Tomato Tortellini Soup

By bjlazyl

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium 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
• 1 (14-ounce) package fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from thekitchn.com

Preparation

Step 1

Make More Good

Make Ahead

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.

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.

Serves 4 to 6

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

Stir in the vinegar. Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices, 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.

: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat or in the microwave.

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