Tortellini Spinach Soup

Happy Valentine's Day. Last evening a Northeast wind dumped 12 inches of snow on Perrine Street . The front porch thermometer read 11° at 6 AM. Snowplowing started off on the wrong foot. We got stuck in our driveway. This was the first of three stoppages during the course of the day. After paying a visit to Lori, Joan returned home to prepare this soup in her new red cast iron Dutch oven. Needless to say after Dave Eichorn announced the final snowfall total for the day in Auburn to be 18 inches, there were plenty of smiles beaming above the piping hot soup bowls at 88.


1 tablespoon olive oil or oil
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic in oil
3 (14 1/2 oz.) cans ready-to-serve chicken broth
1 (9-oz. pkg.) refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
2 cups frozen cut leaf spinach (from 16-oz. pkg.)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is tender. Add broth; bring to a boil. Add tortellini; boil gently 4 to 5 minutes or until tortellini is almost tender. Add spinach and oregano; simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach is tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

4 (1/2-cup) servings.