savoring and sharing this with those dear to me. Weekends are special to me as my week days are often rushed, but still I create the ambiance, light the candles, set the table and uncork the wine.
21 Comments
Juliana
Oh Linda, your tortellini soup just look perfect for tonight! It is windy and cold and this warm soup will just do it!
Thanks for the recipe and hope you are having a wonderful week 🙂
Karen
LOVEs me my tortellini soup! Especially as the weather gets colder and nastier……
Add in the home made bread, and you’re in heaven!
yummychunklet
I love tortellini soup! This looks great!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
You are so organized! A week ahead of time? I wish I could plan an hour ahead of time. I told my husband I need a big white board in here and he told me I needed a bigger office. 🙂 I love your tortellini soup.
Eha
Working from home I normally can multitask and make things from scratch. Have bought some beautiful spinach tortellini from a shop nearby tho’ and this looks like a marvellous way for a quick, healthy, hearty, appetizing meal! Thanks 🙂 !
Hotly Spiced
My husband used to work six days a week and he had a hideous commute in shocking traffic and it would take him at least an hour to get to work in the morning, sometimes two! After a year of that nonsense we pulled up stumps and moved closer. Now he can walk to work and our lifestyle is so much better. I’m sorry to hear you have to spend so much time in the traffic xx
Choc Chip Uru
I love the idea of this soup!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
David
This is one of my favorite soups, and I always include the beans. It need to be a bit cooler before I start making the soups.
ChgoJohn
I can so sympathise with your commuter woes, Linda. For a time, I had a similar commute and it was awful. especially when the snow hit. Ugh! Knowing that a bowl of your soup, though, is waiting would make any commute seem better. Love that you’ve added both spinach and beans to make this a very satisfying meal. And the fact that you can pull this together in a half-hour is a big plus. This sure beats the sack o’ food I often picked up on my commute home.
Have a great week, Linda.
Kristy
Linda sometimes I think we live parallel lives! I could have written those exact words. I can’t tell you how much pasta I’ve been eating! This looks delicious. And it’s just the right amount of comfort I find myself craving.
France @ Beyond The Peel
Hearty warming soups are just the best, this sounds especially comforting and delicious. What is it about red wine and soup/stew that makes for such a perfect meal?
Mad Dog
Sounds like you deserve the soup and a glass of wine 😉
Geni
Oh my gosh. This would totally hit the spot for me when I come home from a long day. I would love to have a batch at the ready in my fridge. Wow, that commute sounds HORRIBLE! And I thought LA traffic was bad.
Tandy
After an hour’s commute I would also need a bowl of comfort 🙂
Karen (Back Road Journal)
This sounds like a soothing and comforting soup to enjoy after a stress day.
Jed Gray (sportsglutton)
I’m fully aware of the healing power of some wine after a long day, but I’m sure that this soup has some healing powers of it own. 😉
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen
I have always hated commuting and being stuck in traffic. This soup does look comforting, indeed, and I love the fast that I could whip it up quite quickly!
Greg
Katherine would love this! I would too.
petit4chocolatier
I definitely can empathize with your commute!
Love the soup recipe, and it looks very delicious and at ease!
Pingback:
Pingback: