creamy tortellini soup

I’m trying to get better at saving things that are normally seen as “garbage”. 

The ends of a loaf of bread, veggies that are about to turn and… 

PARMESAN RINDS.

These little babies are gold when you want to add flavor to sauces and soups. 

And we go through a lot of parm at my house (and cheese in general… #wisconsin4life). When we’ve finished off a hunk of parm, I freeze the rinds for a later date. 

Which brings me to today’s recipe – creamy tortellini soup.
(please contain your excitement) 

I can tell you’ve got the same face on as when I tell boyfriend we’re having soup for dinner…soup? …that’s it?

Here’s my thing with soups – they usually need something else to go with it. A salad, a piece of bread, a main course…

But this one, is a meal in itself. I’ve made it a bunch of times and really you can’t screw this creamy tortellini soup up. 

Which is the hallmark of any good recipe in my opinion. 

I was going to send step-by-step picture directions but

1. This recipe doesn’t need it, because #easy

2. I was so tired after teaching that it took all my energy not to shovel this in my face straight from the pot

Tortellini Soup
Start making this soup 45 minutes before you want to eat it

1 small onion

2 zucchinis

1 red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2-3 cups chopped kale

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp red pepper flakes

28oz canned diced tomatoes

4 cups (1 box) veggie stock

¾ cup heavy cream*

1-2 parmesan rinds

10 oz tortellini

Salt

Pepper

Start by chopping the onion, zucchinis and pepper. I chop these all pretty small but if you like a chunkier soup, do you.

In a large/deep pot, sauté these veggies in olive oil and season with salt/pepper. After they’ve browned a little, add the oregano, thyme, garlic and red pepper. I used fresh herbs because I had them but DO NOT spend $3 on those little clamshells just for this recipe. Dried herbs will do just fine.

After a few minutes, pour in the canned tomatoes, veggie stock and cream. You can use any type of cream/milk/half and half to get the consistency you like. I like heavy cream because it doesn’t require very much to make a creamy consistency in your soup.

THEN…. Add those parm rinds. Let simmer for 20ish minutes.  Add your kale. Let simmer another 10 minutes. Add your tortellini and let cook for 5 minutes (pay attention, you don’t want them mushy). 

Spoon creamy tortellini soup into your mouth directly or put into a bowl if you fancy. Top with fresh herbs, veggies and parm if you’ve got it. 

This recipe makes enough for 4-6 servings depending on how hungry you are. Store the leftovers WITH the parm rinds. It will taste even better the next day.

Happy eating –
Danielle