Fall Harvest Tortellini Soup

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You know that special time of year, when the kids are going back to school, and the mornings feel cooler suddenly.

Where I live in Utah, we are able to pull tomatoes off of the vine until mid-October. Zucchini season is in full swing until late September.

This time of year is perfect to begin serving this soup.

The preparation time for this soup is around 30 minutes. Then it can sit at the back of the stove, warm until its time to eat. It would also be a great soup to make on the weekends and eat it for leftovers on the go. I really enjoy it over a baked potato on day two or three.

As I’m writing this in late August, my tomato harvest is plentiful. I haven’t made soup this season yet. It has still been in the mid-nineties until this weekend. The other hold up that I have is, I haven’t been able to grow zucchini in a couple of years.

I’ve been trying to get rid of the dang squash bugs. It is a mystery to me how they find my garden year after year.

If you’ve never seen a squash bug, it is a flat-six-legged creature, with invasive antennas. It is comparable to a sunflower seed in size and in looks. It utilizes the squash vine for nourshiment and the squash leaves for laying their eggs. They quickly can replenish, so the plant needs to be watched over daily to weed out the adults and prevent more eggs from hatching. (If you’re curious, here’s a link: Old Farmer’s Almanac, Squash Bugs.)

Last year I decided to take year off of growing any squash, which was devastating to me because I like zucchini and butternut squash. I was wondering if taking a years off, I could get rid of the previous season’s eggs. (Not really sure how they survive the winter anyway, but it was worth a try.)

This year my zucchini from seed never grew after multiple tries, so I threw my hands up. No zucchini in my garden again this year.
I did plant butternut squash though. And the bugs, those pesky things returned!

I spent many hours this July watching over my squash and removing eggs from the leaves. Even Mae, my three years old saw me with masking tape (to remove the eggs) and clippers going to the garden and she would say, “Are you going to go kill some squash bugs mom”?

Now all I need to make this soup is some zucchini, which is plentiful right now where I live, so let me go find some!

Recipe Notes

I have written this recipe how I make it for myself and my family. I have not added the tortellini to my portion of the soup for quite some time. I stopped eating gluten over nine years ago after I began experiencing some debilitating symptoms including physical pain and blood sugar issues.

After years of researching and suffering, I decided to start this blog to write some of my story. It was and has been quite unbelievable story!

Today, I recorded a healthy recipe, but most days I am encouraging others to share parts of their story to help with their physical symptoms.

I believe that a key to healing our bodies is found within our own story.

You can read more of my health story here: Why I Started Seeking

Because I eat gluten free I add sliced cabbage to this soup. It adds the most wonderful texture and it feels like a hearty stew that would be served in Northern Europe.

Then I boil tortellini on the side, and those who want to add it to their soup can.

Prep Time!

I first add ground beef to a heated pot (heated on medium heat), then I season it with fresh garlic and the dry seasonings listed including a little salt. I start mixing those seasonings in so they begin to infuse the meat. As the meat is cooking, on a cutting board I chop an onion, at the same time.

Then when the meat is mostly cooked, I add the onion to the pot.

Mix in the onion and stir regularly until they are translucent (or see through). I have the pot on medium-low heat during this step.

As the onions are cooking I chop the carrot and mushrooms up, then add it to the pot.

After this mixture is combined together add the tomatoes and other liquids listed.

Turn the heat down to low and let all of the ingredients marry (fancy for let the flavors all combine)! Let this soup sit on low for about 20 minutes.

The preparation that needs to be done during this period of time is grate the zucchini.

Last Steps Before Serving

Right before I’m ready to serve this dish I add the remaining teaspoon of salt and parsley.

Next, I add the grated zucchini.

Then stir to combine.

The way that I like to serve it for myself is pouring it over a bed of sliced cabbage. The cabbage can still be raw, the hot soup will cook it enough to create the perfect texture.

And of course I top it off with shavings of parmesan cheese!

Bon Appétit!