Sunday, January 1, 2017

Spinach and Cheese Tortelloni in Light Broth: Simple Comfort for Souper (Soup, Salad, & Sammie) Sundays

Happy 2017! Although almost every New Year's I tell myself I will make black-eyed peas and greens, or soba noodles, or lentils, or some other "lucky" food, I seldom follow my own advice and "chance um" as we say in Hawaii, taking a chance the year will be lucky. Based on last year and what I fear ahead for 2017, I probably should have taken my advice this year. ;-) Instead, I wanted something fast and easy, brothy and with noodles (maybe because last week's soup was so good)


I have been meaning to make Giada's Cheese Tortellini in Light Broth from The Food Network for a while now and since fresh, filled pasta was on sale at my grocery store this week, it seemed like the perfect time to try it. It is almost too simple to be a recipe but I think it makes a great starting point. I made a few changes, using spinach & ricotta-filled tortelloni (tortellini's slightly bigger cousin), using my favorite homemade Parmigianio-Reggiano garlic brodo as the base (with a touch of dried parsley added to Giada's black pepper), and adding baby spinach and a touch of lemon juice and zest. Giada serves her soup with Parmesan Crisps but since I had the cheese already in the broth, I just grated a little extra on top. My changes are in red below.   


Spinach & Cheese Tortelloni in Light Broth
Slightly adapted from Giada De Laurentiis via TheFoodNetwork.com (Makes 6-8 Servings)
8 cups good low-salt chicken broth, or good light broth of choice
freshly ground black pepper to taste
(1 tsp dried basil)
2 (9-oz) packages refrigerated cheese tortellini (I used a 20-oz package of Spinach & Ricotta Tortelloni)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
(2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice + lemon zest)
(Freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano)

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Season the broth with dried basil and black pepper, to taste. Add the tortellini. Simmer over medium heat until al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Add in baby spinach for the last 3 to 4 minutes of cooking time. Taste for seasoning and add lemon juice if desired and salt if needed.

Ladle the broth and tortellini into soup bowls. Top with parsley, lemon zest and Parmesan as desired. Enjoy!



Notes/Results: This soup completely hit the spot. It's light but satisfying and had great flavor. It's the broth that makes it in my opinion so use a good one if not homemade. I liked the addition of the lemon juice and zest--especially with the addition of the spinach. This recipe is super-fast to make and fun to eat with the plump, filled fresh tortellini (or in this case tortelloni). I would definitely make it again.
 

I'm linking this soup up at I Heart Cooking Clubs where it is Potluck week--our week to make any recipe from our current featured chef, Heidi Swanson, or any of our previous IHCC featured chefs.



We have two good friends in the Souper Sundays kitchen who shared some delicious dishes last week--let's have a look!


Shaheen of Allotment2Kitchen shared this Black Beluga Lentil Salad with Avocado and said, "I like the colours in this Black Beluga Lentil Salad.  Its a winter salad but with festive colours - bold green and red. The avocado was an afterthought really, I had picked it up to make a guacamole dip, but was getting concerned that it may have become too soft and therefore ready for the compost bin, but when I sliced it, I was pleased that it was perfectly ripe. The avocado slices provided a nice natural buttery contrast to the nutty be beluga lentils and sweet crunch from the peppers and red onion. The is a zing from the jalapeno juice.



Kim of Stirring the Pot made Curtis Stone's White Bean and Chorizo Soup with Crostini and said, "A simple glance might have you thinking this is a tomato-based soup, but it is not! The soup gets its reddish color based solely on the chorizo itself - now how's that for flavor! The combination of the chorizo and the white beans is quite hearty and satisfying. We found this soup to be great right after it was made, but even better the next day! Perfect with a side of crusty bread for dunking."


Mahalo to Shaheen and Kim for joining in this week! 

Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here.
 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

  • Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):
  • please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
  • you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).



Have a happy, healthy New Year!
 

4 comments:

  1. Happy 2017 Deb. I try to cook with Black Eyed Peas at the start of the year, but somehow forgot this year. Instead I have this Avocado Soup for you.

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  2. Happy New Year! Thought I'd share the blood orange and bitter greens salad I made to try to start the new year out on a healthy note!

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  3. Happy new year to you, my friend! I brought a Cuban black bean soup to the party....but I didn't make it. Still I wanted to share it.

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  4. This simple tortelloni soup is speaking to me. Easy, yet delicious all the same. Thanks for adding me to the roundup. Shaheen's lentil salad looks like something I'd like to pack in my lunchbox.

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