Creamy Mushroom Tortellini Soup

    One of my favorite things to do is to eat "seasonal" food. For example, pumpkin in the fall, watermelon in summer, or cookies and peppermint in the winter. Sure, all of these things are great any season but for some reason they're just so much better in their season! One of these things that has a distinct time of year is soup! Sure you can eat soup in summer but there is something about cozying up to a warm bowl of soup on a cold day in the late fall or winter. One of the best things about soup is there are an infinite amount of types of soup you can eat! There's clear, creamy, broth based, meaty, vegetable, and cheesy to name a few. You can even take your favorite soup and adjust the ingredients to make an entirely new creation! It's almost enough to make your head spin! You can make a soup as something to clean out your fridge or as a fancy culinary accomplishment. Although usually when I make soup, I'm just trying to get rid of vegetables before they go bad, there are a few special occasions when I go out and buy special ingredients specifically for a certain soup recipe. This is one of those special soups. 

    Creamy mushroom tortellini soup is so easy to make. It has simple ingredients that achieve an incredibly elevated flavor that your family will beg for more of! Like a true midwesterner, my husband requests that he has some kind of meat with every meal. This is something I struggle to accomplish with the high price of meat nowadays and because I grew up in a household where it was actually out of the ordinary to have meat every night. So, whether you are avoiding it or just sick of it, this is the perfect vegetarian dinner recipe. Now, on the flip side of things, because this is a soup, it is very easy to add any kind of protein you want. For this soup my favorite is either sausage for a little more flavor depth or chicken for a more neutral flavored protein. Make it your own though! What happens in your kitchen is up to you!

    This soup comes together super duper quick. To start, I like to heat up some olive oil in the bottom of my pot as I slice my onions. You can dice your onions if you don't like long pieces in your soup but I enjoy a good chunk of caramelized onion. Once my onion is cut, I add it to my hot olive oil and let it caramelize on medium. When they start to soften, I add in my minced garlic, smoked paprika, pepper, salt, oregano, and thyme. When my onions are just about done I add in my mushrooms and stir them a bit. Once my onions are caramelized and my mushrooms are brown, I pour in my vegetable broth. I make sure to stir everything together to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom before I bring my soup to a boil.

    Once it is boiling, I add in my tortellini and spinach and continue to let my soup boil for the time on the tortellini package or until it is cooked. When it is cooked I finally mix my heavy cream into the pot until it is fully incorporated and leave it to simmer for a few more minutes to let it thicken a tish. To finish off my soup, I ladle it into a bowl and top it with a healthy amount of parmesan cheese. You can eat this alone or with some fresh bread to sop up the last bits in every bowl, making a perfect dinner for a chilly evening. 

    Like I mentioned before, there are plenty of variations you can make to this soup, one of my favorites is adding sausage, chicken, or potatoes. Another adding sun dried tomatoes for a little extra brightness and color. You can also use garlic and onion powder instead of fresh garlic and onion but a lot of the flavor will be lost that way. 

    What did you think of this recipe? Use the comment section below!