Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

Val's Version

(Denver, CO)

I think I have a love-hate relationship with garlic. It smells so freakin' awesome when it's being sautéed. Even the house permeates its greatness. I love that. What I don't love is how it smells when it seeps out of my pours. It's not as bad as red onion - which by the way you'll never smell on me - but it's just gross. The aftereffect just takes away from its greatness. 

Speaking of greatness … get you some of this! All 5 of the pieces to our family puzzle chowed this pot down. And I think it was meant to serve 8. Oops. 

Simple, yet sophisticated. A quick and fairly inexpensive delicacy that is sure to entertain a small group of friends or can be canned and delivered to a family in need or new neighbor. 

Here's where I loved the garlic. Within 30 seconds my nose was in heaven.

The cast of characters can totally be substituted. Original recipe calls for sundried tomatoes or paste and I did neither. I grabbed the bruschetta mix that was on sale and can reuse that for flatbread pizzas, a casserole or pita dip. Money well spent. 

Once your garlic is sautéed, add the liquids and top with herbs. Have I mentioned that before? You always add your fats first and your herbs last.

Get that to a boil and then toss in your tortellini. Again, you can use any kind your heart desires. We stuck with a roasted garlic and cheese blend. Set it on low and simmered for about 10-15 minutes.

Topped with fresh parmesan romano and parsley. Accompanied by a few slices of garlic bread and whole veggies. Fabuloso!

Cali had some fun with hers ;)

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

The Kitchen Snap by Key Ingredient

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 whole large Cloves Of Garlic Minced

2 Tbl Olive Oil
2 10¾ oz Cans of Condensed Tomato Soup
¼ cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped or 2 Tbl Of Sun Dried Tomato Paste (I used a bruschetta mix)
2 cups Half-and-half
2 cups Chicken Stock
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 Tbl Italian Seasoning
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
1 whole 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini
½ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese, for garnish

Directions:

Saute garlic with the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too brown or burnt. When the garlic is done, add tomato soup, tomatoes, half and half, chicken stock and spices. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, drop tortellini into the soup. Cook according to the package directions. After tortellini are cooked, ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic bread and a choice of salad.

Jen's Version 

(Acworth, GA)

Val mentioned something above that I HAVE to touch on and since this is in fact, a food blog, it's the perfect forum. The red onion. I mean, why? There's just no need for this vegetable. You have sweet onions that suffice just fine. Red onions are overpowering, smelly, sneaky devils. They show up in your pico and ruin your tacos and your day! This is an anti-red onion blog post and I hope I haven't offended our loyal readers. But I do feel much better now. 

On to the amazing soup Val chose for this week. I love tortellini, I love soup and I loved this meal. Mega plus, my kids loved this meal. It was a great pick. If you're stuck indoors on a cold night, make this. I dare you. I made it for a soup swap that I did with my neighbors and they loved it (they said). They are really nice neighbors :)

First you'll brown your sausage and drain out the grease and set aside. I used ground italian turkey sausage. You could do anything here though - beef, chicken...

Oh would you look at that, a NORMAL onion. Dice up a medium sweet onion to get the base of the soup started.

You're gonna saute the onion and garlic with EVOO and add your soup ingredients, minus the cream. 

Let this bad boy simmer for a while and the ingredients blend.

You'll add your tortellini toward the end, because this pasta doesn't take long to get tender.

Then sautee your spinach.

Now add your cream, I added very little and your parmigiana reggiano, I added A LOT.

I added the sausage to half of my dish, because the other half I prepared for a soup swap for my vegetarian neighbor. The versatility of this dish is my favorite!

Serve with some crusty bread and a dash of hot sauce (sorry I put it on everything). 

Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

The Kitchen Snap by Key Ingredient

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 whole large Cloves Of Garlic, minced

2 Tbl Olive Oil
1 medium onion
1 pound Italian Turkey Sausage, cooked
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 medium tomatoes, roasted and blended
1/4 cup Half-and-half
2 cups Vegtable stock
1 Tbl Italian Seasoning
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
Fresh Spinach, sauteed
1 whole 9 Oz Package Of Cheese Filled Tortellini
½ cup Shredded Parmigiana Reggiano Cheese, for garnish

Directions:

Cook italian turkey sausage, drain and set aside. In 350 degree oven, roast tomatoes, sliced in half for 30-40 minutes. Once charred, put in blender and blend to a soup consistency. Dice medium onion and saute with garlic and olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat until golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. When the garlic is done, add crushed tomatoes, tomatoes, vegetable stock and spices. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, drop tortellini into the soup. Cook according to the package directions. After tortellini are cooked, add spinach, half and half, cheese and sausage and heat through. Ladle soup into bowls and top with more parmesan cheese. Serve with bread and a choice of salad.