Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

It's new soup time.  Fall is in the air and summer is just a happy thought away so as I like to start off today with a new cream soup. I had to add my touch so I can make it mine.

I have to admit I looked though a few recipes and none were exactly the way I would make mine so I combined a few of their suggestions and added a few of my ideas and here is my recipe.

It was delicious.........**quick note...you can easily substitute cooked small acne de pepe instead of tortellini if desired.  

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  10/21/16

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• 1- (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes ( I only had diced tomatoes so I placed mine in blender to pulse on grate)
• 1 (16 oz.) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 4 cups chicken stock(+ 1 can of chicken broth if needed to thin)
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon basil/garlic olive oil fresh pesto or (if you do not have the pesto use depending on your taste either 1 tsp. dried basil or 3 fresh basil leaves chopped.
• 2 cloves garlic, minced(use only if you do not have basil garlic pesto)
• 1 carrot, peeled and  sliced or diced very thin(you can even grate it)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper
•  salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Pecorino Romano cheese grated, garnish

In a large dutch oven pot place olive oil, add onion and carrot.  Simmer slowly until onion is translucent and carrot is tender. Add garlic or pesto and simmer a little longer or until fragrant. Add tomatoes, stock, red pepper flakes and cook slowly until tomatoes start to reduce about 30 minutes.  Slowly add milk and half and half mixture and cook  a few minutes or until slightly thickened. Add tortellini, salt and pepper to taste and cook on low a few minutes for tortellini to cook.  **Note: Refrigerated tortellini should not be overcooked.  Ladle to large soup bowl and garnish with cheese if desired.

Note:  My soup was not super thick which is the way I wanted it to be.  I figured the uncooked tortellini might absorb some of the broth.  Having said that keep an extra can of chicken broth to thin if your soup gets too thick.

If desired use an emulsion blender to puree all ingredients before adding tortellini.

Enjoy!

  Happy Cooking from my kitchen to yours,