Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

My husband loves tortellini. I love soup. This recipe is a light, healthy way to combine some of our favorites in a quick and easy meal. Bonus: The kids loved it too!

I also love turkey Italian sausage. Lower in fat, yet I don't have to compromise flavor. That said, what you see below is not turkey sausage. It's just plain old bulk Italian sausage...that was on sale. But turkey sausage would have been great here too. And healthier. I browned the sausage with a chopped medium onion and then I drained it really well. Then I let myself off the hook for feeding my family the full fat version.


Once the sausage is browned, toss in 6 minced cloves of garlic and cook and stir for another couple of minutes.


Now add the broth and water.


And a can of diced tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil.


Now dump in 9 oz. of prepared cheese tortellini. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5-8 minutes.


Now add the spinach


And the basil, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 2 or more minutes until the spinach is wilted.


While the spinach wilts, I grate a little Parmigiano-Regiano cheese to serve atop of this wonderful soup.


This was the perfect dinner on this frigid February night. We enjoyed it with breadsticks for "sopping".



Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup from Light and Tasty Magazine

3 Italian turkey sausage links (4 ounces each), casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1-3/4 cups water
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2-1/4 teaspoons minced fresh basil or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until
meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Add the
broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Stir in tortellini; return to a
boil. Cook for 7-9 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat;
add the spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes. Cook 2-3 minutes longer or
until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (2 quarts).

One serving: 1-1/3 cups (calculated without cheese) Calories: 203 Fat: 8 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Cholesterol: 40 mg Sodium: 878 mg Carbohydrate: 18 g Fiber: 3 g Protein: 16 g
Weight Watchers Points per serving: 4 points

Zippy Chicken Soup

Need to warm up on a cold winter night? This Southwestern style Zippy Chicken Soup will do the trick. It's the perfect follow up to last night's New Mexico-Style Pizza, because you can use the rest of the chicken, corn, and cilantro, and cheese from the pizza recipe.

Let's do a little chopping. First seed and finely chop a jalapeno pepper, then two tablespoons of cilantro, and finally, 1/2 lb. of chicken breast.




Here they are, all ready to go, the chopped cilantro and jalapeno, diced tomatoes, rinsed black beans, and chopped green chilies.

Now, put the chicken in the pot.

Dump in the tomatoes, black beans, green chilies, cilantro, cumin, and chili powder.

Oh yeah, and corn. I forgot the corn. 2 cups of frozen corn.

And now pour in the broth. Then bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Combine cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of broth and stir until smooth.

Add the cornstarch mixture to the soup and cook and stir for another couple of minutes until thickened.

Lookin' good....

All right, now ladle it up and top with some corn chips, sour cream, and a little cheese. Quick (must be why they call it "zippy") and easy, low in fat and calories, and most importantly, delicious!


My preparation methods varied a little from the recipe below, but the ingredients are the same. Reminds me of high school math class. As long as you get the right answer and show your work, you'll get it right.

Zippy Chicken Soup from Light and Tasty Magazine

1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 cups frozen corn
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 ounces) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
3 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon cornstarch
18 tortilla chips
Shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend, optional

In a large nonstick saucepan or Dutch oven coated with cooking spray, cook chicken
over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until juices run clear. Set aside 2
tablespoons of broth; add remaining broth to pan. Stir in the corn, beans,
tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce
heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Combine the cornstarch and reserved
broth until smooth; stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes
or until thickened. Top each serving with tortilla chips. Garnish with cheese if
desired.

Yield: 6 servings

One serving: 1-1/3 cups with 3 tortilla chips (calculated without cheese) Calories: 194 Fat: 2 g Saturated Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 24 mg Sodium: 752 mg Carbohydrate: 29 g Fiber: 5 g Protein: 17 g Diabetic Exchange: 2 starch, 2 very lean meat.

WW Points per serving: 3! Just 3!