Ingredients

  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 1 leek, washed and sliced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, cut into half or quarter rounds
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup cubed butternut squash
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp basil
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 cups water
  • 2-3 cups frozen tortellini
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper

Directions

  1. Heat a dutch oven or strong-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, leeks, celery, carrots, olive oil, and 1 tsp kosher salt and saute for 10-12 minutes. Add the butternut squash, and garlic, turmeric, basil, and oregano and butter and saute another few minutes.
  2. When you start to smell the garlic strongly (shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes), add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Keep stirring to cook the flour for 2-3 minutes (if it seems to be sticking to the bottom of the pot, add a little more butter).
  3. Pour in the stock and water. Cover and bring to a boil. At a rapid boil, drop in the frozen tortellini and simmer for 5-10 minutes, until cooked through.
  4. Add the heavy cream and spinach and cook for another minute or two. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
  5. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Soup will thicken as it cools; you may need to add some water to thin it out.
  6. NOTE: For best results, if you’re making it in advance stop before adding the tortellini. Continue from there (add tortellini, cream and spinach) just before you serve it.

Serves: 8