Tortellini, Spinach and White Bean Soup: Easy and Satisfying for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I bought a package of tortellini and a one of baby spinach with the intention of making a warm pasta salad. It's been a little windier and cooler this weekend with on-and-off rain showers so my mind turned instead to soup. Recipes abound for spinach and tortellini soup, but I just threw what I wanted into the pot with some veggies from the fridge, beans and plenty of fresh herbs.

Since this soup uses the packaged fresh tortellini, baby spinach and canned beans, it goes together quickly and makes for a warming and satisfying meat-free dinner. 

 
Tortellini, Spinach and White Bean Soup 
by Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Serves 4)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small-medium onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped finely
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
4 cups stock or veggie broth (I used Imagine No-Chicken Broth)
1 can small white beans
4 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 package (9 oz) tortellini (I used Butoni fresh garlic cheese tortellini)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
salt and black pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan cheese to garnish

Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed soup pot and add onion, celery and carrot. Cook about 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf and cook about 2 minutes more. Add stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are mostly cooked. Add white beans, spinach and tortellini and cook another 8-10 minutes until tortellini is cooked through. Stir in fresh basil and add salt and pepper to taste and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Notes/Results: Simple, satisfying and very full of flavor for such an easy soup. The herbs and vegetables give the broth a lot of dimension and the tortellini and white beans make the soup filling. I just tossed together what I had but you could easily adjust it for your tastes by adding your favorite veggies or greens, using a meat-filled tortellini or adding in some shredded chicken, etc. It's a good soup for when you don't have a lot of time but want it to taste like it has been simmering all day. I would make it again.

It's a bit quiet in the Souper Sunday kitchen but three good friends and regulars are here to keep me company with a soup, salad and a sandwich on this busy weekend-before-Thanksgiving. Let's see what they brought...

Joanne of Eats Well With Others made this hearty Thai Tofu and Winter Squash Stew and says, "All I have to say is...thank the heavens for this stew.  Not only does it come together in around a half hour, but it's also so full of health I can hardly stand it!! Butternut squash, swiss chard, and tofu join forces with some serious Thai flavor to make a dish that is both filling and delicious.  Seriously, having this in the fridge will make it that much easier to pry yourself away from the creamed "insert vegetable here" that you've been taste testing every hour for the past two days.  And, if you're willing to go the non-traditional route, it would also make for an awesome vegetarian entree on Thanksgiving....which, given how good it is for you, would leave you more room for pie.  That, my friends, is a win. Squared."

Janet of The Taste Space has our salad entry this week--this seasonally-perfect Warm Balsamic Rosemary Cabbage Salad she describes as "warm and earthy... Janet also says, "Onions and garlic are pan-fried along with cabbage that is gently cooked to remove some of its bite. Granny Smith apples add tartness and sweetness along with raisins. Tossed with rosemary and balsamic vinegar, you have a simple salad that is more than the sum of its parts. I used green cabbage which became a bit muddled from the balsamic vinegar. My suggestion would be to use white balsamic if you have it or use purple cabbage instead."

Finally, Foodycat brings us a delicious sandwich--her Very Superior Bacon Sandwich and says, "A very superior bacon sandwich begins with some superior bread. In this case, a home-made milk loaf made using Dan Lepard's recipe. Not too crunchy a crust, not too open a crumb, with a subtle sweetness. Then a very superior bacon sandwich needs 3 rashers of superior crisply cooked streaky bacon. This should be dry-cured and from high-welfare, outdoor reared pork. Finally, the choice of condiments. This is a private matter between you and your god, I cannot presume to dictate whether brown sauce, chilli sauce, chutney or ketchup is right for you."

Thanks Joanne, Janet and Alicia for joining in this week. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share--just click on the Souper Sundays logo on my side bar for all of the details. 

Have a happy, healthy (Thanksgiving for many of you) week!