Creamy Tortellini Soup

Produce Challenge numero uno!

I had a fatality in my ring:

Womp... womp...

She died so young. BUT! There was one good leaf left. And I shall use it in my soup in memory of my produce box spinach.

Here's my list of characters:

Note the rouge leaf - front and center.

Collard greens. Shallots. And spinach. See! I saved the one good leaf. The filler spinach is from Ralphs. Let's just uh... over look this one little incident.

Anywho - here's the original recipe from the-better-bureau-of-home-and-gardens.

And here's my recipe - adjusted for my veggies.

1 X 2.64oz of country gravy mix
3 Cups-o-water
1 x 14oz can-o-veggie broth
1/2 cup-o-shallots chopped
3 gloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp crushed basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 X 8oz pkg of refrigerator tortelli
1 X 12oz can of evaporated moo
3 cups spinach
3 cups collard greens
Pepper
Parm cheese

Country gravy cause.. well.. it was white and that was a good enough reason to substitute. I omitted the mushrooms, as I'm just not a fan. Lessened the water, as I read in comments from other cooks that the soup seems to watery and not really creamy. More cayenne pepper cause I love the heat. Split the original spinach to make way for the collards. And shallots in substitute for onion.

Gradually add the water to the sauce mix in your crockpot - whisk til smooth, then add in the broth, shallots, garlic, basil, salt, oregano and cayenne pepper.

Majestic... I just wanna... bathe - be all up in it. Smells so good.

Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. At hour 3, get those collards in (they're fairly tough and fiberous, and they need more time to get acquainted with the other ingredients). Then at hour 5.5, get the spinach, evaporated milk and tortellini in, and cook another 30 minutes. Sprinkle pepper and parm if you're feelin' fancy.

The display piece:

The verdict? Absolutely delicious. I loved how the collard greens imparted a heartiness to the broth - something I was hoping for, but was hesitant about. The broth was creamy, full of dynamic flavor and reminiscent of good old fashioned comfort food. The tortellini, which was a three-cheese blend, added another salty dimension, that I thought tied everything together. This is definitely a soup you would want on a cold winter's eve.

I would only change one thing - maybe cooking the spinach an extra half hour, let it get in there and marinate a bit, instead of just wilting. Also, this isn't a set and forget type of recipe. I periodically checked as the day went on and occasionally found the broth concoction to have chunkified at the bottom of the crockpot. Thickening agents will do that - best to stop by and visit your crockpot every hour, say hey and give it a stir or two.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the end result and will definitely be writing this one down in my recipe book!