Tortellini Soup

Flashback to 1994: I'm newly married, working at my first job in a lab, and commuting 2 hours a day. I'm also learning how to cook and having to come up with dinner every night after a long day. My boss gave me this recipe back then and with a bit of tweaking it became one of our favorites.

Last week I was pressed for time (and I'm sure that NEVER happens to you, right?!) and saw a bag of tortellini in the freezer. I had the tomatoes and spinach, too, and remembered how easy this was. It's so easy I feel guilty calling it a recipe. Even my son loved this, spinach and all. I plan to keep all of the ingredients on hand for repeat performances!

1 Tbsp olive oil
about 1/4 cup chopped onion
basil, oregano, black pepper to taste
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
15 oz canned tomatoes (whole or crushed)
9 oz bag tortellini (I use the frozen tricolor variety)
2 cups fresh or frozen chopped spinach
parmesan or romano cheese to serve

In a stockpot or soup pot, saute the onion in the olive oil until translucent, 4 or 5 minutes. Add the broth and water, canned tomatoes, and spices and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook until almost tender. A few minutes before the tortellini are finished, add the spinach and heat through. Serve with a grating of fresh parmesan (or romano) cheese on top. That's it! Hope you enjoy it!