Comfort Food

We stopped by the health food store the other day and brought home a box of Sam's Chicken. Before I dive in and try to mimic the recipe, does anyone else happen to have it already? I am all ears!

Also going thru a few trial and errors looking for the perfect risotto recipe. Which is your favorite risotto? And which ones have you tried?

And now, tortellini soup. Nice and simple.

Tortellini Soup

1 to 2 lbs. sausage patties - or chicken or terkettes or whatever
2 large boxes of broth (I like the Imagine brand No-chick broth)
1 14.5 oz can of tomatoes (I prefer the one with garlic and tomatoes, fire-roasted if you can get it)
1 can canellini (or northern beans), rinsed
2 packages of tortellini (any kind: 3 cheese, spinach ricotta etc...)
2 carrots, sliced
Fresh spinach (or escarole - or any green)
Seasoning to taste

In a separate pot, bring water to boil for tortellini (don't cook the pasta in the soup, it gets too mushy and "steals" too much of the broth). Meanwhile, cook sausage according to instructions then cut into bite size pieces. In a large pot, combine broth, tomatoes and carrots. Bring to a boil then lower heat to simmer. Add salt, pepper, oregano or any seasoning of your choice. (When using sausage, take it easy on any additional flavor - the broth, tomatoes and meat have heavy flavor). When the water in your other pot boils, add tortellini and cook according to package directions but shorten the cooking time by a minute or 2 to avoid mushiness when added to soup. Drain tortellini. Just before serving, add tortellini, beans and spinach to soup pot.

Serve with crusty bread, fresh apples and cheese :-)