Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup
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Happy May day friends! May is hands down one of my favorite months, but then again I'm a biased, May-birthday person. But seriously, so many great things in May - "it's gonna be May", "May the fourth be with you", friends' birthdays, my 25th birthday!, and nurses appreciation week, which runs May 6th-May 12th. I will be sharing more about why I love nursing next week, but real quick, let's talk about our uniforms. Last Halloween my friends and I dressed up as characters from The Office (any other Office fans out there?!). Alex was Michael Scott, and I was Miss Holly Flax. And let me tell you - dressing in business clothes was the WORST. Way too tight. Serious respect to all you business girl bosses out there. Nurses on the other hand, get to essentially wear pajamas which have huge pockets that you can store practically every you need in and clip walkie talkies onto their tops. I wouldn't blame you if you contemplated switching over to nursing just for that reason. ;) But in all honestly, nursing is hard work. I am exhausted when I come home at the end of my shift, which is why I love easy and fast, yet yummy dinner recipes.
As this past month has consisted of frequent April showers, with the occasional confused snowfall episodes, I've been craving soups and other hot meals. The epitome of soups, in my opinion, is tomato basil soup. The recipe I am sharing today is less fussy than a lot of other tomato based soups, in that there is no pre-roasting of the tomatoes required. There is very minimal prep time, and each step of the recipe takes minimal effort - which makes it the perfect recipe for working folks. To make this recipe gluten free, either substitute the tortellini with a gluten free option, or remove the pasta ingredient all together. I found this recipe from Gal on a Mission back in the dead of winter, and it was an instant hit with my husband and me. I've made some changes to the recipe to make it just right for us, and I think you will love it!
TOMATO BASIL TORTELLINI SOUP
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes
Serves 6 - 8
Recipe adapted from Gal on a Mission
1. In a large pot, cook over medium heat until onions translucent:
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2. Add, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes:
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 jar (26 oz) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3. Add:
1 package (10 oz) tortellini
3 sausages, sliced and halved (I used Trader Joe's pre-cooked sausages, but if using raw sausages, cook prior in separate pan)
4. Once the tortellini float to the top of the soup, remove from heat.
5. Stir into the pot:
1 cup basil, chopped
3/4 cup half & half, warmed (cold cream will curdle in the hot soup, so either warm cream in microwave or temper with soup before adding full amount)
