I received this recipe from Sarah Arnett, one of my lovely readers! She said that it’s a hit every time she serves it and I can see why. I made this soup last week and it was fantastic! And, I must admit, this was the first time I have cooked with vegetable broth. I’ve always been a bit suspect that the flavor would not be as robust, but it was. I was very pleased with the results.
Bonus – this is an EASY recipe. You’re going to love it.
Pesto Tortellini Soup
From Sarah who got it from a friend who got it from a vegetarian cookbook…we apologize to the cookbook for not knowing who you are!
- 1 small onion (Jane note: I did 1/2 a small onion)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp butterSaute together. (Sarah note: I do it in my large soup pan to not dirty more pans than necessary. I also usually throw in a little EVOO.)
Add to pan:
- 5 C vegetable broth (you can use chicken, too)
- 1 9 oz package tortelliniBoil until tortellini is done. (Jane note: I boiled it a few minutes less than done since it continues to cook for a bit during the next step.)
Add:
- 2 C frozen mixed veggies (the baby California mix is Sarah’s fave, that’s what I used too)Simmer until veggies are heated through.
Add:
- 1/4 C prepared pesto at the end. Garnish bowls with parmesan cheese.
Hello! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and then count on you to share your own! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
It DOES look simple and delish too. Tell Sarah thanks. I think we’ll be having this tonight with a nice green salad on the side.
Comment by Amy from She Wears Many Hats — January 18, 2010 @ 10:10 am
Looks like a great idea for a quick, satisfying weeknight dinner!
Comment by Katie — January 18, 2010 @ 10:15 am
I LOVE pestp…I LOVE tortellini…and LOVE SOUP!
The perfect dinner:-)
Char
Comment by Char — January 18, 2010 @ 11:10 am
it’s from the Better Homes and Gardens Vegetarian Cookbook. It sounds yummy, but the pesto part made me think of your recipe for Tuscan Tomato Soup, which I think I’m going to add tortellini to…mmmmmmm….
Comment by rachel — January 18, 2010 @ 9:48 pm
Made this impromptu last night for my SUPER picky nieces—rave reviews from them:) EASY too…thanks
Comment by Heidi Ho — January 19, 2010 @ 1:13 pm
glad to hear it!!
Comment by jane maynard — January 19, 2010 @ 1:21 pm
I make a similar soup:
http://twopeasandtheirpod.com/tortellini-vegetable-soup/
I will have to try this one. Love the pesto!
Comment by maria — January 19, 2010 @ 6:56 pm
I have never tried a pesto soup before but this looks great. For my tortellini soup, I usually use a nice, deep beef broth with sliced zucchini, tomatoes, green onions and chopped silken tofu. My problem is that the tortellini always expand to mush for leftovers. I usually keep the tortellini separate until I serve the soup.
Comment by saveur — January 20, 2010 @ 10:37 am
I feel you on the soggy pasta, saveur. it’s interesting…I didn’t run into trouble with this batch of soup. in fact, the soup pictured is from the next day and it wasn’t mushy at all. It was technically “undercooked” at the point where I added the veggies…but it might have been a bit of luck, too.
anyway, I have definitely kept pasta separate for chicken noodle soup before and that’s a great trick – thank you for bringing that up!!
Comment by Jane Maynard — January 20, 2010 @ 12:00 pm
This soups sounds easy and wonderful and I plan to fix it as soon as I get the ingredients. (I usually don’t keep tortellini on hand.) Question: What is EVOO?
Comment by Kristin — January 20, 2010 @ 4:55 pm
extra virgin olive oil
Comment by Jane Maynard — January 20, 2010 @ 5:00 pm
This is the yummiest! Thanks so much!
Comment by Brenda — January 20, 2010 @ 6:09 pm
I made this soup for lunch today, and my 4-year-old almost finished her bowl! Thanks! (and hey, I didn’t know what EVOO referred to, either
Comment by Colleen — January 21, 2010 @ 10:51 am
yippee! glad to hear it!
sorry I speak in code
Comment by Jane Maynard — January 21, 2010 @ 10:51 am
hey jane! i made the soup but didn’t add the pesto because i forgot to add it to the grocery list. it was still pretty awesome without it. i don’t know how you feel about broth, but i use vegetable bouillon cubes. <3
Comment by stacy — January 21, 2010 @ 4:32 pm
that’s actually what I used when I cooked it – the veggie boullion cubes. the ones I had were kind of high in sodium, but tasted great…but might look for an alternative. so glad it came out even without the pesto!
Comment by Jane Maynard — January 21, 2010 @ 4:59 pm
Thanks for this recipe. I’m always looking for delicious and easy soups. I made this tonight and boy was it easy! The only change we did was to add a bit of hot sauce to give it a bit of a kick.
Comment by Michelle — January 26, 2010 @ 7:42 pm
yum. made it last night and it was a big hit. will def be adding it to my repertoire. thanks!
Comment by emilee — February 1, 2010 @ 11:26 am
Sounds great and I can’t wait to try! However, I have a dumb question: what veggies are in the California mix? I couldn’t find anything called that in my frozen vegetable section. Thanks!
Comment by Dawn A. — February 2, 2010 @ 10:05 pm
I’m quite certain it’s brocooli, cauliflower and carrots. it was yummy with those veggies, but I’m sure you could go with your favorites!
Comment by jane maynard — February 3, 2010 @ 12:39 am
So delicious and simple. My husband loves it with edamame and carrots, with fresh tortellini and pesto from the farmers’ market. Have bookmarked this one for lots of future uses — thanks again…
Comment by Anastasia Devlin — February 15, 2010 @ 2:58 pm
OMG – I just made two batches of this for tomorrow. This is absolutely the best. It’s 10pm and kids are in bed – I hope I don’t sample too much!!! It’s for supper tomorrow night.
I used a pasta instead of tortellini.
If this is healthy – I could eat it everyday. Thank you so much!
Gael
Comment by Gael — March 1, 2010 @ 8:33 pm
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!! I made this tonight and used my own fresh carrots and frozen peas and green beans for the veggies. I had a frozen little tub of pesto from long ago and it was the perfect way to use it up! Everyone liked it–even my picky boy, who was happy eating the tortellini out!
Thanks, Jane!
Comment by kidkopf — March 12, 2010 @ 8:31 pm