satisfying soup

I've blogged about soups before, and I think they are a great meal option any time of the year, but during the holiday season, I think they're essential.  'Tis the season of overeating, after all, and finding ways to make light but satisfying meals during the food marathon that starts with Thanksgiving and doesn't let up until the new year can preserve both your sanity and your waist line. 

This soup is the bastard child of two Italian soups--tortellini soup and pasta fagioli.  I love the tender bite of tortellini simmered in broth, but if soup is going to be the main course, and a mostly vegetarian course as well, I favor the rich flavors and hearty texture of  pasta fagioli.  I say "mostly" vegetarian here because I start the soup with chicken broth, but veggie broth would work as well.  Since I don't have any chicken stock in the freezer, I used the new Swanson unsalted cooking stock, which is not half bad.  I like being able to control the salt in each recipe.  I also added a dollop of chicken demi-glace, which I keep on hand in the freezer all of the time.  It adds a bit of body and richness to just about anything chicken.

The soup took about thirty minutes to make, starting with softened onions and garlic, sauteed in a bit of olive oil.

onions and garlic, sauteing in oil--never a bad place to start

Into the onion mixture went some oven-dried tomatoes I had on hand from last summer, but half a can of chopped tomatoes would work as well.  To that I added the broth and the demi-glace, a bay leaf, some salt and red pepper flakes, and a 14 ounce can of drained and rinsed small white beans, which have a very creamy texture.  

tomatoes enrich the broth and bring some welcome acid and sweetness

 While it simmered, I opened some fresh cheese tortellini, of the store-bought variety.  Some day I will try my hand at making tortellini, but it won't be for Tuesday night soup.  They simmered over medium low heat for about 10 minutes.

just before the tortellini were cooked, I added a big handful of arugula

I had arugula in the fridge, but any green would do--spinach, kale, mustard greens... If you are using a hardier green, you might want to add it at the same time as the tortellini.  While everything finished simmering, I toasted a little garlic toast made easy.  I whack a couple of garlic cloves and let them infuse in a bit of olive oil before I start any of the rest of the meal prep.  Then I just paint some on one side of slices of good rustic bread, and toast them in the toaster oven.  They are a perfect side with soup.

a delicious meal that is a refuge from the excess of the season