Spinach Tortellini Soup

Hi people (to the whole two people who read this :)! Sorry it's been so long since I posted last. I'm settling in well here in VA and loving work. Here's a nice soup recipe that I made tonight. It's cold outside and I'm not feeling so hot, so I needed a easy peasy recipe!

1 Tbls Olive Oil
One small Onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
one celery stalk chopped
half red bell pepper (any color will do)
handful of whole peppercorns
a dash of sugar
Frozen peas (handful)
Frozen spinach (two handfuls)
1/2 tsp of basil
1/4 tsp of corriander powder (if you're not indian, you probably don't have this on hand, so just leave it out :)
1 14.5 can of chicken broth
1 chicken buillion cube/ OR 1 tsp of chicken broth powder ( I just added this cause I didn't have more canned chicken broth.)
1 can of diced tomatoes (ALWAYS keep this on hand..)
a splash of wine
salt to taste
(Note: I just threw whatever I had in my fridge/ freezer in. Add any veggies in addition to the spinach.)

Cheese or chicken tortellini

In a separate pot boil the tortellini until its al dente. Strain and set aside.

Saute garlic and onions until soft and fragrant. Add the celery and saute for about 3 minutes. ( love using celery as a spice.. it sweetens things up!) Add bell peppers and saute for 2 mins. Add salt, peppercorns, and a dash of sugar. Add peas and spinach. Add basil. Saute everything for about 3 minutes until you can really smell the basil. (You can add a little more sugar here if you want to bring out the sweetness of the basil and celery.)

Add all the liquid and tomatoes.

Simmmmmmmmer with two fresh green chilis (if you want a little kick...). The longer you simmer the more flavorful the soup will be. I just simmered for about 10 minutes because I was HONGRY.

Add cooked tortellini. (Store the soup and tortellini separately otherwise the pasta turns into mush.)


Easy peasy.