Tortellini soup has been a part of our family for many years. When my sons were little it was a favorite request. Simple and easy to make, all it required was some stock, a few vegetables, and store bought tortellini. It was a permanent fixture on our week day menu and when the boys moved out on their own it was the first recipe they wanted to make themselves. This is the recipe I gave them constructed to be novice cook fool proof. It might also have been attached to a care package of the ingredients.
The basic recipe stayed the same for 20 years…why change something that worked so well. A couple of years ago I was looking through my old recipes for some new inspiration and there in its unassuming glory was the recipe. I must have been feeling fancy that day because I somehow knew that this modest little recipe was capable of bigger and better things…it could go “Upscale.”
How does one do that? Will it ruin something so enshrined in our family’s culinary history? Am I selling out? After a bit of thought and some soul searching, I realized that, NO, it would not be any of those things and it would be fun to make a new variation. Here’s how I took that recipe “uptown”.
As with any good soup recipe upscale or otherwise you need a pot and some olive oil. I decided to use chopped up pancetta that I browned lightly allowing it to render some of that yummy fat. The starting line up still had garlic and carrots but I used shallots instead of onions. I added some other players; artichoke hearts, cremini mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and in this go round some cooked chicken Italian sausage (chicken could also work here and whichever you choose it won’t hurt to brown it in the drippings before adding the veg and set it aside until later). I used homemade stock and refrigerated tortellini.
The results were outstanding and while it is a little more sophisticated, it still pays homage to the original.
- 2 Ounces Pancetta Chopped
- 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1-1/2 Cups Chicken Chopped or substitute Cooked Chicken Sausage
- 2 Large Shallots Chopped
- 4 Cloves Garlic Finely chopped
- 1/2 Cup Sliced Carrots
- 4 Ounces Crimini Mushrooms Sliced
- 1 Cup Frozen Artichoke Hearts Thawed
- 1 Quart chicken stock Homemade or boxed.
- 1/3 Cup Sun-dried Tomatoes Not packed in oil
- 1-1/2 Cups Spinach Chopped
- 1-2 Tsp. Italian Seasoning Your choice
- 1 Pkg. Tortellini Any kind
- Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the pancetta and cook until it is lightly browned and has rendered some fat.. Remove the pancetta and leave about a tablespoon of oil/fat in the pan.
- Add the chicken or chicken sausage to the pan and brown . Remove from the pan and set aside with the pancetta.
- Add the shallots, garlic, cremini, carrots, and artichoke hearts to the pot. Cook over medium heat until everything begins to soften and becomes fragrant, stirring often. Add about 1/4 cup of stock to the pot and stir to loosen any brown bits. Add the rest of the chicken stock along with the Italian seasoning(s) of your choice.
- Bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Add the spinach, chicken, pancetta, and sun dried tomatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes. While the soup simmers cook the tortellini.
- Cook the tortellini in a separate pan following the directions on the package. Drain and divide the tortellini between 4 soup bowls. Spoon the soup over the tortellini, again dividing among the bowls. Serve with shredded parmesan or romano cheese.
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