I’ll be honest, I have no idea where the basis of this recipe came from. It’s one I copied from somewhere online and pasted before printing off and putting in a binder years ago. So, I’m sorry if I’m ripping someone off. I did change and add a few things this time around and guess that’s probably enough to make a difference. Anyway, here’s the recipe:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 10 oz. cans of chicken broth, low sodium
8 oz. package of tortellini (I went with cheese, possibly quadruple cheese)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 bunch spinach
6 leaves of basil
1 roaster chicken
First up, separate the chicken from the roaster. You could also grill and chop chicken, but I wanted bones for some stock and went this route.
Meanwhile, heat the oik in your pot and saute the garlic for 2 minutes. Stir in broth and tortellini and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Mix in Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper. Simmer until tortellini are just tender. Stir in tomatoes, spinach basil and chicken. Simmer for 2 more minutes.
That’s it. I vaguely remember making this year and years ago, but without the chicken and really enjoying it. I wanted to get some protein in there, hence the chopped up bird. I wasn’t sure if the stewed tomatoes should go in with or without being drained, I decided not to and I think it helped. The only problem I had is that the noodles and meat soaked up a lot of the broth, turning this into more of a pasta dish with a chicken broth sauce, really. I’d probably add even more chicken stock next time and would be even happier with the results.
This is a really easy meal to throw together, especially if you have a few things like spinach and basil lying around from an earlier recipe. It also has the fortunate bonus of being tasty, especially if you’re fan of tortellini.
Pop Poppa 