Ravioli Soup

Cooler weather calls for warmer bellies and what does the job better than soup.  Here's a nice vegetarian dish, light but hearty, that will hit the spot.

Ravioli Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
4 cups water
1 (9 oz) package cheese ravioli
1/3 of a (10 oz) bag, leaf spinach, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
fresh shredded parmesan to garnish

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Add onions, carrots, celery, and thyme to oil.  Cook, stirring occasionally until the veggies start to soften up (3-4 minutes).

Add stock and water to the pot.  Increase heat to high, cover and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add ravioli to pot.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the ravioli are tender (about 10 minutes).

Add spinach to the pot and cook until it's wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serve up with some nice fresh artisan bread.  Yum yum.

NOTES

This is a great springboard recipe, lots of room to make it your own.  I used pre-made four cheese ravioli, but you can substitute you own favorite stuffed shell (though if you switch to tortelloni, I wouldn't call it "ravioli" soup anymore).

You can use beef or chicken stock instead of veggie.

You can add any other type of veggie you'd like -- mushroom, zucchini, corn -- just be mindful of when you add it in.  If it's a denser veggie like carrots (any of your squashes) add it earlier.  If it's a lighter veggie like mushrooms, add it later.

You can switch out the type of fresh herb you use as well.