Chicken Tortellini Soup

We caught our first cold of the season earlier this week.  Well, actually B caught the cold.  So, I did the only really useful thing I know to do when someone gets sick, which is cook!   I made the best dish I know of for warding off runny noses and hacking coughs...chicken noodle soup.  Duh.

I wanted to change it up a little bit, though, so I decided to use cheese stuffed tortellini instead of the boring egg noodles I usually use.  The result was delicious, and I'm happy to report that the patient is now all cured.  Thanks to the soup, of course :)

You don't have to wait until you're sick to make a batch, though.  It would be the perfect belly-warming meal for all you East Coasters who are battening down the hatches in preparation for the Nor'easter heading your way this weekend!  Snow in October?  Crazy.  Make some soup.  You'll thank me later.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

1 medium onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled, quartered and diced

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded

2 32 oz. containers of chicken stock (use low-sodium so that you can season the soup yourself)

1 16oz. bag cheese tortellini 

salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, optional

In a medium saucepan, boil the two chicken breasts in water until they are just cooked through.  When the chicken is ready, allow it to cool for a couple of minutes on a cutting board before shredding.  Set the shredded chicken aside until the soup is ready.

In a large stock pot, add the olive oil, onions and carrots.  Saute at medium-high heat until the vegetables have softened .  Add salt and pepper to taste.  When vegetables have softened, add the chicken stock.  Scrap any brown-bits that the vegetables might have left at the bottom of the pan, and then add a little more salt and pepper.  Taste as you go, so that it doesn't get too salty.

Add the chicken and then bring the soup up to a boil.  Immediately, bing the soup down to a simmer, and cook for another 20-25 minutes.  Right before you are ready to serve, add the tortellini.  Cook according to the directions on the package.  Once the pasta is cooked, turn the heat of immediately so that the tortellini don't get too mushy.

I like to sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top before serving, but it's great without it as well.