April is doing its best impression of early March – biting winds and a chilly 40-something, despite the sunny days. Brrrrr. Take me back to Puerto Rico, please.
Snap! I’m still here! That didn’t work. OK, let’s make soup instead.
In fact, today I am sharing with you the fastest, easiest soup I’ve ever made. You can thank Dee for this one, since it’s based on her recipe and I’ve enjoyed it at her house on many occasions. Being a “Now, now, NOW!” kind of gal, I bypassed the email route to get the recipe from her and just showed up at her place of employment instead (conveniently located just minutes from my house.) Knowing it is futile to resist my charms, she gave up the recipe without a fight, and then handed me half of her sandwich as well. I just love that girl 🙂
Now, let’s get to how ridiculously easy this is for a homemade soup. Aside from the tortellini and chicken, you’ll probably have everything you need in the pantry already. And it’s SO quick to put together, you’ll be wondering what to do with the rest of your afternoon when you’re done. I suggest either a nap or a luxurious hour of reading by the sunniest window you can find.
What makes this soup so simple? You are basically jazzing up some chicken broth with tomatoes and garlic, than plopping the tortellini in to cook, and the chicken to heat. That’s it. Want me to repeat that? Nah, I think you’ve got it.
I used fresh tortellini from in the refrigerated section, but the frozen variety would work fine as well. For chicken, all I had on hand was the canned type (rinsed thoroughly to rid it of the excess sodium), but any pre-cooked chicken will do. If you like your soup more brothy than hearty, add 2 additional cups of chicken broth. I made this thicker, so it was rich with tomato flavor, but my kids wouldn’t have minded the additional broth. They are slurpers, and felt a little cheated 🙂
Tortellini Tomato Soup
Serves 6
Prep time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 – 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
9 oz packaged fresh tortellini (like Buitoni)
1 and 1/2 cups diced, cooked chicken
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for just 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and tortellini, return to a boil, and simmer , covered, until the tortellini are done, about 8 minutes (or according to package directions). Adjust seasonings, as necessary.
Serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate, reheating over low heat the following day.
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