Well, here is Monday again and I’m participating in the final installment of Blue Plate Mondays. (Kelly, are we gong to keep this up? I just know that the drawing for the apron I want so bad is tomorrow!)

Anyway, tonight I’m posting a real Blue Plate recipe. This is definitely the fastest one yet, which I think was supposed to be part of the point of the Blue Plate exercise. So far, mine haven’t been all that speedy, but this one is.

I got this idea from Michelle M. She generously offered me a place to live when I was in Columbus on my own last year. She’s a compassionate advocate, a fun mom, and a great cook … and a lawyer! What kind of a fantastic combination is that?! As you can imagine, she’s quite busy, and had lots of great ideas for quick, good, balanced meals. So without further ado, I give you …

Tortellini Soup

This soup is also good cold, and can be made in whatever size batch you need. This is a five-person sized batch … I think. Again, I’ll post it the way I made it, but I’m sure there are lots of good variations.

Slice 5 cloves of garlic and sautee in a little olive oil.

Add 8 c. water and 8 tsp. chicken bouillon.

Add Italian seasonings to taste. I rarely measure seasonings, so I can’t help you here. I used lots of oregano, some basil, a little marjoram, cilantro, and rosemary. The rosemary may have been a mistake because it never cooks down well and you always get it stuck in your mouth. We’ll see. I also added a generous helping of onion powder. I’ve made this before by starting with a base of caramelized onions (yum!) but not everyone in my house likes to know there are onions in food. I can use the powder and thus approximate the flavor, but that’s it.

Add 1 each regular sized can of petite diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Add some water to the crushed tomato can to get all the good stuff out. Add one 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, and rinse it well too. This should add about another 2 c. water total.

Bring to a boil and add one 20 oz. package of tortellini and one bag of fresh spinach. We like the Buitoni mixed cheese tortellini, available in the refrigerated deli section. This soup base can simmer for quite a while, but I don’t recommend adding the pasta and spinach until you are ready to eat. The tortellinis will start to fall apart if they are boiled for too long.

Serve with garlic bread, salad, or strawberries if they were on sale yesterday!