It’s a beautiful fall day here in Philadelphia and the perfect day for soup! I wanted to try something different, so I decided to throw together a Creamy Tortellini Soup. I’ve seen Tortellini Soups before, but they were different from what I had in mind. Most of them were broth based, but I wanted mine to be creamy so I decided to get creative and come up with my own.

•  4  tablespoons  butter
• 1/2 cup leeks
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups fresh spinach
• 3 garlic cloves
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup + 3/4 cup half & half
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh nutmeg, grated
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
• two 9 oz packages Tortellini (I used Wegman’s brand)

In a Dutch Oven, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and leeks; reduce heat to medium low.

Cook, stirring frequently, about 10 to 15 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft and golden.

Start to bring water to a boil in a large saucepan so that you can cook the Tortellini. Once the water is boiling, cook the Tortellini as directed on the package. Do not overcook.

Drain and place in a bowl. Set aside.

 In another pan, heat the olive oil over low to medium heat. Smash the garlic and add to the pan. Make sure it doesn’t burn. Add in the spinach and season with a pinch of salt & pepper.

Cook until wilted.

Transfer to a bowl and set it aside.

Add in the chicken broth, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or so.

Add in the milk and 3/4 cup of half & half.

In a large screw-top jar, combine 1/4 cup of half & half and flour. Cover and shake until combined and smooth.  Add that into the soup mixture.

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens.

Add in the Spinach (drain it), Thyme, Parsley, Nutmeg, salt (to taste) and pepper.

Add in the cooked Tortellini and let it simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes to incorporate all of the flavors.

Serve with your favorite bread.

I must say that this soup was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I was very happy with how it came out. I thought it was packed full of flavor and this will definitely be put in my recipe box to make in the future. The Spinach added a lot of flavor to the soup. The nutmeg is a key ingredient that really brings all of the flavors together. This recipe as written is vegetarian, but if you want to add in some chicken or another kind of meat it would work well for that too.