How To Make An Italian Comfort Soup With 3 Ingredients

Whether it's fall or wintertime and you need something hot to warm you up, or spring or summer, and you just need a quick, filling meal — soup is the answer. While there are soup recipes whose ingredients number in the dozens, or which require a ton of patience and technique (did you know consommé is one of the hardest dishes to make from scratch?), it is entirely feasible to create a delicious and satisfying soup with just three basic ingredients: tortellini, broth or stock, and some kind of leafy green vegetable, like spinach or kale.

While the broth or stock and leafy greens can translate to any number of cuisines, what gives this soup a decidedly Italian flair are the tortellini — which traditionally hail from either Modena, Bologna, or Castelfranco Emilia — Italy (the exact origin of tortellini, like so many foods, such as churros, is difficult to trace exactly). You can use either fresh and refrigerated or frozen. Fresh will likely taste better, and since there are so few ingredients, it makes sense to use the best ones you can get your hands on; at the same time, frozen are a lot more convenient to keep on hand for busy weeknights or sick days.

This three-ingredient soup is not only easy to make — you can pretty much just dump all the ingredients in a pot and simmer — it's also easy on your wallet. If you have an Aldi nearby, you can make this meal for about $5 before tax, or if you're close to a Walmart, it can be made for about $8. Doesn't get much more bellisimo than that!

This three-ingredient soup is delicious and economical, to say nothing of highly customizable, while still maintaining the Italian vibes. For example, if you have the broth and greens, but no tortellini, no big deal. You can use really any short or small pasta, like pastina, bowtie (also known as farfalle), macaroni, or even the tube-shaped and hollow ziti or penne. They won't have the same heft as tortellini, which typically comes filled with cheese, but in a pinch, they're more than serviceable.

You might also add just a single ingredient, like a protein. Ground Italian sausage (hot or mild), regular ground pork, frozen meatballs, or even shredded chicken add bulk to the mixture. If you brown any ground meat before pouring the liquid into the pot, the fond will help flavor the broth and add more depth to it. If you're vegetarian, consider adding in a can or two of drained and rinsed cannellini beans, as well, for heartiness.

Finally, if you have the ingredients to take this soup beyond the realm of three or four ingredients, there are lots of ways to doctor it up while also maintaining minimal effort, using things you likely already have on hand. For example, herbs and spices, like the all-purpose Italian seasoning, as well as garlic and onion powder, or even a simple bay leaf, all add flavor and depth. You might also sprinkle on a little grated or shaved parm if you have any hanging out in your refrigerator.