Minestrone with Tortellini

From: Cooking with Heinz Ketchup cookbook

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage (hot or regular)
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic
46 oz beef or chicken broth
16 oz whole tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup Heinz tomato ketchup
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery
2 cups sliced zucchini
7-9 oz meat or cheese-filled tortellini
Grated Parmesan cheese

In Dutch oven, brown sausage; drain excess fat.

Add onions and garlic, and saute until tender.

Add broth, tomatoes, ketchup, wine, carrots and celery; simmer, covered, 30 minutes.

Add zucchini and tortellini; simmer, covered, 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve soup with Parmesan cheese.
























What I did differently:

I used dried onions instead of raw, 1/4 of a can of diced tomatoes, left out the red wine and celery, and used the tiniest zucchini I could find, all for the sake of my family's taste buds. It was still an amazing soup with incredible flavor.

Verdict:

Thumbs up! This soup was really filling and had such a great flavor. I would definitely make it again.

Holiday Tortellini Soup

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 oz. bacon or pancetta, finely diced (I used turkey bacon) 
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (49 1/2 oz) chicken broth
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 package (9 oz) cheese tortellini
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
8 oz fresh spinach, rinsed, stemmed and chopped (I used canned)
salt and pepper (I left out)
Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add pancetta. Cook until crisp. Add onion; cook 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add garlic, cook 1 more minute. Add broth and Italian seasoning; bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Add cooked tortellini to soup mixture. Stir in tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with cheese.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I'm sure I've made similar recipes before but I really liked this one. Very filling and hearty. Great flavors. And simple! So I would definitely make this again in the future.

Nutrition information: (based on my ingredients; per cup)
Calories: 159
Carbs: 20g
Fat: 6g
Protein: 6g

Tortellini Vegetable Soup

From: An old index card

Ingredients:
3/4 cup chopped onion
4 cups water
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
9 oz (about 2 1/2 cups) cheese tortellini
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1 cup zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
2 tsp dried parsley, finely crumbled

Coat a 3-quart pot with a tablespoon of olive oil and add the onion. Cover and cook over medium heat for several minutes, until the onions start to soften.

Add the water, undrained tomatoes, carrots, salt and pepper to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the carrots are tender.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer half of the vegetables to a blender and pour in about 1 cup of the liquid. Carefully blend at low speed to puree the vegetables. Return the blended mixture back to the post.

Add the tortellini and mushrooms to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook covered for an additional 4 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another minute, until the spinach wilts and the tortellini is cooked through. Serve hot, topping each serving with a sprinkling of parsley.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! What an awesome mixture of flavors. This was a very simple, inexpensive soup to make and it was delicious. I'll be making this again and I recommend it! 

Spinach Tortellini Soup

From: Budget Bytes

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
1 28-oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
28 oz water
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
15-20 cranks fresh cracked pepper
1 12-oz package frozen cheese tortellini
1 10-oz box frozen spinach
2 tsp salt

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large pot along with the olive oil over medium-low heat until they are soft and transparent (about 5 minutes). Add the can of tomato sauce, the can of crushed (or diced) tomatoes, and one can full of water to the pot. Add the basil, oregano, a healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring up to a simmer (about 10 minutes). Add the frozen tortellini and frozen spinach (no need to thaw either one). Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to break up the frozen spinach. Cook until heated through, the spinach has completely incorporated, and the tortellini is tender (about 10 minutes). Season to taste with salt.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! We love spinach tortellini soup, and this is such a simple, classic recipe. Couldn't be any better! I did use my canned tomatoes instead of store-bought, but only because I need to put them to use. I have nothing negative to say about this recipe. I topped it with crackers and parmesan cheese. Absolutely delicious!

Crockpot Cheese Tortellini

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 bag of frozen tortellini
1 small bag of fresh spinach
2 cans of Italian style diced tomatoes
1 box or 4 cups of chicken broth
1 block of cream cheese
1 lb. of roll sausage

Brown the sausage and put all ingredients in crockpot, chunking up the cream cheese. Cook on low for 5-6 hrs.

 
Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh my goodness, what a combination. This is such a delicious, hearty meal! Super easy to make and easy to tweak to your liking. I highly recommend this to anyone!

Tortellini Vegetable Soup

From: Here

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
• 5 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (more if fresh)
• 1 bay leaf

• 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 to 9 ounces fresh or frozen tortellini (cheese or meat filled)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Black pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot or large saucepan. Add the onion, zucchini, and carrot. Saute over moderate heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add the stock, basil, bay leaf, tomatoes, and salt to the pot. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a low boil. Add the tortellini and bring the soup back to a low boil. Cook it for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 to 6 minutes longer. Gently stir in the parsley and pepper during the last minute or so. Makes about 5 servings.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh my goodness, what a simple and delicious recipe! I love tortellini soups. I didn't change a thing about this recipe and I wouldn't in the future either. Highly recommend!! 

Tortellini Soup

From: ???

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 tsp thyme
3 cloves garlic
1 32 oz carton chicken broth
2 medium zucchini
4 plum tomatoes
1 1/2 cup frozen cheese-filled tortellini
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained

Place onion, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic, and 2 cups chicken broth in saucepot. Heat to boil. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.

Add remaining broth, zucchini, tomatoes, tortellini, and beans. Heat to boil and cover. Cook 5 minutes. Serve with Parmesan if desired.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I didn't have any plum tomatoes and when I saw how expensive they are (averaging $3.99 for a pack of three!!) I just chopped up some tomatoes I had in huge chunks. I also had cheese-filled ravioli in the freezer, so I subbed that for the tortellini.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Added some Parmesan and this was good. Very easy recipe.

Printable version:
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 tsp thyme
3 cloves garlic
1 32 oz carton chicken broth
2 medium zucchini
4 plum tomatoes
1 1/2 cup frozen cheese-filled tortellini
1 can (15 oz) red kidney beans, drained

Place onion, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic, and 2 cups chicken broth in saucepot. Heat to boil. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. Add remaining broth, zucchini, tomatoes, tortellini, and beans. Heat to boil and cover. Cook 5 minutes. Serve with Parmesan if desired.