Grated Parmesan tops off Tortellini and Tomato Soup. The soup is made with crushed tomatoes and chicken broth.TODD BENNETT/STAFF

Quick cooking: Tortellini, tomato soup, spinach make a dish Popeye would love

A Caesar salad and Italian ice round out meal in appropriate fashion

Web posted September 16, 1998

By Karin Calloway
Columnist

Tortellini, those puffs of pasta stuffed with cheese, is a family favorite at my house. Purchased from the fresh pasta or freezer section, it's a quick comfort food. We often enjoy it simply boiled and topped with plain old spaghetti sauce. But this week and next, I'll share recipes for one-dish tortellini meals that are a nice change of pace.

Today's recipe for Tortellini and Tomato Soup is a hearty, but not too heavy, family pleaser. First you sauté some onion and garlic. Then you add some chicken broth, tortellini and crushed tomatoes. Just before serving, you throw in some fresh spinach and top the steaming soup with grated Parmesan.

When preparing the spinach for this soup, I like to cut it in a method known as chiffonade. Stack about 10 washed spinach leaves on top of each other, cut off the stems and roll the whole pile like a cigar. Then cut the "cigar" into quarter-inch slices, which unravel to look like ribbons. Keep repeating the process until the whole bag of spinach is sliced. This makes the soup especially pretty, but if time is short simply chop the spinach coarsely.

I like to serve this soup with croutons, made from French bread brushed with olive oil or butter and browned in a 350-degree oven while the soup simmers. They become crisp in 10 to 15 minutes and are a nice accompaniment to soups and spreads of all kinds. Store-bought garlic bread or bread sticks also would be good.

Karin Calloway

If you choose to serve a salad, dress it with Italian or Caesar. And top off the meal with some light, cool Italian ice from your grocer's freezer.

Tortellini and Tomato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

11/2 teaspoons minced garlic

5 cups (40 ounces) chicken broth

9 ounces fresh cheese tortellini

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 5-ounce package fresh baby spinach, cut into chiffonade or coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and stir in the tortellini. Simmer uncovered until the tortellini is cooked, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer another 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.Ladle into bowls and top with generous sprinklings of grated Parmesan. Makes 6 servings.

SERVE WITH: Salad with Italian or Caesar dressing, and croutons made from French bread slices brushed with olive oil or butter and browned in a 350-degree oven

FOR DESSERT: Italian ice from your grocer's freezer