If you are ever looking for me on a Sunday afternoon in the fall and winter – you don’t have to search very far. A typical Sunday in our house means my boyfriend is curled up on the couch with Pug watching football and I am dancing around the kitchen trying out a new recipe.
For the colder months, it shouldn’t come as a shock that I gravitate towards making some sort of stew, soup or chili – something hardy but healthy and flavor packed at the same time. I usually make a big batch and store it in the fridge so we can grab a bowl and go during the week without having to think on those nights where we just want to loaf around and relax. If it were up to my boyfriend, I would have a beef stew in the crock-pot each week. Don’t get me wrong, I do make a pretty mean beef stew but I prefer to switch it up sometimes. (I will share that recipe with you soon)
I can’t promise to have a new post every week but I am going to try for the fall and winter to add a post each Monday with what I made the Sunday before. Let me know in the comment section if you like this idea and also if you have any suggestions or recipes I should try.
I am a sucker for Italian cooking – give me that rustic Tuscan flavor any day of the week and I will forever be happy. Last winter, we had gone out to a new Italian restaurant in our old neck of the woods and I had one of the best soups I had ever had! I look for something similar now on every menu but I haven’t been able to find anything like it. So- naturally, I made my own version.
It took awhile to get the portions and ingredients right but now I am completely obsessed. I have to tell you though, I don’t know how this will freeze. I have thought about it and truthfully – I would just rather eat it at the time than dare put any aside for another day. I would think it would freeze okay though. Usually when I freeze either a soup, stew or even chili, I let it completely cool down and then transfer to a resealable bag instead of a jar or container. I just find it holds better and is easier to fit into the freezer, locks in the freshness and it is easy to thaw in a pinch later.
The whole soup comes together in under a half hour! The base is so creamy and velvety and the tortellini, chicken, spinach, diced tomatoes and beans, make me feel like I should have been born an Italian Nona.
Here is what you will need:
♥ 2 tablespoons of butter
♥ 1 small white onion – diced
♥ 3 cloves of garlic – minced
♥ 4 cups of chicken broth
♥ 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes – do not drain
♥ 115 ounce can of while beans – drained and rinsed
♥ 1 cup heavy cream
♥ 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
♥ 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
♥ 1 teaspoon of salt
♥ 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
♥ 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken – rotisserie chicken will work
♥ 9 ounces refrigerated tortellini – any filling you prefer
♥ 2 cups spinach
Here is what you will need to do:
♥ In a large pot oven medium heat, heat up the butter.
♥ Add in the onion and garlic and cook until tender and translucent.
♥ Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, white beans, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, stir everything together and bring to a simmer.
♥ Add the chicken, tortellini and spinach and stir everything together again. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes to allow the soup to thicken and the tortellini to cook.
♥♥ Serve immediately and kick your feet up for the rest of the day. You can also add some additional Parmesan cheese on top as garnish if you’d like.
I am curious also to see how this would turn out if I swapped out the tortellini and used orzo noodles instead… someone try it for me and tell me how it is? What is your favorite soup to sit down and have a quiet and relaxing fall day with?
XOXO.
B.
