Black Bean Tortellini Soup

This is a quick, favorite soup at our house.  I buy the tortellini fresh at Costco, and freeze in quart freezer bags in portions for this soup or other dishes; frozen tortellini work well too.   I use home-canned black beans as a rule.  Any tomato-based sauce works in this; I have made it with spaghetti sauce, salsa, or just home-canned tomatoes with a little Italian seasoning or home dried basil or even a little pesto added.  Use fresh green beans if you have them.  Thinly slice the carrots so they cook in the time allotted, although we don’t mind them a little crisp.  We love soup as a way to clean up extras from the freezer.

Black Bean Tortellini Soup

  4          ounces  Frozen or fresh Green Beans

  1          cup  Onion -- chopped

  1          cup  Celery -- chopped

     ½      cup  Carrots -- thinly sliced

  2          teaspoons  Garlic -- chopped

  2          cups  Beef Broth, home canned, frozen or purchased

  1          can  Black Beans, Canned -- drained and rinsed

  2          cups  Chunky Marinara Sauce -- (or salsa)

  1 ½      teaspoons  Cumin

  2          dashes  Oregano

  6          ounces  Tortellini, Cheese-filled -- Cooked separately

Cook tortellini as package directs, set aside.

Meanwhile, combine all except tortellini, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until vegetables are tender, add cooked tortellini and heat.  Makes approx. 6 cups

4 Main Dish Servings

Yield:  "1 1/2 quarts"

Per Serving: 195 Calories; 3g Fat (15.4% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 31g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 29mg Cholesterol; 981mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat.