Roy’s Light Chicken Tortellini (or Whatever You Like!) Soup

Makes 6 (1 1/2-cup) servings 3 Better Balance Bites/ Old Blue Points

Calories 210 Fat 3.2g Carbs 20.5g Protein 23.3g

Ingredients

· Cooking spray

· 1/2 cup diced onion, about 1 small

· 1/2 cup diced celery, about 2 stalks

· 1/2 cup diced carrots, about 1 medium carrot or 8 baby carrots

· 1 tsp minced garlic

· 1 tsp dried thyme OR 1 Tbsp fresh thyme (see notes)

· 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces

· 1 tsp salt OR 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base OR 1 chicken bouillon cube

· 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

· 8 cups chicken broth

· 2 1/2 cups frozen cheese tortellini (see notes)

Directions

1. Place a large saucepot over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pot with cooking spray and, once hot, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Sauté about 5 minutes to soften, stirring frequently.

2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring continuously, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the dried thyme and stir to incorporate. Spread the veggies out to the edges of the pot and coat the pot with more cooking spray.

3. Add diced chicken breast to the pot, spread into an even layer a minute or so to get a little color, then stir to combine with the veggies. Cook about 3-4 minutes total, until you no longer see any pink on the chicken.

4. Add in the salt or bouillon and the pepper. Stir to coat the chicken and veggies.

5. Add in the chicken broth, scraping up any brown bits from the pot as you stir everything together. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

6. Add in the tortellini and cook per manufacturer directions, usually about 3-5 minutes. Once the tortellini are done, so is the soup.

Notes

· Change up the onions, celery, and carrots (called mirepoix) as you like. Add more or less of each. Or add mushrooms, peppers, etc. to your taste.

· If using fresh thyme, add it in once the tortellini is cooked and let it sit briefly.

· Not a tortellini fan? Add the same amount of cooked rice or pasta (cooking them in the soup will cause you to lose some of the broth). Replace the tortellini with an equal amount of frozen mixed veggies for a chicken vegetable soup.