It’s all about updates today. Tortellini soup and new music, mostly.
Soundtracks
I chatted with my friend, Rosemary, last week and turned out we both had plans to redo old recipes in our archives. It’s what we do from time to time, although I’m guessing it’s what you do, too. If you’ve ever made a recipe more than once I bet you take some liberties with it the second, third, or fourth time around: maybe a little less salt, a little more cheese, or an extra five minutes in the oven. That’s the great thing about cooking. We can choose to keep what we want and tweak or completely change the rest to suit our needs. Just because we made it a certain way the last time doesn’t mean we have to follow those steps today. Things evolve.
So as Rosemary got busy redoing her recipe over in Italy and I pulled out my big pot here in North Carolina to get my tortellini soup redo underway. Before I prepped the carrots, onion, and garlic I pulled up John Mayer’s new album, The Search for Everything, an album I’d stumbled across the day before by happy accident. As Mayer’s bluesy guitar filled my kitchen and I listened to the lyrics I couldn’t help but think he wrote this album for me. Nice of him, don’t you think? I’m not sure if it was all the onion chopping or track #6 or a combination of both that summoned up therapeutic tears, but by the time I got to the song Changing I knew once the last note faded I’d play the whole album on repeat. And I did for most of the day. It’s been a while since I listened to a whole album start to finish and it was a reminder that life needs a soundtrack. The Search for Everything, wistful and hopeful at the same time, is perfect for this season of my life.
New music, new soup.
Tortellini Soup
Oh, and about that soup: I first posted this tortellini soup in 2014 and while the first rendition was delicious, I wanted to make a few changes. I thinned the soup so it’s more broth-like and less pureed veggie-like, I cooked the tortellini in the soup versus on its own to save an extra pot, and I amped up the herbs with a good handful of parsley, dill, and chives.
Sometimes a little change goes a long way to move things forward. Soup, or otherwise.
More Soup Recipes
This soup is hearty with a deep flavor that’s brightened with a squeeze of fresh lemon before serving.
This hearty veggie soup with white beans and kale is simple to make and is sure to warm you through on a chilly day.
Cozy goodness in a bowl in less than an hour.
Tortellini Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4
- Category: Soups and Stews
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 32 ounces chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups fresh cheese tortellini (see note)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in the onions, garlic, and carrots. Cook until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to break it up. Add the Italian seasoning and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the pot to a strong simmer and let it all cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add the tortellini to the soup and simmer it until the tortellini is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the fresh herbs, simmer for another minute or so. Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmesan.
Notes
If you don’t plan on serving all of the soup in one sitting make the following adjustments: First, make the soup but before adding the tortellini, transfer part of the soup to a container (as much as your planning not to serve right away). Adjust the amount of tortellini. If serving half of the soup, cut the tortellini amount in half. For the soup that you save, reheat it on the stove until it simmers and add the tortellini. I recommend this because the soup does not keep well with the tortellini. The pasta will absorb the soup if the leftovers are stored in the fridge.
That looks delicious and perfect for the chilly weather! I love soup season.
I’m totally with you. We are finally getting summer, and it’s lasting more than the usual 3 days but I am so into Fall mode. I want to make soups and I have a few packages of stuffed pasta, and real carrots :-), so I’ll give your recipe a try. All the chopping, stirring, mixing is what I love about cooking, it’s relaxing and takes my mind somewhere else. By the way, my mom would make soups for us in the middle of the summer, I’m talking 90-100 degree weather, because she said that you always need something warm in your body…
Thanks Michelle! Soup season is the best 🙂