Meatless Monday: Tortellini, White Bean, & Spinach Soup

This next dish is comforting in the way any great soup should be - it's hearty and flavorful, and it tastes even better when it's reheated later (the flavors really meld together nicely).

Tortellini, White Bean, & Spinach Soup
Recipe

The recipe calls for fresh tortellini, but, if you wanted to, I'm sure you could thaw and use the frozen kind too. The taste and texture of fresh pasta is just usually a little better. If you're really feeling ambitious, you might even consider making the tortellini from scratch. As with any recipe, the freshest ingredients will usually yield the best results, but sometimes a compromise is necessary - not everyone has all day (or the desire) to make their own fresh pasta. I used Buitoni 3-cheese tortellini which you can find in the refrigerated section of most local grocery stores. It wasn't restaurant quality, but I think it worked pretty well.

Next time I make this recipe, I will probably add more spinach (another 1/2 - 1 cup). The 2 cups it calls for just didn't seem like enough to me (it cooks down significantly). I liked the consistency of the end product, but if you like your soups broth-y, you might consider adding more vegetable broth than it calls for. And it doesn't list salt or pepper on the ingredients list, but, obviously, you'll want to use some. As with most recipes, you should 'season to taste.'

Got any favorite vegetarian or vegan recipes?? Please share!

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