Easy Tortellini Soup

This recipe was made for another MOMS Club event and is great for these fall nights and super easy to make. My mom makes a great tortellini soup, but I decided to try a different recipe that I found online at Grouprecipes.com. Although not a lot of people were able to make it to the event, a soup recipe swap, Tim was very happy because it meant he got to eat more of it. I also liked this recipe because being a "particular" eater, I could leave behind the tomatoes, and it was still hearty enough to fill me up.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes, no drain
• 1 can condensed french onion soup, or cream of mushroom
• 1 9oz package frozen green beans
• 1 9oz package thawed cheese tortellini
• 1 medium onion
• 1t dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown ground beef and drain. (I added one medium onion, diced, and a tablespoon of garlic to this process for added flavor)

2. In a large soup pot combine rest of ingredients except for tortellini. (I used the cream of mushroom soup since I had that in my pantry and it made it a little bit creamier)

3. Bring to a boil, then add tortellini and boil approx. 5 mins. until tender. (I used frozen tortellini, then put it into my crock pot and kept it on low about an hour, just until tender. It kept of warm all day until dinner time, but by then was a little "mushy")

REALITY: For as simple as it is, I would RECOMMEND trying this recipe, especially because I think the kiddos would eat it, or at least pick out the pasta which is exactly what Ahnnie did. I am hoping to try even more soup recipes as the night gets chillier. Hmmm, chili?