Tortellini Soup: dinner in 20 in one pot

Sometimes I hate Mondays. The rush begins in the morning and goes into the night. Tonight was an exception. In the spirit of the colder weather, I made one of the boys favorites, Tortellini Soup. I got a version of this recipe in a magazine a few years ago and make it every few months. I can't remember where I found it, but what I do remember each time I make it, is that it is simple, healthy and very popular at my house. Lucas loves the carrots and Jacob loves the peas. Yay vegetables! Plus, as an added bonus, it's made in one pot which doesn't require any scrubbing when you are done. The dishes even rinse clean with water. I always make a double batch (as written below) and then I have a whole other dinner for another night. Ahhh...Monday.

Tortellini Soup

Timing - 20 minutes

Ingredients
1.5 T olive oil
2 leeks, trimmed and cleaned
(to clean, cut lengthwise almost all the way through, and then run water through all of the layers; leeks are very dirty - so this is important.)
3 carrots, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 quarts chicken stock (2 boxes)
2 10-ounce packages of refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 cup frozen peas
Parmesan cheese

How to Make
After cleaning the leeks, cut them into half inches slices. Use only the white and very light green parts. The slices should be shaped like half moons if you already halved them lengthwise all the way after rinsing.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook, covered, stirring once in a while, for about 5 to 8 minutes. The vegetables should be slightly soft; they will finish cooking in the stock.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. When the soup is boiling, add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. When there are two minutes remaining, add the frozen peas and cook until the peas are warm and the tortellini is done.

Serve the soup with grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 8 (once for Monday and once for later in the week!)