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While I yearn to make recipe after recipe with spring ingredients such as asparagus and strawberries, the reality is that winter has decided to stage a sit-in, planting her bottom firmly on the ground and adamantly refusing to leave. While the extended season enables us to fit in a few more weeks of snowshoeing and sledding, it means that spring activities such as playing soccer and preparing the garden have been preempted for the time being.
There are a few bright spots amidst the gray skies. For one, I can delay the inevitable squeezing of my winter padding into clothes that are decidedly less forgiving than winter fleece. That activity typically involves multiple unsavory words and a promise to purge the cupboards of every morsel of chocolate and candy. The purging never actually happens, but dramatic resolutions are always made.
The other undeniable benefit to cold days is soup...lots and lots of steaming, brothy soup. One of the first recipes I made for my blog was a tortellini soup, filled with salty pancetta and red chard. In this version, I went for a slightly different set of flavors. The broth is made rich with balsamic caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms and dried thyme. After the tortellini cooks in the broth, fresh spinach is stirred in for a burst of color and flavor. If it means subsisting on bowls of soup like this one, I can patiently wait for the arrival of spring for another week or two.
The recipe:
The onions:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Cover and cook until the onions are golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add ¼ cup water and thyme, cover the pan again and cook until the onions are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar, salt, and an additional ¼ cup water. Cover the pan and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.
The mushrooms:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Add to onions.
The Soup:
Add the chicken broth to the onions and mushrooms. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer. Add the fresh or frozen cheese tortellini. Simmer for 5 minutes for fresh or 8 minutes for frozen tortellini. The tortellini should be just tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in spinach. Serve, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Other tortellini soup recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's
Bell'alimento's Tortellini in Brodo (Tortellini in Broth)
Our Best Bites' Tortellini Sausage Soup
Green Earth Goodies' Healthier Turkey Tortellini Soup
Tortellini Soup with Balsamic Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms
The Onions:
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
The mushrooms:
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 oz. crimini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
The soup:
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (9 oz) package fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 cups (packed) fresh spinach
The onions:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cover and cook until the onions are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add ¼ cup water and thyme, cover the pan again and cook until the onions are deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar, salt, and an additional ¼ cup water. Cover the pan and cook until the liquid is absorbed.
The mushrooms:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Add to onions.
The soup:
Add the chicken broth to the onions and mushrooms. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower to a simmer. Add the fresh or frozen cheese tortellini. Simmer for 5 minutes for fresh or 8 minutes for frozen tortellini. The tortellini should be just tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in spinach. Serve, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Serves 4.
