Chicken Spinach Tortellini Soup

The marriage conversation continued — not in grand gestures but in logistics. Where will we live? The townhouse is too small for six. Derek's apartment is too small for two. We need a house. A real house. With bedrooms for four children and a kitchen big enough for both of us and a yard where Curtis can sit in a chair and fall asleep after dessert. We're looking. Not yet buying. Looking. The way you look at something you're going to have before you can afford it: with hope and a calculator.

Halloween. The Famous Scientists took the neighborhood by storm. Marcus as Neil deGrasse Tyson was charming, informative, and told three neighbors about black holes during trick-or-treating. Isaiah as Mae Jemison was quiet but committed — he wore the flight suit with pride and when a neighbor asked who he was, he said, "The first African American woman in space," and the neighbor said, "I didn't know that," and Isaiah said, "Now you do." My boy. My angry, quiet, wall-building, door-opening boy just educated a neighbor on Mae Jemison while collecting Snickers bars. The walls are down. The boy is here.

Made a Halloween feast: mummy hot dogs (the tradition), witch's brew soup (tomato soup, green food coloring, Jasmine still calls it gross and still eats two bowls), roasted pumpkin seeds with cayenne (Mama's trick, now everyone's trick). Six people in the living room watching "Hocus Pocus" and eating candy. The constellation is a family. I don't need a marriage certificate to know it. But I want one. I want it the way you want the table set properly when you already know the food is good: because the form matters too.

Every year the witch’s brew has to show up on Halloween — it’s non-negotiable in this house — and this year I wanted something with more body, more staying power than plain tomato soup dyed green. A pot of Chicken Spinach Tortellini Soup checked every box: it’s warm and filling enough for four kids who just spent two hours educating neighbors about Mae Jemison and black holes in the cold night air, it comes together fast enough that I was back on the couch for “Hocus Pocus” before the opening credits finished, and — most importantly — it looks just witchy enough with the dark spinach swirling through the broth that Jasmine still called it gross before asking for a second bowl. The constellation ate well.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, sliced into rounds
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (rotisserie works great)
9 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

Sauté the aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5–7 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Build the broth. Pour in the chicken broth and diced tomatoes with their juices. Stir to combine and bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Season with salt and black pepper.
Add the chicken and tortellini. Stir in the shredded chicken and the cheese tortellini. Reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook according to the tortellini package directions, usually 5–7 minutes, until the pasta is tender.
Wilt the spinach. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the baby spinach. Let it sit for 1–2 minutes until wilted and bright green — this is the moment it really earns its witch’s brew nickname.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan. Serve immediately with crusty bread or alongside mummy hot dogs for the full Halloween feast experience.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Spinach Tortellini Soup — The Witch’s Brew That Fed Our Constellation