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recipe

Vegetable soup with tortellini

ABC Everyday
By Hetty Lui McKinnon
Prep time
0:10
Cook time
0:30
Skill level
Low
Serves
4–6
A bowl of tortellini soup
The basic principle of this dish mirrors the Italian classic minestrone. Tortellini adds heft to the meal. (ABC Everyday: Hetty McKinnon)
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If I learnt anything during COVID lockdowns, it's to be free with food and celebrate the pantry.

With this realisation in hand, this is one of the soups that now gets our family through the cooler months — tortellini soup.

The basic principle of the dish mirrors the Italian classic, minestrone, but rather than the traditional short pasta, I've gone for extra heft of tortellini.

This dish falls somewhere between a chunky soup and thick stew, with the rich tomato and vegetable broth lovingly hugging every parcel of pasta.

The richness of the soup comes from cooking the vegetable base at a high heat to encourage caramelisation.

This extra cooking time also draws out the sugars from the vegetables, and amplifies their flavour. You will notice the sweetness of the onions and the fruity vegetal edge from the fennel.

Ingredients for tortellini soup.
Cooking the vegetables for a little longer than you usually might brings out an amplified sweetness. (ABC Everyday: Hetty McKinnon)

Tips:

  • Throw in a parmesan rind: If you have a wedge of parmesan rind in the freezer, add it to the soup to intensify the umami. Parmesan rind a wonderful ingredient to store in the freezer — otherwise seen as waste, it infuses soups, stews or broths with a mellow saltiness.
  • Play with the pasta type: The wonderful thing about using stuffed pasta is that it allows you to play with the type of fillings and shapes — larger-sized tortelloni, ravioli, agnolotti, mezzelune or even gnocchi all work. Of course, short pasta shapes like ditalini, macaroni, penne or farfalle are perfectly acceptable.
  • Finish with a dash of balsamic vinegar: The little addition of balsamic vinegar at the end is a trick I often use when making ragu. Balsamic is the keeper of complex flavours — just a swig injects a complex sweetness that brightens the soup, adding just a hint of tartness and acidity.
  • Add the pasta right before serving: Of course, don't hang around when it comes to pasta soups. The tortellini will continue absorbing the moisture if it is allowed to sit, so either eat it straight away, or add the tortellini only when you are ready to eat. You could even make the soup a day ahead, giving it a day to intensify in flavours overnight, and add the tortellini the next day.
A pot of cooked tortellini soup.
Make sure you only add the tortellini when you're ready to eat, so it doesn't go too soggy. (ABC Everyday: Hetty McKinnon)

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Ingredients

Method

  1. 1.Heat a large pot or Dutch oven on medium-high. When hot, add 2–3 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the onions and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and brown around the edges. Add the fennel, carrot, garlic, dried herbs, about ½ teaspoon of sea salt and stir well. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened.
  2. 2.Add the tomatoes, 4 cups of vegetable stock, parmesan rind (if using), and sugar and stir together. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook for 8–10 minutes, to allow flavours to meld.
  3. 3.Add the beans and tortellini and cook for 6—8 minutes, until the beans are crisp-tender and the tortellini is cooked through. If the pasta has absorbed too much of the liquid and the soup looks too thick, stir in some more vegetable stock or water, just to thin it out a little. Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
  4. 4.To serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with reserved fennel fronds and drizzle with a little olive oil.
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