Sunday Soup #117: Creamy Asiago Chicken and Mushroom Tortellini Soup

Chicken, mushrooms, and tortellini with cheese and cream... What's not to love, right?! I picked this recipe up from Pinterest and found an opportunity to try it a couple of weeks ago with our besties (I know, I am tardy posting... sorry!), knowing they would like all the ingredients. I have to admit, I've had mixed results with tortellini soups, in the past; some have been really good (like this one: https://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2019/08/sunday-soup-84-creamy-sausage-and.html) while others have left me a feeling a little "meh". It may be because I am not a huge Italian food or pasta fan, in general (I know, I know... I am an aberration), but I keep waiting for one to just knock my socks off! Would this be the one? Let's see...

This recipe came from: https://www.closetcooking.com/creamy-asiago-chicken-and-mushroom/

*Pic 1 - https://www.closetcooking.com/creamy-asiago-chicken-and-mushroom/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I doubled the recipe. That's it!

General Thoughts: This one was pretty much a piece of cake to prep! I used pre-sliced mushrooms, pre-diced onion, minced garlic, and grated cheese. Pretty much, the only prep work that took any real time was shredding the chicken. So, we started off in good shape!

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

But then... It just kind of fizzled. I mean, it was fine, I guess, but a recipe that seemed poised for greatness turned out to be just middle-of-the-road... unremarkable... unobjectionable. I am not sure you want to listen to me figure out how many more synonyms for 'okay' I can come up with, right? I think that is why I have been dragging my feet getting this one posted; I just wasn't that excited about it.

The textures were fine (although, the tortellini may have been a bit overdone), the soup had decent color, and it was certainly creamy, but it lacked a flavor identity. Each bite was fairly indistinguishable from the last, and I didn't feel like the garlic, thyme, white wine, or dijon mustard shined through enough to give it a distinct taste. My favorite ingredient was actually the mushrooms, which were tender but lacked any strong flavor of their own.

The bottom line with this one is that it was fine. It would not offend any of your guests, and it might even be a hit with those that prefer their fare on the blander side. But, it is likely not going to make anyone sit up and take notice or be a general crowd-pleaser.

Potential Improvements? If I ever make this one again, I am definitely going to add a bit of black pepper, give it a few shakes of crushed red pepper, and double (at least!) the dijon mustard. Anything to give the soup some more depth of flavor would be welcomed!

Polling the Fam: In case it was not already obvious, I thought this one was okay but was pretty "meh" about it. Becky found it bland, overall (though she thought the thyme was stronger than she liked), and said that she wanted the tortellini to be the star but that it just wasn't. Jayson didn't really like it, said it got worse as it cooled, and said the mushrooms were too big. Andrew found it "fine, middle-of-the-road," agreed with Jayson about the mushrooms, and said it was missing "something" but that he didn't know what. Hunter said it was fine, he liked the mushrooms, and that he'd eat it again. And, surprising no one, Fox said, "It was okay."

Verdict: It was okay. (3 stars)