Soup's On!

Remember my decorating consultant, Missy? I don't think I mentioned, but she's also, on occasion, my food consultant. Missy and I were talking the other day about possible soups I could make for my son who doesn't like onions, and she mentioned a pasta/meatball soup that sounded good.

Today I didn't feel well and came home from work early. No big deal--I just think it's a combination of lack of sleep and hormonal fluctuations. In any event, I was pretty sure that putting on my jammies and climbing into bed for a nice little nap would help me feel much better, so that's exactly what I did. But first I spent about 10 minutes hauling out the crockpot and tossing some soup ingredients in. I turned the crockpot on high, took my nap, and about three hours later, we had a delicious, hearty winter soup. I thought I'd share the recipe with you--it's really perfect for these chilly winter nights! Simple, too, to put in the crockpot to cook while you go quilt, take a nap, or do whatever other important things you may have to do.

Chicken stock/broth--use about three of those "milk carton" containers of stock that the grocery stores are carrying now. I like to keep a couple in my pantry for quick soups. Or you can use a couple of the big cans of chicken stock. Or three or four of the smaller cans.

Turkey meatballs--one package of frozen meatballs. I'm sure that you could use any type of meatballs but the frozen turkey ones are convenient and don't add as much fat/grease to the broth.

Tortellini--a couple packages of the fresh kind. I actually used two 7 oz. packages of mini cheese raviolis.

Spinach--a bag of baby spinach from the salad/lettuce section of the grocery store.

Any other veggies you like--I added a handful or two of those baby carrots that come in the bags all ready to munch. I just sliced them in half.

Seasoning--whatever you like. I have a seasoning mix for soups that I like to add, but it's not a national brand, so there's probably no point in telling you what it is. But do add salt and pepper to taste and maybe some garlic, rosemary, thyme, a little oregano--whatever suits your fancy.

Put everything in the crockpot and cook--it took about three hours on high; allow about five to six hours on low.

Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on the soup and serve with crusty French bread. Yum! Bon appetit! And thanks, Missy!