Creamy Sausage and Tomato Noodle Soup

Our family loves this soup from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I've made it twice recently. The first time, it was a bit too salty, so I made some changes, which I'll reflect below. (One reason was because I subbed in Italian sausage for the ground beef, so I compensated by adding some water in place of the broth.) I love the flavor and texture of this soup, and it's great for winter. Note: Mel mentions she runs the can of crushed tomatoes through a blender to smooth them out, and I did this too. If I had access to a larger can of just tomato sauce, I'd use that, but I can't find it here.

Creamy Sausage and Tomato Noodle Soup

adapted from Mel's Kitcen Cafe 

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
½ cup finely chopped onion
Salt and pepper (to taste...sausage makes this salty)
1 ½ teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of dried thyme
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock 

2 cups water
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (can blend for a smoother soup, or use tomato sauce)
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar, optional 
8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
2 cups (8 ounces, 250 grams) short tube pasta, like ditalini 
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

1.  Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the sausage, onion, and a pinch of pepper (add salt later, if needed). Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink and the onions are translucent, 4-5 minutes. Drain excess grease, if any.

2.  Add the basil, oregano, garlic powder, thyme, broth, water, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir well. Bring the soup to a simmer and add the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is just al dente (according to package directions). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and lower (or increase) heat, if needed, to maintain a gentle simmer without scorching.

3.  Add the softened cream cheese to a bowl (bigger than you think you need!) and ladle in 1-2 cups of the hot soup (do the best you can to avoid scooping up the noodles and small pieces of meat – doesn't have to be perfect). Let the cream cheese and hot soup sit for a minute or two so the cream cheese can melt then whisk until creamy, smooth and well-combined. I had to really whisk here. 

4.  Add the cream cheese mixture back into the soup and stir until evenly combined. Taste here, and if you need extra salt, add some. Simmer for 1-2 more minutes, stirring often, until the soup is bubbling and slightly thickened. The soup will thicken as it cools (so if you want a thicker soup, let the soup rest, off the heat, for 5-10 minutes). Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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Slow Cooker Tomato Tortellini Soup

 

Here's another tomato soup recipe (I have a lot on here), and this one is made in the slow cooker, and contains tortellini.  I thought this was very good.  The original recipe was huge, so I cut it down quite a bit.  My local tiny grocery store had very good refrigerated tortellini and also, inexpensive hunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Love it!  My kids love grating that over any kind of food at dinnertime, if I put it out.  Or just grating it into their own hand with the microplane grater and eating it.



Slow Cooker Tomato Tortellini Soup
adapted from Cookingclassy.com

2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28 oz) cans whole Roma tomatoes
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. white sugar
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
8-10 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini (I used cheese + spinach)3
3/4 cup heavy cream
Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan, shredded, for serving

1.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add carrots and onions and sauté about 3-4 minutes; add garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.  Pour mixture into a large slow cooker and add the tomatoes, broth, basil, bay leaf, and sugar.  Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH 3-3 1/2 hours.

2.  Remove bay leaf, then puree mixture well with an immersion blender.  If soup is too thick, add about 1/2 cup of water or broth to thin. Stir in the tortellini, cover and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes longer, or until heated through.  Stir in heavy cream and turn off slow cooker.  Serve topped with the cheese and fresh basil. 

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Slow Cooker Parmesan Tomato Soup

I saw this on Pinterest a while ago and bookmarked it.  I finally made it last week when I needed something easy and quick for dinner.  You throw a bunch of veggies and broth in the slow cooker in the morning, and then I blended it all up with my immersion blender.  Then you make a roux on the stove and stir it into the soup so it's all nice and thick.  I actually cut the butter and flour amount in half when I made this because it looked like a lot.

Slow Cooker Parmesan Tomato Soup
adapted from Random Thoughts and Thrills

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice (or one large can)
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk, warmed
salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

2.  About 30 minutes before serving prepare, blend the soup smooth with an immersion blender.  Then, make a roux.  In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for a few minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed almond milk, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker mutes spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

3.   Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

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Feta Tomato Soup

I'm always up for trying a new homemade tomato soup recipe.  They are always good!!  We had this a long time ago; lol, I'm always backed up on recipes to blog about.  We probably had these with grilled cheese and Caesar Salad, if I know myself very well (and I think I doooo!)

 

This is one that's nice for winter because it uses canned tomatoes. Most people probably always have the ingredients on hand to make this.  It's good without the feta, too, if you don't have that.  A tip for feta: you can freeze it and just use it straight from the freezer.  The already-crumbled is most convenient and easiest to use right out of the freezer. 

 

To get that extra little bit of creaminess, I stirred 1/2 cup almond milk into this before serving.  I love using almond milk for soups; it makes them creamy with hardly any extra fat or calories.  :)

 

Feta Tomato Soup

adapted from Food

 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped small

1 medium onion, chopped small

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups chicken broth/stock or 2 cups vegetable broth/stock

1 (28 fluid ounce) canned diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1 pinch sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk, optional

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, for garnish

 

1.  In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion and saute until very tender, about 5 minutes.  Mix in flour and tomato paste; stir well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring slowly constantly.  Pour in stock and mix well.  Add tomatoes including liquid, oregano, basil and sugar and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

 

2.  Puree the soup mixture in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth, then return to the saucepan.  Bring back to simmer.  Add optional almond milk.  Season with salt and pepper or to taste.  When serving, sprinkle some feta cheese on top as a garnish.

 

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Butternut-Tomato Bisque

Here's a new (to me, anyway) take on classic tomato soup- add some roasted butternut squash!!  I really enjoyed this Butternut Squash soup I made before, and I already know I love plain ol' tomato soup, so what a good idea to combine the two!!  The original recipe called for non-fat half and half, which to me, is a food paradox, so I never use it, lol!  I used 2/3 cup cream, 1/3 cup almond milk and loved it.  I bet even just plain almond milk and no cream would be good- storebought almond milk is pretty creamy.  I love using it in soups. 

Butternut-Tomato Bisque
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1/2 medium butternut squash
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup finely diced onion
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) Italian-style stewed tomatoes (or 1 can tomatoes with 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning)
1 cup chicken stock
salt, to taste
pinch sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup half-and-half, cream and almond milk, or just almond milk

1.  Prepare the butternut squash by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.  Place squash, cut-side down, in a 9X13-inch pan. Add enough water to come about 1/4-inch up the sides of the squash. Cover with foil and bake for about an hour. Test with a fork to make sure the squash is very tender when pierced with the fork in several places. If the flesh doesn’t easily give to the pressure of the fork, continue cooking in ten minute increments, and testing again, until the squash is tender. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the squash to a large cutting board or plate. Let it cool about 15 minutes before scooping out the flesh. If preparing the day before, scoop out the flesh and place in a tupperware. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until using it in the soup.

2.  While the squash is cooking, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onion until soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Scoop the squash into the pan with other ingredients.  Add the canned tomatoes and chicken stock, salt, sugar, and basil to the pan.  Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth.  Heat over medium-low heat or until soup is warm.  Add the half and half or cream or almond milk and heat until just heated through (do not boil).  Serve. 

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Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup

I'm always up for trying new Tomato Soup recipes.  We had grilled cheese for dinner and I tried this new recipe to go with it.  The soup was super thick, but you could always thin it down with some milk or broth.  I wanted this to go further, so I doubled the tomatoes.  I was able to try San Marzano tomatoes for the first time (I can buy those here- yay!)

Obviously, this soup contains roasted garlic.  You can use as much as you want, and I chose to roast and use the whole head.  Roasting really mellows out garlic, so this soup was not too strong at all.  I'll include directions for roasting garlic after the recipe, below.

Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup
adapted from Homesick Texan

2, 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes (like San Marzano)
1 head of garlic, roasted (instructions below)
2 tablespoons fresh basil
1/4 of a large onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 pieces of cooked bacon (optional)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups half-and-half
3 tablespoons of hard cheese such as Parmigiana, Romano or Asiago

1.  In a large soup pot with a lid, melt butter, and cook onions, celery, carrot, and one piece of bacon (chopped) for 10-15 minutes.  Add tomatoes, sugar and basil and other piece of bacon to pot.  Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 20-30 minutes.

2.  Squeeze roasted garlic out of its skin and add as many cloves as desired to the soup.  (I used the whole head).  Stir in cheese.  Simmer, covered for another half hour.

3.  Using an immersion blender, puree the soup right in the pot.  If you don't have an immersion blender, let the soup cool a bit, and then puree carefully, in batches, in a regular blender.  Vent the lid and cover with a kitchen towel so heat can escape. 

4.  Put the soup back onto the stove, on low heat, and stir in the half-and-half.  Add milk, or broth, if desired, to thin it out, or leave it as-is for a thick soup. 

How to roast garlic:  Heat the oven to 350 F.  Lay out a small sheet of foil.  Take a head of garlic and slice off the top, exposing all the cloves just slightly.  Place garlic head on the foil.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, about 1/2 Tablespoon.  Wrap up the garlic loosely in the foil.  Set in a small ramekin or on a small baking sheet.  Roast in the oven for about 1 hour or until garlic is tender, browned, and looks like the garlic below.  Let cool, and when desired, squeeze individual cloves out of garlic skins to use in recipes. 

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Garden-Fresh Tomato & Basil Soup

A friend gave us a ton of tomatoes last week, and I wanted to use them all up in something delicious.  I got ahead of myself, and was using them in sandwiches, and then a huge salad, so when it came time to make this tomato soup, I didn't have nearly as many leftover as I thought, so I ended up making a very small batch.  We went to the local organic farm the morning I made this and brought back a ton of fresh basil... it was so beautiful.  Some of that went into this soup, and I made the rest into pesto, which I froze. 

When our friend dropped off the tomatoes, she mentioned that most tomato soup recipes call for higher-fat ingredients like butter and cream, so I went looking for a good-looking, healthy recipe to make.  I found a few but finally settled on this one.  The recipe states that you can add cream or half-and-half if you want, but it is fine without it, too.  The garnish on top is plain Greek yogurt.  If you don't have Greek yogurt, add a tiny bit of milk to regular plain yogurt until it is of the right consistency.  I actually just spooned the Greek yogurt into a snack-sized ziplock bag, snipped a corner off, and "piped" it out on the soup.  (I've done frostings the same way- those bags are a great kitchen tool!) 

The soup doesn't actually need the yogurt garnish; I actually only did it for photo-taking purposes, lol.  The kids LOVED the "spider-web" design and everyone had some yogurt on their soup.  This was a good soup and I'd make it again!

I love tomato soup.... I have a few recipes posted on this blog already.  The search feature on my blog doesn't seem to work well, so I'll link them below for you.  Check them out!  :)  Actually, now that I realize how many 'mater soup recipes I have, I think it's time to add a tomato soup tag! 

Tomato & Basil Soup - My favorite!!
Tomato & Tortellini Soup
Creamy Tomato Soup (With sun-dried tomatoes)
Tomato-Blue Cheese Soup - Very good, as well
Salmorejo- Cold Andalusian Tomato Soup

Garden-Fresh Tomato & Basil Soup
adpapted from Ciao Chow Linda
Small batch- Serves 2-4

1.5-2 pounds tomatoes, stemmed & cut into chunks (no need to take off skins or seeds)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 stick celery, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced (I used a red onion)
1/2 teaspon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 14. oz can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 bunch basil (about 20 leaves)
decoration: plain Greek yogurt, OR regular yogurt thinned out with milk (optional)

1.  In a large pot, saute the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in the olive oil until softened. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Cover, and cook on low for about 1/2 hour.  Add the fresh basil.  Use an immersion blender to puree it right in the pot, or puree everything in a regular blender, then pour back into the pot. (Vent the lid if using a regular blender!!!) 

2.  Decorate servings with either Greek yogurt or a bit of plain yogurt thinned out with a little milk until it's the pourable. Make either spirals or concentric circles with the mixture, then take a toothpick and move it back and forth to create the web design. Sprinkle a little minced basil on top, if desired. 

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Tomato-Blue Cheese Soup

I loved this tomato soup.  I might have even liked it better than my old favorite, Tomato & Basil Soup.  Sheesh!!  I cut down on the blue cheese in this recipe, since my fam hates it.  I used about 2 tablespoons instead of the 1/4 cup.  The family did not know the blue cheese was in there.  I altered the recipe in other ways too, and the result was just wonderful- the soup was rich, thick and creamy.  The blue cheese flavor was not very noticeable, but it added a little kick, and I put a bunch of extra blue cheese in my bowl.  :)  Add a garnish of fresh basil and you have a red, white and green soup for the Christmas season.  :)

The soup is originally Tomato-Gorgonzola, but sadly, good ol' Gorg. is not available here.  Too bad, because I love it.  I think I like it even more than regular blue cheese.  Any blue cheese variety will work here.  We had this for dinner with grilled cheese- made with sourdough and sharp cheddar.  Everyone was in heaven!

Tomato-Blue Cheese Soup

heavily adapted from Allrecipes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 large red or yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers
2 cloves cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup Blue or Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken stock (I used leftover homemade turkey stock)
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

2.Add the cheeses and milk; heat mixture until cheeses melt and the mixture is simmering.

3.Stir in the tomatoes (including their liquid), tomato sauce, broth or stock, basil, sugar, and pepper. Using an immersion blender (if possible), puree soup right in the pot.  Return to heat, and continue to lightly simmer mixture for 10-15 minutes while stirring constantly. Do not boil. 

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Tomato & Basil Soup

This is my fave tomato soup ever, I think.  A former Allrecipes.com addict, I first made this recipe with fresh, farmer's market heirloom tomatoes, and it was delish.  It was delish when I made it again recently, with home-grown tomatoes from a good friend.  I've copied the way Eating, Etc. makes it; cutting down the butter and using half-and-half instead of cream.  It's still just as good- and there's no reason not to cut out some extra calories.  I hope to get some more home-grown tomatoes from my friend so that I can make it at least once more!

(Note: I've made this a few times this winter and I'm happy to report it is still DELICIOUS with winter tomatoes!  This stuff is so good!!

Note 2:  My store was out of fresh basil when I made this March 2011.  I have a small fresh sage plant so I used sage instead- it was still very good!)

I was a dork and forgot to write tomato juice on my grocery list, and I don't keep it around the house.  So, online, I looked up a tomato juice substitute and found that one could use equal parts tomato sauce and water.  I used 2 cups (or one 15 or 16 oz. can) tomato sauce and 2 cups water.  It worked out great, but I do prefer using tomato juice.  We like to have this with Parmesan Focaaccia bread.

Note:  I made this 9/8/2012 and only had two tablespoons heavy cream on hand, and I also used just 2 Tbs. butter and it was just fine!!  Very good, in fact.  No need to add so much fat to this recipe.

Tomato & Basil Soup

from Eating, Etc, via Allrecipes
4 servings

4 medium tomatoes
4 cups tomato juice (can use up to 6 cups)
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
14 leaves fresh basil (probably just under 1/4c)
1 cup half & half or 2-3 Tbs. heavy cream
2-4 Tablespoons butter, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1) Place tomatoes, juice, & garlic in a large pot over medium heat. Cover and bring to a simmer, cooking for 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

2) Add basil leaves to tomato mixture and purée (I used an immersion blender but a regular blender or food processor is fine too.  If you use a regular blender, you  must vent the lid or you might have a hot tomato soup explosion).

3) With tomato-basil mixture back in large pot, over medium heat, stir in half & half, butter, and pepper if desired. Heat, stirring until butter is melted. Do not boil!

4) Serve immediately with shredded parmesan cheese, or garnish of your choice. 
 

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Salmorejo- Cold Andalusian Soup. No, not Gazpacho!

I feel guilty- I lived in Andalucia (Southern Spain) for quite a while and had no idea this soup even existed.  I'm very familiar with Gazpacho, but not Salmorejo.  I was surfing Tastespotting last week and came across a picture of it, and then I went and looked at the recipe.  I was intrigued, so I made it as soon as I could buy some decent tomatoes.  The recipe is simple; combining tomatoes, garlic, bread, and olive oil into a thick, almost creamy, cold soup.  Then, one tops it with a swirl of olive oil, some hard-boiled egg pieces, and Jamon Serrano (or priosciutto).  I don't like eating Jamon Serrano "raw" (I know it's cured), so I sauteed some first in a tiny bit of oil.  That is not necessary, though.

I served this soup in my hand-painted flower bowls from Andalucia.  :)  I only have two left, because the rest have broken during our many moves.  Someday I will go back and get more. 

A note about sherry vinegar: I cannot find any here, unfortunately.  I've never used it, either, but it's similar to Balsamic vinegar.  So instead of the sherry vinegar, I used mostly Balsamic with a splash of Champagne vinegar.  It seemed to work.

Salmorejo
from A Little Bit Burnt
Yield: About 5 Cups

About 2 lbs. tomatoes, cut into large chunks
2 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 red onion, roughly chopped
2 roasted piquillo or roasted red peppers, optional
1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil, more as needed
2 cups roughly chopped day old crusty bread or baguette (I left the crusts on but you can remove if you like)
1 – 1/2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar, more to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste

1.  In a blender, start with the garlic and onions and finely chop on the mix or chop setting. Add tomatoes, piquillo peppers/roasted red peppers if using, salt and and puree on the same setting. Add the bread, drizzle the olive oil and sherry vinegar over all the bread, and puree for a minute or two until all the bread is blended in. Up the blender speed to blend and run until it's really smooth and creamy.

2.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed with sherry vinegar or salt. If it's too acidic depending on your tomatoes, start by adding just a 1/2 tsp. of sugar, mix, taste and adjust again. If you don't have enough of a vinegary tang, add a little more sherry vinegar.

3.  Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours so the flavors can come together before serving, or overnight is even better. Taste and adjust seasoning again if you need to before serving.

4.  Garnish with sliced jamon serrano or proscuitto, chopped hard boiled egg, a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper and a little drizzle of olive oil, and a few toasted pieces of bread for serving if you like. Or you can omit the jamon to make it vegetarian, or omit the jamon and egg to make it vegan.

A few notes from A Little Bit Burnt - some people like to skin the tomatoes first but I don't think it's necessary, especially because you want this to be pureed very smooth. Also, if you don't have any stale bread, lightly toast some fresh bread so it dries out a little bit but don't let it get browned.

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Creamy Tomato Soup

I love homemade tomato soup- so when I spotted this easy-looking recipe over at Our Best Bites while blog-surfing, I bookmarked it and ended up making it for dinner a few days later.  It was a perfect way to use up the rest of my Neufchatel cheese from making their taquitos.  I only had 2 oz. left (instead of the 3 oz. the recipe calls for), but it was fine.  My immersion blender made this soup recipe even easier! 

I have to add that the whole fam loved this- it was really popular with the kids, especially with freshly shredded parmesan cheese, and goldfish crackers on top.  ;) 

Creamy Tomato Soup
adapted from Our Best Bites

1 T reserved oil from sun-dried tomatoes, or olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup shredded carrot
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
salt, to taste (I didn't use any- other ingredients are salty enough)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2/3 C sliced sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14oz) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
2-3 oz Neufchatel cream cheese, room temp
Optional: Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for garnish

1. Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring often.

2. Add sun-dried tomatoes, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, sugar, salt, if desired, pepper, oregano and basil.

3. Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cover pan and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Remove from heat. Place soup in a blender (do this in 2 batches if necessary). Add cream cheese. Remove center piece of blender lid to allow steam to escape, but place a paper towel over opening in blender lid to avoid spills. Process for a few minutes until smooth. You could also add cream cheese directly to the pot and use an immersion blender to combine. (*I highly recommend getting an immersion blender for soups!*)

5. Serve hot.  Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese and a fresh basil leaf if desired.

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Tomato Tortellini Soup

I recently got a new Taste of Home mag, and in it was this easy-looking soup recipe.  I had most everything on hand, so I decided to try it right away.  The original recipe calls for 2 cups of 2% milk, and 2 cups of half and half.  I actually didn't have those items on hand, but I did have some evaporated 2% milk.  I poured a can of that into my 2-cup measure, and filled it up the rest of the way with 1% milk.  For the half and half, I used a mixture of cream and 1% milk, and it worked wonderfully.  (About 2/3 cup cream; 1- 1/3 cup 1% milk). 

The soup was rich and creamy with a wonderful flavor.  Some fresh basil would have made this soup super delish; if I'm able to, I will include that next time.  For the veggie broth, I used Trader Joe's condensed broth packets.  It was the first time I've used the veggie flavor, and it was very flavorful and rich-tasting.  The original recipe calls for 9 oz of cheese tortellini, but I thought you could easily double that with no problems.  I buy 19 oz. packages of tortellini, and I wished I had just thrown it all in!  We ate this for dinner with these delish Parmesan Pull-Aparts.

Tomato Tortellini Soup
from Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 package (9-19 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini
2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth
2 cups 2% milk
2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Additional shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini; carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

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