Speedy Tortellini Soup Gets Mom to School on Time

School is here again, with its millions of meetings—sports orientations, curriculum overviews, parent get-to-know-you events, and class meetings. These meetings generally happen at 6 or 6:30, so things get rushed if I want to serve dinner and have time to clean up before heading out. That’s where Tortellini Garlic Tomato Soup comes in handy—only 10 minutes prep time and I have a fresh-tasting, flavorful soup that, along with buttered bread, makes a satisfying meal. Including cooking time, this soup takes only 25 minutes!

I love that this recipe is fast and easy, but also that it’s full of fresh vegetables, including two whole pounds of roma tomatoes! Romas are a common variety of tomato that is oval-shaped, and tends to be smaller and fleshier than most tomatoes. They tend to be less expensive, too.

I cut my tomatoes in quarters, but the recipe doesn’t call for this so you could also just toss them into the food processor. I find that things process faster and more uniformly in my machine if I cut up big items first.

Next cut the jalapeño. Use the tip of a knife to remove the pith and seeds—the less contact you have with the flesh of the jalapeño, the better. Avoid touching your nose or eyes after cutting jalapeños—this can be very unpleasant! I hear others wear latex gloves when handling hot peppers; I have never resorted to this but it certainly is an option.

Again, keep your hands away as much as you can, using the knife to finely chop the pepper.

Next, mince the garlic. I like to cut off the hard end of each clove and then smash the clove with the broad blade of a knife. This makes the skin easy to pull off.

When the garlic is finely chopped, chop the herbs. I happened to have some oregano still growing in my garden! If you are using oregano, pull the leaves off the stems by grasping the top with one hand and just gently pulling down along the stem with the other. The leaves should come off easily. This technique works for thyme and other similar herbs. It is easiest if the herbs are dry when you do this.

When you have a pile of herb leaves, chop them and set them aside. I like to put things in little prep dishes, including the salt and pepper, as I find it makes it easy when I’m ready to add them.

With all the fresh ingredients chopped, it’s time to process the tomatoes and start to cook the soup.

So fresh! The processing takes only about 15 seconds.

Begin by melting the 3 tablespoons butter on medium-high heat and, when it’s sizzling, add the jalapeño and garlic.

Stir and cook for a minute, then add the processed tomatoes.

Next, add the herbs, chicken broth, salt and pepper, and, stirring occasionally, bring the soup to a boil—this should take about 6 minutes.

The final and, in my case, most colorful step is to add the tortellini. The recipe calls for the refrigerated type, and I highly recommend it. My store has about 4 varieties; I chose the 5-cheese version with colorful pasta. My package was 16 ounces and, though the recipe called for 9 ounces, I went ahead and added the full amount.

Beautiful! Fresh! Dinner is ready without a rush.

This Tortellini Garlic Tomato Soup is certain to please. My teenagers love pasta, but it’s not usually in a soup so that makes this recipe extra fun. The fresh tomatoes, real garlic and the jalapeño kick really make a difference, and the cheesy tortellini makes it hearty and satisfying even though it’s basically a brothy soup. I added a plate of buttered multigrain bread, too, which is great for soaking up extra broth and adds some whole grains to the meal.

Check back in a few days when Alex makes mac and cheese with a southwestern twist.

Liz is paid to write for the Land O'Lakes Recipe Buzz™ Blog.