White Bean Tortellini Soup

So far this year all my soups have been the simmer-all-day-in-the-crockpot kind. This one differs from the others: it can be made at the last minute, so it's great for a quick lunch or dinner.

I started out slowly though - I had a chicken carcass in the refrigerator and made my own chicken stock first. But that isn't necessary! You can take the shortcut of opening a jar of homemade, home-canned broth or even using canned broth from the market. You can use vegetable stock instead, if you prefer. Soup is very forgiving.

To make the stock, I put the chicken bones in the slow cooker the night before, added a bag of onion skins, carrot peels and celery leaves from the freezer (I save those things for stock-making), and covered it all with water. I let it cook all night long, and strained out the solids in the morning. It made 2 3/4 quarts (11 cups) of stock. I used 3 cups in the soup, poured the rest into Ziploc freezer bags - 2 cups in each one - and put them in the freezer for another day.

See this post if you'd like to can your homemade chicken stock. It's worth it!

Ok, now that we have broth, on to the soup.

I chopped a small onion, melted 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy pan, and sautéed the onion until softened. Next I added the minced garlic, salt and pepper, and cooked for a few more minutes.

To make it a bit thicker, I added a tablespoon of flour and stirred it all together. I added 3 tablespoons of leftover spaghetti sauce and the paprika. Tomato paste would be fine, but I didn't want to open a can for that little bit, so leftover spaghetti sauce came to the rescue.

Next I added the chopped spinach and let it wilt in the heat. Spinach pretty much disappears into nothing when you cook it. You might want to add more than you think you want in your soup, because it doesn't look like there was much in mine when it was finished.

In went the three cups of chicken stock and a quart of chopped tomatoes. Feel free to use a quart of home-canned tomatoes, or even a can of crushed or stewed tomatoes. At the end of the summer I'd tossed all my washed tomatoes into zipper bags and stuck them in the freezer "to can later." With all that's been going on, I haven't gotten it done yet, so I used one of those freezer bags.

Just run those frozen tomatoes under hot water from the kitchen faucet and the skin will loosen almost immediately. It's very easy to peel off. Then I chopped them up and filled up my quart measuring cup. It all went into the pot.

Next I added two cans of drained and rinsed cannellini beans. I imagine any white bean will do. I can kidney beans regularly; white beans would be just as easy, so you could use two pints of home-canned beans if you have them. (You'll need to pressure can beans if you can them.)

The final step is to add the tortellini, either fresh-made, dried or frozen - just don't use pre-cooked pasta. Cook according to package directions; the label on my package said ten minutes. You don't want to overcook it so that it gets mushy.

Since I was making this to eat for lunch over the next several days, I didn't add the whole package of tortellini. I'll add some to each serving as I heat it for lunch. How about adding some croutons? Or grated cheese? Or all of the above?

I thought the star of the dish would be the tortellini, but honestly it's the tomatoes. They taste like summer and the soup even smells like fresh tomatoes. Your mileage may vary on that if you use commercially-canned tomatoes.

White Bean Tortellini Soup

2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp tomato paste or spaghetti sauce
1 quart of canned tomatoes (or 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes)
2 pints of cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken stock
8 ounces fresh spinach, roughly chopped
8 ounces of cheese tortellini

Melt butter in a heavy pan on medium heat. Add onion and saute until softened. Add garlic, salt, pepper and paprika; saute for a few additional minutes. Add a tablespoon of flour, stir to coat. Add tomato paste. Use a whisk if necessary to combine.

Add the chopped spinach and cook just long enough for the spinach to wilt. Add chicken stock, canned tomatoes and drained cannellini beans. Raise the heat a bit and add the tortellini, cooking according to package directions. Don't overcook. Spoon into bowls and if desired, add grated cheese and/or croutons.

The Month of Soups collection:
Cream of Asparagus Soup
Spilt Pea Soup
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ham and Bean Soup
White Bean Tortellini Soup
Roasted Tomato Soup
Chicken and Mushroom Soup
Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
French Onion Soup
Albondigas Soup

This post has been shared at some of my favorite blog hops.


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My hope is to inspire you, and to encourage your homesteading plans and your dreams of a simple, self-reliant, God-dependent life. You can follow me at:    Facebook | Pinterest | Subscribe via email