December 23, 2008

Chicken and Tortellini Soup

I'm always excited when I find a recipe that a) is easy to throw together in a few minutes with ingredients I have on hand, and b) my family will actually eat.

And I'm always happy to share them with you! So, here is what I made last night. It was raining, so I was in the mood for soup, but something different than the old stand-bys. And since it was getting late, I looked in my pantry and freezer for what I could throw together, and here is what I came up with. Everyone seemed to like it.

CHICKEN AND TORTELLINI SOUP

- diced onion: I didn't have an onion on hand, but I always have dried minced onion, which works just fine for something like this. Jay doesn't like onions, so I usually use the dried ones because he doesn't notice them, but we get the flavor.

- minced garlic: I love fresh garlic, so I always have it on hand. I used 3 cloves. Use whatever amount you like. If you don't have fresh garlic, use garlic powder.

- olive oil: just enough to saute the onion and garlic for a minute.

- chicken, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces: I had some leftover pre-cooked, sliced chicken with herbs in my freezer (about 1 cup) which was perfect. If I had used plain chicken, I would have added some italian herbs to the soup. Use more or less chicken depending on your preference.

- 1 can cream of chicken soup: I usually keep a can of this in my pantry, but if I hadn't had it I would have used some sour cream.

- approx. 4 c. water or chicken broth: I used water, and then threw in some chicken soup base.

- frozen chopped spinach: Trader's Joe's is really good. I used about half of a 1 lb. bag.

- cheese tortellini (dry): Again, TJ's is really good. I used about half of a 16 oz. bag.

- mushrooms, sliced: Fresh would have been best, of course, but I didn't have any. I usually have a small can of mushrooms in my pantry, which would have been about right, but I didn't have any yesterday. I did have some dried wild mushrooms in my cupboard though. I used about 1/3 c. dried mushrooms, rehydrated them in about 2/3 c. water, and threw the whole things in.

- parmesan cheese: I buy a huge hunk of this at Sam's Club, grate the whole thing in my food processor with the small grater attachment, and freeze it in small sandwich bags. I just pull a bag out of my freezer as needed. I use it on practically everything! I used about 1/3 cup for the soup.

- salt and pepper to taste

- Jay wanted it thicker, so I made a slurry of flour and milk, and stirred a little in, very gradually, until it looked right.

Serve with any good bread.

7 comments:

  1. Thanks! :) I'm trying to make some bread bowls for tonights supper with broccoli and cheese soup! Merry Christmas Alice!

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  2. Sounds delicious! Oh, that we had a Trader Joe's here. I've heard so many good things.

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  3. This sounds soooo good! Thanks for sharing it.

    I hope that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas this year. Blessings to you all!

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  4. This sounds yummy! I join in wishing we had a Trader Joe's here. I love the way you explain why or why not you put in an ingredient, where you got it, and how you prepare it. It's so helpful!
    Hope your holidays continue to be full of good things. Thanks for posting them to share with us!

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  5. Yumm! Sounds like a winner. I remember you being a terrific cook. You taught me how to make teriyaki stir fry. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. That sounds lishus. :D Thanks for sharing!!

    JB in Tennessee

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  7. Anonymous7:12 AM

    Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes. I love how you explain as you go along which I have to do as well whenever anyone asks for one of mine. I'm not creative enough to come up with anything on my own but I can make a recipe my own - if that makes any sense!

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