Creamy Tortellini Minestrone
Minestrone soup just got a total upgrade with the addition of cheesy tortellini and half and half! It's a hearty, veggie packed, comforting soup that people of all ages will love!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup 1-inch cut fresh green beans
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 3 (14 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth, or more to thin as desired
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/4 cups halved and sliced zucchini (1 small)
- 2 tsp dried basil*
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (9 oz) pkg. refrigerated three cheese tortellini
- 1 (14.5 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- 1 1/4 cups half and half**
- Finely shredded parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots and celery, saute 5 minutes.
- Add in green beans and garlic and saute 2 minutes longer. Add in chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, zucchini, basil, oregano and thyme.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and bring mixture to a boil, then cover and simmer 12 -15 minutes, or until veggies are almost tender.
- Add in tortellini and cook about 7 minutes or until cooked through, then add in kidney beans, spinach and half and half cook until warmed through and spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes longer.
- Stir in more broth (up to 1 cup) if you'd like a more brothy soup. Serve warm with parmesan cheese.
- Recipe source: Cooking Classy
Notes
*If you don't have the dried herbs listed here 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning will work great too.
**2/3 cup cream mixed with 2/3 cup milk or broth will work great in place of half and half.
Use other vegetables here you might already have on hand such as asparagus, yellow squash, mushrooms or peas.