Spinach Tortellini en Brodo

Happy New Year! My vacation is coming to an end. It was an action packed one and I am satisfied with it. I saw two movies, Tron and The Fighter, went into Boston to the most amazing Italian place in the North End called Trattoria il Panino, and there was lots of family time. Seriously though, this is a food blog, and we have to discuss Trattoria il Panino. Go there as soon as possible. Order the Pacchieri al Ragu. Be amazed. I wish I had taken some pics, but we all know I'm terrible with that. We also had an appetizer that was mozzarella wrapped around prosciutto, spinach and buffalo mozzarella.

My new years resolution is to eat healthier and get into shape. I can bench press a fork full of cheesecake...now time to tackle the free weights...which don't taste nearly as good.

Today I made a soup, which is somewhat rare for me. I thoroughly enjoy soup, but I always end up with a giant pot of it for just me. I am more than happy to have lots of soup, but sharing is always fun. Mum and Dad got some of my soup today and I still have so much left. Not to mention that soup is great for cold winter days....which today was not. It was around 50 or something outside. When I went grocery shopping I also learned exactly how much parmigiano reggiano cheese costs....a boatload. I am going to sprinkle it on every dish for the week...even in my cereal. I don't remember where I printed the recipe from, but I know it was a Weight Watchers Recipe. It's 5 points of 6 points if you're on points plus (I have no idea how Weight Watchers works).

Spinach Tortellini en Brodo

2 tsp butter
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 small parmigiano reggiano rind (optional)
18 oz spinach and cheese tortellini (Buitoni)
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups baby spinach
parmigiano reggiano grated

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over med-low heat. When melted, add the celery, onion, carrots, and garlic. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 8-10 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
2. Add the chicken broth, water and rind and increase heat to med-high and bring to a boil. When broth boils, add salt to taste, pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and add tortellini. Simmer until tortellini cooks al dente.
3. Once cooked, remove the rind and the baby spinach. Stir to combine. Garnish with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano.