Tortellini, White Bean, and Spinach Soup

Source: Cooking Light, November 1997

1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups coarsely chopped spinach
2/3 cup water
1 (16-ounce) can navy beans, drained
2 cups Fresh Vegetable Broth or 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can vegetable broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained (I substituted frozen green beans)
1 (9-ounce) package uncooked fresh cheese tortellini
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
(I also added a small amount of frozen corn that I had on hand)

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, seasoning, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add spinach and next 5 ingredients (spinach through artichokes); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes. Add tortellini; cook until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups soup and 2 teaspoons cheese)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 281(18% from fat); FAT 5.7g (sat 2.1g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 15g; CHOLESTEROL 23mg; CALCIUM 158mg; SODIUM 562mg; FIBER 4.2g; IRON 2.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.9g

My notes: My kids really do not like artichokes, so I substituted frozen green beans. See this post for more comments. This recipe is flexible in that you can really add any veggie you have on hand and it will work nicely. I added some frozen corn - it was a great way to use up a small amount that was just sitting in the freezer. My kids will often willingly eat more vegetables if they are presented in a tasty soup or a tasty sauce, such as curry.