Description
Hearty tortellini soup loaded with vegetables, kale, and fresh herbs in a rich tomato broth. Perfect weeknight comfort food that’s both satisfying and nutritious.
Ingredients
For the Soup Base:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (whatever bottle isn’t empty)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (I’ve used red, purple, whatever)
- 2 medium carrots, chopped (baby carrots if you’re being lazy)
- 1 fennel bulb, diced (looks like celery with attitude)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper (that pre-ground stuff is fine)
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (cheap stuff works great)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (jar garlic counts)
For the Broth:
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices (store brand is totally fine)
- 3½ cups vegetable broth (or chicken, I won’t tell)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (dried works, use less)
- ¼–½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (go easy if you have wimps in your family)
For the Good Stuff:
- 9–12 ounces cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen (frozen is cheaper)
- 5 cups torn kale leaves (massage it or it’ll be tough)
For Serving:
- Kale pesto (or whatever pesto you have)
- ½ cup fresh parsley or basil, chopped (optional but pretty)
Instructions
Get your olive oil hot in the biggest pot you have. Medium heat works best. Dump in your chopped onion, carrots, fennel, salt, and some pepper. Stir it every few minutes for about 8 minutes until everything gets soft and your house starts smelling good. Don’t rush this part – my first attempts were bland because I hurried.
Pour in the balsamic vinegar and dump in the garlic. Stir it around for maybe a minute until it smells incredible. Watch the garlic because it burns fast and burnt garlic tastes awful. I learned this the hard way twice.
Pro Tip: My stove is ancient and runs really hot, so I turn it down when I add garlic. Every stove is different so just watch it.
Open your can of tomatoes and dump everything in – juice and all. Add the vegetable broth, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Stick a lid on it and let it simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft enough to smash with a fork. Perfect time to help with homework or fold that laundry pile.
Get another pot of salted water boiling. Cook the tortellini exactly how the package says – usually 3-4 minutes for frozen, less for fresh. Drain them and set aside. Yes it’s another dirty pot but worth it to avoid mushy pasta disasters.
When your vegetables are fork-tender, add the drained tortellini and all that kale. Looks like too much kale but trust me. Simmer for 2 minutes until the kale shrinks and turns bright green. It’s actually kind of fun to watch.
Taste it now. Needs more salt, right? Mine always does. Add pepper if you want. My husband puts so much pepper on his that it turns gray, but whatever makes him happy.
Ladle it into whatever bowls you have. Sprinkle fresh herbs on top if you remembered to buy them. Put a blob of pesto right on top but don’t stir it in – looks prettier that way and people can mix it themselves.
Notes
Buy that pre-chopped vegetable mix if you’re feeling lazy – it’s just onions, carrots, and celery but close enough. If your fennel bulb is massive, only use about half unless you really love that licorice taste. Save those green feathery tops and chop them up for garnish.
Not all vegetable broth tastes the same. Some brands taste like flavored water. I’ve tried probably ten different kinds and honestly, the expensive organic stuff isn’t always better. Just avoid the super cheap ones that list salt as the first ingredient.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 2 cups
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 890mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 15mg