the making of this soup almost hit disaster twice.
first, we lost our can opener at a badger tailgate earlier this year. every time i need to open a can, i summon jason and he uses a swiss army knife. i realize that purchasing a new can opener isn’t a very difficult thing to accomplish, but since our wedding is coming up, i just registered for it and i’m determined to wait until we get it as a gift. what a way to save $5.
when i began cooking, jason wasn’t home. i found our swiss army knife, and after finding what i was pretty sure was the can opener, i managed to make three large holes in the top of the can, but i couldn’t quite figure out how to actually use it to open the can. i found this video, it wasn’t helpful. luckily jason was home within 10 minutes so crisis was averted, but man, i did not know how to use that thing.
second, while the soup was simmering, i gave jason clear instruction on the necessary steps to finish the soup (stir and remove from heat in 30 minutes) and went to the gym. he did not remove from heat, so it boiled down significantly. but i recovered by adding more broth.
this soup is resilient, so despite the couple mishaps, we still got to enjoy a lovely warm bowl of soup.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 4-5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas
- 1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
- 9 ounce package of cheese tortellini
- salt and pepper to taste
- parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
- parsley, chopped, to taste
- Heat olive oil in a large pot. Cook bacon until it starts to brown.
- Add in garlic, onion, and leek and cook until translucent.
- Add in carrots, celery, and zucchini. Cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Pour in stock, chickpeas, and tomatoes (including the juice). Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring soup to a boil, then reduce and let simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add in tortellini and simmer until tortellini is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
- Serve garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley.
recipe adapted from food52.
recipe rephotographed February 2015.
Congrats on beautiful baby Theo! He’s adorable. I saw you post this soup on Insta and knew I had to make it this weekend. It was so good! Easy and delicious. My fiancée loved the addition of tortellini. Quick question…do you use crushed or diced San Marzano tomatoes? Thanks!!
writes BaileyThanks Bailey! I’ve used both, and also whole tomatoes and then I just kind of crush them with the spoon.
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