Tortellini Soup

I really like soup. Once the weather gets cold, there's nothing I'd rather have then a big pot of soup steaming on the stove. I love letting it cook all afternoon and fill up my house with good smells. We have a soup party almost every fall. I've made corn chowder, tomato bisque, and chili in the past, but this year I made tortellini soup and a leek and potato. I think the tortellini is my new favorite. 

This soup's not hard to make. In fact, if you really want it to come together quickly you can use almost all canned ingredients, but what I love about this soup is that it's all stuff we grow in the backyard! (Except for the tortellini.)  Here's my recipe:

Tortellini Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large white or yellow onion, chopped
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
4 cups chicken or veggie broth
2 cans diced tomatoes (or 3 cups peeled, chopped tomatoes from the garden)
1 Tbsp dried oregano, crushed
1 Tbsp dried basil, crushed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
water
24 oz frozen tortellini

Directions
In a large pot add oil, onions, and garlic. Sauté for a couple of minutes, then add zucchini and cook until onions are soft. Add crushed oregano and basil and stir well. Add remaining vegetables, canned tomatoes, and broth. Use the tomato cans to add four cans of water. Bring pot to a boil, then turn heat down to simmer. Add salt and pepper. Simmer for at least an hour or turn to low and cook for longer. Soup is ready when carrots are soft. Add tortellini 20-30 minutes before you are ready to eat the soup. If you'd like, top with a little fresh parmesan and pair with garlic bread. Serves 6-8.

Tips
* The tortellini will get mushy so leftovers are best eaten by the next day, or frozen for another day.
* This soup can be made in the crockpot. Just sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil then transfer them to the crockpot and add everything else (except the tortellini). Cook on low all day, turn to high and add tortellini 30 minutes before you are ready to eat.
* As I mentioned before if you don't want to--or don't have time to-- chop veggies, you can use canned or frozen everything (except zucchini--you can substitute 1/2 bag of frozen spinach for the zucchini). Since canned vegetables are already soft, simmer for just 30 minutes then add the tortellini and cook 30 minutes more. For frozen: simmer everything 1 hour, add tortellini 30 min before serving.

I hope you enjoy this delicious soup! Thanks for reading!

- Haley