creamy tortellini soup

Ingredients creamy tortellini soup

1 lb. Italian sausage (I used 2 cups shredded chicken)
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 onion diced
2 large carrots peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth (reduced sodium recommended)
12 oz. tortellini uncooked
2 large bunches spinach stems removed and roughly chopped
2 cups milk (whole milk is best for the creamiest texture)
to taste Herbs de Provence
to taste salt and pepper
to taste oregano
shredded parmesan cheese for topping

how to make creamy tortellini soup

If going by the original recipe and using sausage, then start to brown it in a large pot, breaking it up as you go. Once it's all browned, remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside for the moment. If using cooked, shredded chicken as I did, then ignore this and go on to step 2.

Heat the butter over medium heat in the large pot. Once it has melted, add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. Next, add the garlic and cook, stirring for just 30 seconds to 1 minute more, until just fragrant.

Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to incorporate. Cook just 2-3 minutes more.

Increase the heat to med-high and stir in the broth. Bring to a boil.

Once at a boil, decrease the heat and allow to simmer 5 minutes.

After the 5 minutes, stir in the tortellini to the pot (if using refrigerated or frozen, you'll have to increase the heat once more to ensure it remains at a simmer). Also stir in the cooked sausage (or cooked chicken). Simmer for 7-10 minutes or until the tortellini is cooked through.

Decrease the heat to low. Stir in the spinach and the heat of the soup will cause the spinach to wilt.

While the spinach is wilting, start to temper your milk. Do this by adding a small amount of the hot broth to the milk and whisking together until the milk warms. Then stir the tempered milk into the pot. Season to taste and serve immediately. Garnish individual portions topped with shredded parmesan cheese, if you'd like.

Refrigerate any leftovers in a large Tupperware container. To reheat, just add the amount you are wanting to reheat in a medium saucepan. Add a splash of extra broth if needed (the tortellini will absorb a lot of the liquid during refrigeration) and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes or so, until heated through.