Spinach and Tortellini Soup (The Kids Cook Monday)

It’s time for another post for The Kids Cook Monday, our chance to show how children can help in the kitchen and make meals more of a family time. For more information on how to start cooking with your whole family, visit The Kids Cook Monday website.

This particular soup is easy, I mean really easy; a perfect soup for the kids to help make. We were very proud that Builder Guy, our 8-year-old son, made this almost completely by himself, and he was proud of his work, too. The ingredients are pretty easy to find in many grocery stores, though we keep a couple small pots of basil growing in our home throughout the winter because some days we just need a little burst of summer flavor. As for the cheese, I specified Grana Padano, which is similar to Parmesan cheese, though it’s aged for a shorter time and costs a little less. We’ve been using it regularly for the last couple of years, and your local stores may carry it, too. If not, Parmesan will work just fine.

Though Monkey Boy only liked the pasta, both Top Gun and Builder Guy gave the soup two thumbs up and asked for seconds, so that’s a winner in our book.

Here’s how to make the soup, as demonstrated by Builder Guy, age 8.

Melt the butter, sauté the garlic, then add the broth and bring to a boil.

Add the tortellini and cook until it’s about half done.

Add the tomatoes and simmer.

Add the spinach and basil.

Stir, and it’s ready in about two more minutes.

How Adults Can Help the Kids

• Demonstrate and assist with any tasks that might be new: measuring, stirring, pouring, chopping, opening cans.
• Assign the simpler tasks, such as pouring and stirring, to the younger kids, and save the more challenging tasks for the older kids and adults.

Safety Tips

• Make sure an adult is present at all times.
• Young children should not handle sharp knives or hot pots. Make sure an adult or older child or teenager does the chopping.
• The broth in the pot will be hot, so be careful when adding other ingredients and watch for splatters.

Update: Thanks to Parade and Dash Recipes for featuring this soup!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Spinach and Tortellini Soup

Part of The Kids Cook Monday series.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Soup

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Andrea Meyers

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 quart 1 liter homemade or low-salt chicken broth
• 2- inch piece of rind of Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese
• 6 ounces 170 g fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
• 14 ounces 397 g canned diced tomatoes, with their liquid
• 10 ounces 284 g spinach, washed and stemmed; coarsely chopped if larger (thawed if from frozen)
• 8 to 10 leaves basil, chiffonade
• grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Instructions

• In the pot, melt the butter and sauté the chopped garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cheese rind and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and bring back to a slow boil, cooking the tortellini until it’s about half done, about 5 minutes for frozen, less for fresh.
• Add the tomatoes and liquid, reduce the heat and cook at a simmer until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped spinach and basil and cook until the leaves wilt, about 2 more minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with grated Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Equipment

4 to 5-quart heavy bottom pot with lid

More Kids Cook Monday Recipes

For the complete list of The Kids Cook Monday recipes, visit my Cooking with Kids page.

More Tortellini Recipes From Around the Blogs

• Soup Chick – Tortellini Soup with Escarole and Zucchini
• Food Wishes – Salmon, Spring Pea, and Ricotta Tortellini with Lemon
• Cookin’ Canuck – Tortellini Soup with Pancetta, White Beans, and Swiss Chard
• Chaos in the Kitchen – Sausage and Tortellini Soup