Anita Ojeda 
Try this simple vegetable soup recipe that’s twice as nice because you can serve it with our without the tortellini! A win-win situation for mixed company (vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, and meatatarians).
Vegetarian Tortellini Soup
I can’t remember where the idea for this simple vegetable soup came from. Probably from the bulk food aisle at a WinCo store as I tried to think of what to do with tortellini. After all, when a store sells it in bulk, it costs a lot less! I do remember that as I chopped and dumped vegetables into the kettle, I started to worry whether or not my kettle would hold all the soup. It does. Barely.
As I chopped cabbage, I had flashbacks to that cabbage soup diet craze in the 90s. Now, THAT’S a recipe I’d like to forget! This one has so much more flavor, and the cannellini beans and tortellini give it substance and texture that that diet cabbage soup recipe lacked. Plus, you don’t have to eat it for every meal for a week.
I learned that the tortellini doesn’t freeze very well, so I started serving it on the side in an add-you-own-amount kind of way. That keeps everyone happy, especially when half the crowd eats vegan and a fourth of them can’t eat gluten. The soup by itself freezes beautifully (which is a good thing since this recipe will feed a small army, and I don’t always have a small army to feed).
Nothing says 'self-care' better than a mug of hot soup on a blustery day. #soup #vegetarian #selfcare Click To TweetThis soup is chock-full of good-for-you things and pairs well with fresh-baked garlic rosemary bread. It’s so low in calories (2 cups has a mere 129 calories), that you’ll free guilt-free indulging in rich chocolate dessert afterwards.
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Vegetarian Tortellini Soup
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Description
Think of this as a simple vegetarian soup base. You can dress it up any way you want (serve it with grilled tofu instead of tortellini, for example). It’s the perfect companion for a blustery fall evening or a cold winter night.
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 large carrot
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño
1 head of cabbage
3 medium red potatoes
1 yellow squash
2 cups chopped green beans
1 zucchini
5 oz spinach
2 cans tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
2 tsp salt
1 15 oz can cannellini beans
1 Tablespoon basil
1/2 tablespoon oregano
11 cups water
2 cups dry tortillini
Instructions
Pour the olive oil in the bottom of a very large kettle (the recipe fills up my 8-quart kettle) on medium heat.
As the oil heats, start chopping the vegetables in the order listed. Add each vegetable to the oil and give it a stir after each addition.
By the time you add the spinach, the first vegetables will be tender.
Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, drained beans, spices, and water. Stir well and put a lid on the kettle and allow it to simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Start boiling the water for the tortellini while the soup cooks. Depending on the brand, some of them require extra cooking in order to fully hydrate the cheese inside. When the tortellini have finished cooking, drain them and return them to the kettle to stay warm whilst the soup finishes.
After about 45 minutes, your soup will be ready.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Comfort Food
Keywords: Minestrone, Soup,Healthy,Low-cal,Vegetarian
I didn’t know that tortellini came as a “dry” product. I am going to make this recipe for my daughter-in-law who doesn’t eat meat. It will be a nice surprise for her the next time I visit. CUTE mugs.
★★★★★
This sounds really good!