Recipe #2

Today was new recipe day!!! I love to make soup and have never cooked with tortellini, so this looked interesting. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com.

TORTELLINI SOUP

The Ingredients:
7-8 cups chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes with onion and garlic)
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. salt; ¼ tsp. pepper (does anybody really measure salt and pepper?)
1 pkg (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 ½ cups cubed cooked chicken (I used a pre-cooked 6 oz. pkg)

The Directions:
In dutch oven or soup kettle combine broth, tomatoes, spinach, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

I did this and mixed it all together with a whisk. Having never cooked spinach before, I did not realize that this is what would happen:

What a mess -it took forever to clean all that spinach off the whisk! Is it any wonder that this is the expression I frequently wear when I cook:

Anyway, moving on. After getting out a big spoon for stirring from this point forward, simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors; add tortellini and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes or until tortellini is heated through. (If using frozen, follow pkg. instructions for cooking the tortellini.)

The Result:

I was a little nervous about this one with the cooked spinach. I've never been a big fan of the looks or texture of the stuff, but decided to go ahead and use it. The soup was excellent. We both liked it a lot, which is a good thing because we have a lot of leftovers. However, when I make this the next time, I think I will choose a different green vegetable!