I planted some winter greens last fall, and now (May) I have a lot of kale which needs to be eaten before I plant spring veggies. Kale is very hardy and can easily handle the moderately cold winters here in Oregon. I like to use kale many different ways but my favorite use is in a soup.

Today I am going to use kale in a tortellini soup recipe. This soup is really delicious as I used some leftover ham and bacon I had on hand. I am using cheese tortellini here but you can easily use other kinds like mushroom or meat. I like the cheese since it really complements the other ingredients I put in the soup.

This ham and tortellini soup with kale is perfect for any day of the week as it takes as little as 30 minutes to prepare and cook. It is filling, rich, and pretty healthy as it has a good amount of veggies.

I know this soup is really good as I got compliments from my son’s school friends who shared it with him.

Ingredients

• 4 oz bacon cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 cup medium diced onion
• 1/2 cup medium diced celery
• 1/2 cup medium diced carrots
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes, use less if don’t like spicy
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black ground pepper
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 10 oz package fresh cheese tortellini
• 1 cup large diced ham
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook bacon until crisp. Remove cooked bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic to the bacon fat. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring in between. Add chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir the veggies mixture well.

Cook for a minute. Add chicken stock, tortellini, and ham. Stir well, then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Adjust the heat in-between if needed.

After 10 minutes add kale and heavy cream. Stir well, then cover again, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Turn the heat off and taste for seasoning. Transfer the soup into serving bowls and enjoy!

Serves 4-6

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!