My beloved mom gave me the America's Test Kitchen cookbook Soups, Stews and Chilis for my birthday. There are still so many recipes I need to try out, but this one is so good that I just keep making it. It's perfect for lunches and lasts me about a week. It's so flavorful and, of course, you can always mix up the ingredients depending on what you have on hand. Andrew normally doesn't find soup to be filling enough for a meal, but he loves this one.
On ingredients: The cookbook says you should use fresh (not frozen or dried) tortellini and fresh (not canned) pesto. I broke both rules because I couldn't find either. I used dried tortellini and just cooked it separately and added it after the zucchini since it didn't really need to cook.
Tortellini Minestrone, serves 4 to 6
Chop 2 slices of bacon into small pieces. Cook it in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until rendered and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. (I've also skipped this step and cooked the carrots and onion in bacon grease, which is faster.)
Peel and cut 2 carrots and 1 medium onion. Stir them into the bacon and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, mince 3 garlic cloves. Stir in the garlic and 1 teaspoon dried oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. (If you have fresh oregano, use 1 tablespoon minced oregano.)
Stir in 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in 2 1/2 cups V8 vegetable juice and a 15-ounce can of small white beans (drained and rinsed) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans have heated through, about 10 minutes.
Cut 1 zucchini into manageable pieces. Stir in 9 oz cooked tortellini and zucchini and continue to simmer until they are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
Dollop individual portions with pesto and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
No comments:
Post a Comment