When the winter chill sets in, I’m always in search of a new recipe for soup. This recipe for Tortellini and Tomato Soup, one of my family’s favorites, is good any time of year, since it’s hearty but not too heavy.

This soup is extremely simple to prepare, but the end results don’t taste like a "quick and easy" recipe. When preparing the spinach for this soup, I like to cut the spinach in a method known as chiffonade. Stack about ten washed spinach leaves on top of each other, cut off the stems, and roll the whole pile like a cigar. The "cigar" is then cut into quarter-inch slices, which unravel to look like ribbons. Keep repeating the process until the whole bag of spinach is sliced. This makes the soup especially pretty, but if time is short, simply chop the spinach coarsely.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth
• 9 ounces fresh cheese tortellini
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 5-ounce package fresh baby spinach, cut into chiffonade or coarsely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil and stir in tortellini. Simmer uncovered until tortellini is cooked, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes and simmer another 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Ladle into bowls and top with generous sprinklings of grated Parmesan.

Makes 6 servings.