Spinach Tortellini Soup

This recipe combines three of my favorite things...pasta, spinach, and soup. It is a lighter broth based soup that is perfect paired with a salad or sandwich on a cool fall day. 

• 2 tsp butter (I use unsalted)
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled & chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 8 cups fat free chicken broth (I used reduced sodium)
• 3 cups water
• 1 small Parmigiano Reggiano Rind (optional)
• 18 oz spinach cheese tortellini (Buitoni)
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 cups baby spinach
• salt to taste
• Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Directions:

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. When melted, add the celery, onion, carrot & garlic. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.

Add the chicken broth, water, rind and increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. When broth boils, add salt (to taste), pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and add tortellini. Simmer until tortellini cooks to al dente.

Once cooked, remove the rind, and add the baby spinach. Stir to combine. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano!

This recipe makes 12 cups of soup. 

1 serving (1 1/2 cups): 227 calories, 5.3g fat, 33.8g carbs, 0.9g fiber, 11.3g protein. 

 Sometimes I like to add some leftover shredded chicken breast meat and/or extra veggies like carrots and celery. It makes for a really tasty and healthy meal.