Tomato Florentine Soup with Tortellini and Kale

So...this is not exactly a soup...in the traditional sense. I had a heavy hand when adding the spinach tortellini, so instead of a tomato broth rich with flavor and dolloped with tortellini bites and kale leaves, I ended up with a mostly tortellini dish (note that I even served it on a plate for Jack's dinner the following day). However, the abundance of tortellini allowed for plenty of leftovers and for weeks that have been as busy as ours have been lately, leftovers are a necessity.

And, the best thing...the soup is easy (prepared in less than 25 minutes with a antsy toddler pacing the kitchen in anticipation of dinner time) and it's good.

Tomato Florentine Soup with Tortellini and Kale adapted from this recipe by Running with Tweezers * This is the exact recipe I made. If you want a more soupy soup, use only 10 ounces (or 1 fresh package) of tortellini.

In a large soup pot, heat about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2 large cloves of minced garlic and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and sauté until soft but not brown, about 2 minutes. Pour in 5 cups of vegetable stock and a 15-ounce can of chopped tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Next, add 20 ounces of spinach ricotta tortellini (2 Trader Joes packages) and cook until tender or about 5 minutes. Stir in about 3/4 of a pound of kale leaves (thick stems removed) and cook until wilted or about 4 minutes more. Stir in 2 tablespoons of brown goat pesto, taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Enjoy for dinner and then for several more dinners and lunches!