There's Many Colors In The Veggie Rainbow

Soup. I love it! I also really enjoy making it. It is so adaptable and fun. It never ends up being expensive and it ends up making a ton of soup. A little of this here and there and suddenly you have a huge pot of soup. This soup started with some purple cabbage and an onion that I needed to use and turned into a healthy rainbow of goodness.


According to people who know things about nutrition, we should eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. These different colors of produce ensure you are getting a wide variety of nutrients. The different plant pigments contain many different beneficial characteristics. I was thinking about that when I started to make this soup. It has red (tomatoes), orange (carrots), green (celery), purple (cabbage), and white (onion and garlic). This (or any) soup is a great way to expand your rainbow of nutrients!

Rainbow Tortellini Soup

olive oil
1 carrot, large dice
1 stalk celery (I used most of one, my celery was at the end of the line), diced
1 white onion, diced
3 cloves, minced
1/2 of a small purple cabbage, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 can diced tomatoes
8 cups water
1 tbs beef bouillon granules
1 1/2 tbs chicken base
italian seasoning
TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute
black pepper
1 can white beans
8 oz. tortellini of your choice, we had cheese

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or large pot. Throw in onion, celery, and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes or until starting to soften.


Add garlic, cabbage, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, water, bouillon and chicken base, and italian seasoning and TJ's seasoning. I just shook the seasonings in, it was probably around 1/2-2/3 of a teaspoon each. Add a few grinds of pepper. Stir, partially cover, bring to a boil, and then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for about half an hour or until vegetables are to your liking. I tasted near the end of that time and added more of all seasonings.


At this point I turned the heat off, added the beans, and covered. I also added about a half cup of water so it would not be too thick once I added the tortellini. We were going to grab a beer so it sat like that for around an hour. If you are not leaving your house it will still taste better this way but is not required. If you want to keep going, just add the beans but do not turn off the heat. Boil tortellini in a separate pot and add to soup when it is done. Simmer for another 5 minutes and then serve.