Tortellini Soup and budgetbytes.com

Image taken from www.budgetbytes.com

This Saturday I was sitting at home, watching Breaking Bad, and all of a sudden, I got the BIGGEST craving for soup. Now, if you're vegetarian, you'll know what I mean when I say that soup is hard to come by for us. It's almost never an option when eating out, or even in our school's cafeteria - because most soup is given extra flavour by using chicken or beef stock (or powder).

So in my soup-crazed-haze, I googled vegetarian soup recipes and after a lot of searching, I came across www.budgetbytes.com, (an AMAZING website for people on a low budget who still want to eat delicious food) and I found a recipe for Tortellini Spinach Soup in the vegetarian section. We already had leftover tortellini in the fridge, so as soon as I saw it I had made up my mind. This recipe is a perfectly simple soup that would pair well with a cold, rainy day!

*Recipe and instructions from budgetbytes.com, with a few personal additions*

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic (I used 5 because I am a garlic fiend)
• 1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed or diced tomatoes (I used around 6 campari tomatoes we had lying around the house)
• 28 oz. water
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 15-20 cranks fresh cracked pepper
• 1 (12 oz.) package frozen cheese tortellini
• 1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach (I didn't have any in the house so I just didn't put any in)
• 2 tsp (or to taste) salt

*I also added a few drops of Sriracha sauce for some extra flavour*

1. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large pot along with the olive oil over medium-low heat until they are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes).
2. Add the can of tomato sauce, the can of crushed (or diced) tomatoes, and one can full of water to the pot. Add the basil, oregano, a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring up to a simmer (about 10 minutes).
3. Add the frozen tortellini and frozen spinach (no need to thaw either one). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to break up the frozen spinach. Cook until the heated through, the spinach has completely incorporated, and the tortellini is tender (about 10 minutes). Season to taste with salt – I used 2 teaspoons.

See the Budget Bytes website HERE
(Remember this website for when you're going to university, or once you move out all on your own!)

Do and eat what makes you happy, SDSS!

-Elizabeth Dane

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