Chicken Tortellini Soup

Store-bought tortellini and roasted chicken put this recipe squarely in the easy-to-make category, yet it tastes like it took all day. Dry sherry gives the soup a slightly sweet taste, but dry white wine works fine, too.

Brian and I often add chopped fresh spinach at the end of cooking. Adds a beautiful color as well as flavor.

A nice alternative is to add small cooked meatballs or Italian sausage in place of the chicken.

*1/3 recipe amounts are in ( ).

2 cups diced onion (2/3 cup)
2 cups sliced celery, including the celery leaves (2/3 cup)
1 cup sliced carrot (1/3 cup)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic (1 tsp.)
1 Tbsp. dried Italian seasoning (1 tsp.)
2 Tbsp. olive oil (2/3 Tbsp.)
1/4 cup dry sherry, or dry white wine (1 1/3 Tbsp.)
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (2 2/3 cups)
4 cups chopped cooked chicken (1 lb.) (1 cup)
3 cups refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini (9 oz.) (1 cup)
Spinach, optional
Salt and black pepper to taste
Thinly sliced fresh basil, for garnish

Sweat onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and Italian seasoning in oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Deglaze pot with sherry and simmer until nearly evaporated.

Stir in broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer soup 10 minutes. Add the chicken and tortellini, and simmer, partially covered, until tortellini is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. If using spinach, add during the last few minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper.

Garnish each serving with basil.

Makes: 12 cups (8 - 1 1/2 cup servings, 6 - 2 cup servings)