Tortellini Soup

Before it gets too hot outside, I want to share this recipe that my mom made one night. This soup if full of flavor and satisfying as a main dish. (Of course mom made a bunch of other stuff to go with it.) It is a repeat in our house. We all loved it. Even the picky eaters :)

Ingredients:

Serves 12

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow onion

2 cups chopped fennel bulb

1/4 cup minced fresh garlic

2 (8-oz.) pkg. sliced mushrooms

2 Tbsp tomato paste

8 cups vegetable stock

2 cups water

1 tsp ground pepper

3/4 tsp salt

2 (15-oz.) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

2 (15-oz.) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

4 cups stemmed, chopped kale  (used spinach in this picture)

1 1/2 (9-oz.) pkg. 3-cheese tortellini

1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/3 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley 

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, fennel (I love fennel), garlic, and mushrooms and cook 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Cook 1 minute then add the stock, water, pepper, salt, diced tomatoes, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil. Stir in the kale. Add the tortellini and cook until done. 

Remove pot from heat and stir in the vinegar and parsley. 

Source: Cooking light January/February 2017