About recipe

This kid-approved soup is a flavor bomb! It’s comforting for a cold January day. If you want, add ground meat (brown it while you’re sautéing the vegetables) in place of the white beans or pasta for a non-vegetarian version. 

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 
• 1 small yellow onion, diced 
• 2 celery stalks, diced 
• 2 large carrots, peeled and diced 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano 
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed or chopped 
• one 6-oz. can tomato paste 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 6–7 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth 
• 1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed 
• 14 oz. refrigerated cheese tortellini 
• 1/4 cup whole milk 
• 1 handful chopped fresh spinach 

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, and carrots and sauté 5-7 minutes until vegetables are beginning to soften. 
2. Add garlic, spices and tomato paste and stir 1-2 minutes more. 
3. Add flour and stir well until incorporated and no more streaks of flour are visible. 
4. Slowly add broth and bring to a simmer. Cook 15 minutes on low. 
5. Add beans and tortellini and cook 3 minutes until tortellini are fully cooked. 
6. Add milk and spinach and simmer 2-3 more minutes until spinach is wilted. 
7. Serve hot.