Recipe: Chicken and Tortellini Soup
Meals with vegetables don’t have to be light! This decadent dish is bursting with savory flavors and includes a couple of colorful, non-starchy veggies.
Saturated fats are found in most dairy products like butter, heavy cream, and cheese. They should be consumed in moderation, but both saturated and unsaturated fats provide delicious richness to meals. Part of the reason fats are so pleasant is their mouthfeel. How fats are broken down in our mouths creates a smooth and creamy sensation that most enjoy, much like the sensory experience of eating ice cream or another dish with a creamy sauce.
Enjoy this rich and creamy soup that combines colorful veggies, pasta, and proteins into one satisfying meal.
Chicken and Tortellini Soup
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1-2 tsp minced garlic from a jar)
- 4 C chicken broth
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 C heavy cream
- 1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 C cooked and shredded chicken (leftover, rotisserie, or prepped in advance)
- 9 oz refrigerated tortellini
- 3-4 C fresh spinach
Directions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven on the stove over medium heat. Add butter to pot and allow to melt. Add onion. Cook onion for 2-3 minutes until soft, then add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to pot. Bring to a simmer.
- Add chicken, tortellini, and spinach. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken and allow tortellini to cook.
Swaps
- For the heavy cream: coconut milk or 2/3 C unsweetened soy milk with 1/3 C olive oil
- For the parmesan cheese: 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast or vegan shredded cheese
- For the chicken: white beans, chickpeas, or ground turkey (sauteed in pan with onion and garlic to cook thoroughly prior to adding to soup)
- For the spinach: kale, green beans, or chopped asparagus