Tomato Spinach Tortellini Soup

I’m a huge fan of soup and tonight was a great warm fall day for this one. A few years ago, while traveling for work, I ordered a bowl of the perfect soup. Perfect because it combined three of my favorite flavors – cheese tortellini, tomato and spinach. I was very happy to recreate it at home and hope you enjoy one of the easiest soups you’ll ever make.

6 c. low sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
2 tsp. minced garlic
9 oz. fresh cheese tortellini (frozen works fine also, but needs to cook longer)
1 tsp. dried basil
2-3 c. baby spinach leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes (or a can of crushed tomatoes in puree plus 1 tsp. Italian seasoning)
1 can tomato sauce (or about 6 oz. of V-8)

In a large pot, bring broth to a boil. Stir in tortellini and simmer gently for about 3 minutes. Prepare spinach by stacking a dozen or so leaves on top of each other
rolling up
and using your kitchen shears to cut into ribbons.
Stir in remaining ingredients, return to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with shredded Parmesan cheese on top and some good bread or bread sticks for dipping. This will serve about 4 adults.
I don’t recommend keeping any leftovers for more than about a day because the tortellini tends to absorb a lot of liquid and get a bit soggy for my taste.