Sam's Place: tortellini

Winter is now upon us, and there is nothing better than warming up with a hearty and delicious bowl of homemade chicken tortellini soup. This soup is a favorite in our house all through the cold weather season.

This soup is a great starter for any meal or, this soup can be a meal in itself. The soup is filled with chicken, tortellini, and meatballs, all in this flavorful chicken broth. This soup is sure to fill you up on a cold winter day.

This is just one of the many soups we enjoy in the cold weather season, so stay tuned for more delicious soups.

INGREDIENTS:

Soup:

12 oz bag of Fresh or Frozen Tortellini
2 Tomatoes
1 bag celery
1 bag carrots
1 big onion
2 or 3 large bone-in chicken breasts
Vegetable or chicken bouillon
1 or 2 cans of chicken broth

Meatballs:

1 lb. beef/veal/pork mixture
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
Garlic salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut up tomatoes into 4 sections each
Cut onion into 4 to 6 sections
Clean celery and carrots
Put all vegetables and chicken breasts in a large stock pot, cover with water, and come to a boil
Reduce heat and let this cook for 45 minutes to one hour
While this is cooking make your meatballs
Add Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, egg, breadcrumbs, and pepper to the meat and mix thoroughly
Shape into small meatballs and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
Using another pot under a strainer drain the broth, and discard the tomatoes and onion.
Cut the celery and carrots into small pieces and add to the broth
Shred the chicken and add to the broth
Add 2 or 3 vegetable or chicken bouillon cubes and chicken broth if more liquid is needed
Add the tortellini, and return to the stove, bring to a boil until the tortellini is cooked
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.