The other day, I noticed that my local grocery store had cheese tortellini on sale at half price. Maybe they were hoping they’d be a popular item during Lent, but got stuck with excess stock.
Lately, I’ve been looking around for some simple recipes for some of the young people who follow Making All Things New and are getting ready for life on their own. Tomato Florentine Soup fits the bill. Easy and nutritious, the short list of ingredients will also keep the costs to a minimum. Cooking it in a crock pot makes it ideal for those with busy schedules.
If you’re wondering what makes it Florentine, it’s the addition of spinach. Legend has it that Catherine de Medici introduced spinach to the French Court. To honor her Italian roots, she dubbed anything containing spinach, a la Florentine. 🙂
Tomato Florentine Soup
serves six
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (Italian style)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 9 oz package frozen cheese tortellini
salt and pepper to taste
Combine first four ingredients in a 4 quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 hours; add tortellini and continue cooking on low for an additional 30 minutes. Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired.
