Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

We all really liked this soup - it's a bit spicy, but my kids even enjoyed it.  You can always cut back on the crushed red pepper as well.  Also, I just used canned chicken breast, rather than cooking two whole chicken breasts in the soup.

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

YIELD: 6 servings

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 32 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon DeLallo Extra Virign Olive Oil
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups sliced carrots
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (2 large breasts)
• 9 cups chicken broth
• 8.8 ounce package DeLallo Three Cheese Tortellini
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons packed frozen spinach (1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves)
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves (1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Place a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and chopped onions. Saute for 3 minutes to soften. Then add the chopped bell pepper, carrots, and garlic. Saute another 3 minutes.
2. Add whole chicken breasts, chicken broth, dried thyme, crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Lower the heat a little and simmer 15 minutes, until the chicken in cooked through. Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board.
3. Turn the heat back to medium. With the broth still simmering, stir in the DeLallo Three Cheese Tortellini. Stir well so it doesn't stick together. Then chop or shred the chicken and place back in the soup.
4. Once the tortellini is cooked through, about 10-14 minutes, turn off the heat. Stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream, spinach, and parsley. Add a little more cream if desired. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by DeLallo Foods. All Italian-loving opinions are my own.

This delicious recipe brought to you by A SPICY PERSPECTIVE
http://www.aspicyperspective.com/creamy-chicken-tortellini-soup/