Tortellini and Bean Soup

My husband is obsessed with tortellini. And one of our local grocery stores sells them for only $1 a bag, which means we usually have a freezer full or frozen tortellinis at any given time. He can eat them with or without tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, butter, Italian dressing, etc. I, on the other hand, get kind of sick of them after a while. Naturally the situation demanded that I come up with an alternative way to cook our mounds of tortellini. This soup is my healthy solution.



Serve with foccaia bread or buttermilk biscuits (check back in a few days for our recipe!). And if, heaven forbid, you're not very fond of tortellini, substitute some penne or rotelle (also known as wagon wheel) pasta.

Tortellini and Bean Soup
recipe by Kelly
Pictures by Caroline

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium celery stalks, chopped
3 medium carrots, cut into julienne strips*
6-8 cups chicken or vegetable broth**
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/c cups cheese tortellini***
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon rosemary

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook garlic, carrot, onion and celery in oil 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add broth and heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer until carrots are beginning to be tender. Stir in beans. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tortellini and simmer until tortellini are tender.
3. Stir in herbs and pepper. Top with cheese and serve with buttermilk biscuits.

*Julienne strips are long and thin pieces of carrot.
**Add more water if you're using dried tortellini (see below) or if you prefer a thinner soup.
***You can use either dried or frozen tortellini. If you use dried tortellinis, be sure to add them right after you add the beans. You may also need a little extra broth.