Versatile Vegetable Soup with Tortellini

This wonderful soup filled our home with the aroma from food simmering on the stove. I used the largest pot I own to make plenty of soup for the freezer, to enjoy at another time. This soup recipe is very basic although I had never cooked eggplant immersed in liquid.

12 one cup servings

ingredients:

2-3 TB olive oil
2 TB minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced, cubed zucchini
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups halved or sliced mushrooms (any variety)
1 peeled, chopped small eggplant
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (low sodium)
1 15 oz can rinsed, drained garbanzo beans (low sodium)
2 cups spinach (fresh or frozen)
8 cups, approximately, vegetable or chicken broth or soup (low sodium)
¾ tsp pepper
1 TB Italian seasoning
1 TB basil
1 pkg fresh (or dried) tortellini of your choice

optional:  salt to taste, parmesan cheese

On medium heat, heat pan with olive oil and garlic.  Saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add eggplant and continue to sauté for another 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except spinach and pasta.  Add the broth (or soup) to cover all of the vegetables in the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to just below boiling.  Cover and simmer twenty five minutes.  Without the lid on the pot, add spinach and pasta. Cook on medium heat until the pasta is tender, about 8 minutes.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

I made this with chicken filled tortellini and sliced baby portabello mushrooms.
Delicious!
Variations - add:
-any pasta, dry or fresh; egg, wheat or rice
-cooked rice
-cubes of cooked or leftover chicken or turkey
-any green leafy vegetable such as kale, chard by extending the cooking time

This is how the soup looked when the fresh pasta was added. Beautiful!