minestrone soup with tortellini

Got some leftover veggies lying around in your fridge? Make this minestrone soup with tortellini. It’s a perfect way to turn those seemingly useless scraps into a delicious and healthy dinner!

Most of the ingredients used for this minestrone soup with tortellini are probably already in your kitchen as we speak. Cans of crushed tomatoes, stock cubes, parmezan cheese ( which is optional), to name a few.

You can get really creative with the vegetables your using, because almost anything goes. You can add peas, zucchini, white beans, chickpeas, green beans, corn, peppers and so much more!

It makes this a real no waste recipe, if you ask me. Trying not to waste good and still perfectly edible ingredients is so good for the environment, and not to mention your wallet.

But most important of all, you shouldn’t make this soup only because it’s a great way to lessen your waste. It tastes delicious and it is super healthy! This soup is full of veggies, which we all know should be the bulk of our diets. We should aim to consume mostly plants and this soup is a great way of doing so.

This soup may look simple and basic, but I’ve added fresh tortellini, which makes this soup really special. It also makes it more filling and you really don’t miss the meat. I’ve used fresh tortellini’s in this recipe, but you can also use dried tortellini or regular pasta if that is what you have on hand.

Tip:

To make this soup vegan, just leave out the parmezan cheese and add vegan tortellini to the soup.

Servings: 8 bowls of soup ( 3,5 liters)

Ingredients:

• 1 liter carton of tomato juice or 2 cans of tomato passata ( 400 ml)
• 4 vegetable stock cubes
• 300 grams shredded cabbage or other vegetables of choice ( green peas, zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes etc.)
• 300 grams leafy greens ( kale, spinach, swiss chard), chopped roughly
• 2 carrots, chopped in small cubes
• 3 cellery stalks + leaves , chopped finely in small cubes
• 1 large leek, in thin rings
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 200 ml oat cooking cream ( oatly , for example) or regular cream
• 200 grams fresh tortellini
• Sea salt and pepper
• olive oil

To serve:

• chopped parsley
• grated parmezan 

Method:

1. To a large soup pot, add. a bit of olive oil and make a soffrito : add the cellery, onion, garlic and carrots. Saute until soft and fragrant ( about 10 minutes) on low heat.
2. Add the leek and saute until the leek gets soft. 
3. Add the tomato juice / passata + 1 liter of water with the stock cubes. Let the cubes dissolve and bring to a boil.
4. Add the shredded cabbage and let it cook for about 30 minutes on low heat with the lid on.
5. Season to taste with the sugar, sea salt and pepper. Add the cream.
6. Add the tortellini and the leafy greens last and cook for another 4 -5 minutes until the tortellini is soft and the leafy greens have wilted. 
7. Serve with grated parmezan and chopped parsley.