Garlicky Tortellini Soup

I can handle a ton of garlic. A TON. It flows through my blood. Growing up, nearly everything we ate contained garlic. And not just a little bit here a little bit there. If a recipe called for a clove, we used 4. If it called for 4 we used 10. I never thought anything of it, but always thought it was strange when guests would bite into a piece of garlic bread and were surprised. I mean, what did you expect, you wanted garlic bread! My mom always encouraged people to eat it saying, 'it's good for you' or 'if everyone eats it, no one will have bad breath'. Both are very true. My sister and I were very healthy kids, and I'm sure multiple bulbs of garlic consumed each a week had something to do with that. We also didn't have any problems vampires, always a plus.

Today, I might not eat 10 cloves of garlic every single night, but I always use more than a recipe calls for. One thing I've realized over the past few years of cooking is that many recipes under season foods. Most times, you don't need to add tons of crazy things, but usually a little extra salt, pepper, and fresh garlic with help quite a bit - just be sure to taste test as you go along.

This soup is delicious. Brianne gave it to me years ago, and I've made it tons of times since. There's a lot of flavor using few ingredients, most you might have on hand, there's no reason not to make this. In this case, I was serving only this soup for dinner, so I added some sliced sun dried tomato chicken sausage to make it a little more substantial.

Garlicky Tortellini Soup
Printable Recipe
by Sweet Cheeks in the Kitchen

• 2 Tbsp EVOO
  
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
  
• 8 oz fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
• 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
  
• 1 bag fresh baby spinach
• Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving
  
• crusty bread, for serving

1. Heat EVOO in large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
   
2. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes, being careful not to burn. Add broth and bring to boil.
3. Add tortellini. If frozen cook for half the time on the package, if fresh cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and their liquid. Reduce heat and simmer until pasta is tender.
   
5. Stir in fresh spinach and cook until wilted.
6. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve with crusty bread.