Recipe: Tomato Tortellini Soup

Photo by Joe Lingeman

When it comes to comfort food, tortellini is a classic. What’s not to love about bite-sized nuggets of pasta filled with cheese? Skip the usual sauce, though, in favor of cooking up a rich and creamy tomato soup that comes together in 20 minutes — perfect for busy weeknights!

Weeknight Comfort Food in 20 Minutes

Some soups are meant to simmer on the stovetop for hours, while others (like this one) come together in just 20 minutes. A package of frozen tortellini is one of my favorite staples to stash in the freezer because it’s cheap, lasts for months, and can be used in a ton of different ways. But if you prefer to swap in fresh tortellini, that will easily work as well — you’ll just need to reduce the cook time by a few minutes.

For a Faster Dinner, Embrace the “Meanwhile”

My go-to tactic for making dinner prep as efficient and speedy as possible is to embrace the “meanwhile.” This means that instead of prepping all the ingredients at the onset (as we’re often told to do), you should work as you go. Here that means prepping just the onion and garlic to get the soup started. As the onion and garlic cook, get the tomatoes, broth, and cream ready. Prep the basil as the soup simmers.

Tomato Tortellini Soup

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes to 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes to 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  
• 4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1 (14-ounce) package fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
  
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
  
• Grated or shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)
  

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes.

2. Stir in the vinegar. Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, cream, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tortellini and simmer until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes more (check at 3 minutes for fresh tortellini). Remove from the heat, remove and discard the bay leaves, and stir in the basil. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese and more basil, if desired.

Kelli Foster is the Food Editor for Plan & Prep content for Kitchn. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks, The Probiotic Kitchen, Buddha Bowls, and Everyday Freekeh Meals.