Tomato Bowl 2011: Quick And Easy

I guess I’m back with another recipe after all for the Tomato Bowl.   This quick and easy recipe for Tomato-Tortellini Soup makes a really quick lunch or dinner, and keeps in the fridge for several days as well.

Here are most of the ingredients, minus the oil for cooking and the tortellini:

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 heaping teaspoon dried basil

1 (28 ounce) can Red Gold Stewed Tomatoes

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon vegetable soup base

Salt and pepper to taste

Worcestershire Sauce to taste

2 cups frozen tortellini

In a 3 quart pot, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion, carrot and celery, and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently.   Add the garlic and dried basil.  Cook and stir for another two minutes.

Add the stewed tomatoes, chopping the tomatoes if you want.  (We’re going to be blending the soup later, so chopping them is optional. )  Also add the water, vegetable soup base and season with a pinch each of salt and pepper.  Finally, add a dash or two of Worcestershire- unless you’re making this soup for a vegetarian, Worcestershire sauce is made from anchovies and is not vegetarian friendly.  In that case, leave it out.

Add the lid to the pot and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until wonderfully fragrant and the vegetables are very soft.

Transfer the mixture to the blender- VERY IMPORTANT- divide into two batches in the blender to keep from burning yourself badly.  Conversely, you can use an immersion blender in the pot, but I find I get a smoother blend using the blender.  Blend until smooth and transfer back to the pot.

Add the frozen tortellini, and cook for another 12 minutes, stirring every once in a while.  When the tortellini are nice and swollen, the soup is ready to dish up.

Serves 4.