Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe

We tried this soup from The Forked Spoon and everyone ate it right up! Anytime I can get my kids to eat veggies in a soup, it's a hit in my book! And with autumn coming, I am getting in soup-mode! See the original recipe here: https://theforkedspoon.com/creamy-chicken-tortellini-soup/

Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions (diced)
• 3 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
• 3 stalks celery (chopped)
• 6 cloves garlic (minced)
• 4 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (or chicken stock)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 3 cups cooked chicken (shredded)
• 2 cups frozen sweet corn
• 1 (8 ounce) package cheese tortellini
• red pepper flakes, fresh thyme, fresh parsley, grated parmesan cheese (to garnish, optional)

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to package directions, then drain and set aside.
2. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes. As the onion softens, chop the carrots and celery, then add them to the pot with onions. Mix well and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and butter. Mix well. 
3. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle the veggies with ¼ of all-purpose flour. Mix, stirring continuously, for approximately one minute to cook out the flour. 
4. Slowly add the chicken broth, whisking continuously. 
5. Add the dried thyme, dried oregano, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. 
6. Add the milk and heavy cream. Increase heat to high. Once the soup almost reaches a boil, immediately reduce heat to medium-low. 
7. Add the cooked, shredded chicken and frozen corn. Cook until heated and the soup has returned to a simmer. 
8. Add the precooked tortellini to the simmering pot or add the cooked tortellini to individual soup bowls.
9. Serve garnished with freshly chopped parsley, thyme, or grated parmesan cheese, if desired.

Marsha's Notes:

I made a big batch of cooked, shredded chicken in the Instant Pot and I kept some in the freezer (see how here:http://1brother2sisters.blogspot.com/2020/01/cooking-frozen-chicken-in-instant-pot.html). It worked perfectly for this recipe. I also had bought celery and onion before that I chopped up more than I needed for another recipe, froze the extra in baggies and pulled them out to use in soup recipes like this one. Makes most of the prep-work so easy! I don't really like a ton of celery or onion, so I'd say I had about 1/2 an onion and maybe 2 or 3 stalks of celery in the baggies in the freezer. This recipe calls for 2 medium onions... there is no way I used that much, I am sure. It's all up to your personal preferences.