Somebody's Dinner: Tortellini Soup

Wonderful, cool days call for warming soups. Here's a new one: tomato based soup with seasoned ground turkey, delicious cheese-filled tortellini pasta, spinach, carrots, and even some red bell pepper.

This soup isn't super-full of tortellini or meat or vegetables, but has a balance between them.

I served this with my recipe for Golden Rolls, so we got some extra hidden vegetables and whole wheat from the bread.

I decided to go with soup because of an early allergy season giving me a sore throat. I know lots of people down with colds and flu who would appreciate a bowl as well.

Not only do I love eating this soup, but despite a long ingredients list it's fast. It comes together in about 50 minutes. That's 15-20 minutes to cook the onions and meat, and 30 minutes to simmer. While I cook my meat, I chop my vegetables to save time. When it simmers, I clean my kitchen. Or I can read a book. Who needs a clean kitchen when the next chapter of Eragon is waiting?

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Ingredients

1/2 a large onion, chopped (about 2/3 cup)

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 pound ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings (or use basil)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, makes the soup spicy)

3 cups beef broth

1 twenty-eight ounce can tomatoes, pureed

1 cup sliced carrots

2 tablespoons chopped red pepper (optional)

6-8 ounces fresh (or frozen) tortellini pasta

2/3 cup chopped fresh spinach

Directions

1. Cook onion in olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat for 7-9 minutes until the onion is beginning to become clear, stirring frequently.

2. In a little bowl, mix together pepper, Italian seasonings, garlic powder, salt, and if desired, red pepper flakes. Stir and add this and the ground turkey to the onions. Continue to cook 7-10 minutes more until the turkey is browned, stirring and flipping to break the meat into small bite sized pieces.

Drain off any grease. I used lean turkey, so I didn't have to do this step, but you never know what fat you can get rid of before it goes in the soup pot!

These seasonings help your turkey mimic sausage without the cost of buying sausage. Sausage is also higher in fat and has more preservatives. Choose to season your own.

While I cook the meat I take care of my chopping. I also cut up the carrots at this point.

3. Put the meat and onions, broth, pureed tomatoes, carrots, and bell pepper in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir often and bring to a boil. Decrease temperature and simmer 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.