Minestrone soup made with courgette (zucchini), carrot, spinach and cannellini beans. The special finishing touch which makes this soup a filling meal is parcels of filled tortellini. Use vegetarian or vegan tortellini depending on your diet.

TORTELLINI MINESTRONE SOUP

It's soup time of year. 

The nights are drawing in and it's definitely getting colder. 

I've been fighting the temptation to put the heating on when it's only September, but I've had to give in a couple of times and put it on for a wee while, just to take the edge off the chill. 

So today I'm sharing a big pot of Tortellini Minestrone Soup to combat the cold nights and for a spot of comfort.

This is very similar to a simple minestrone I make, but this time I added tortellini for a more substantial meal rather than the usual baby pasta or broken spaghetti strands I often add. 

There is actually a pasta shape called Fideo which is short pieces of spaghetti, but I just break my standard spaghetti into smaller pieces. It's quite satisfying.

Here are a few other pasta ideas for soup:

Which pasta do you use in minestrone soup?

There are various pasta shapes that can be used in soup. You can use full sized pasta in any shape, but there are small pasta shapes made especially for soup.

• Stelline - these are little stars and some brands just call them little star pasta. These are also the perfect pasta for weaning babies.

• Acini di pepe - these are teeny little cubes. The name is Italian for grains of pepper.

• Orzo - you may be more familiar with this pasta. It looks like a grain of rice and is often used in pasta salad.

• Tubettini - are little pasta tubes, a little like macaroni.

• Fideo Cut Spaghetti - are short pieces of spaghetti, but you can just break regular spaghetti into smaller pieces for soup.

• Tortellini - are little filled pasta parcels that turn soup into a substantial meal.

HOW LONG CAN YOU STORE TORTELLINI MINESTRONE SOUP?

Once you have made your minestrone, you can chill it in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

I've not tried freezing this soup with the stuffed pasta, so I'm not sure how good it would be. I won't recommend it, but if you do try, then let me know what you think.

VEGETABLE SOUP WITH PASTA

This minestrone features carrots, courgette (zucchini), spinach and cannellini beans. 

I usually chop vegetables for soup, either large or small depending on my mood, but for this soup I decided I'd slice the carrots and courgette. 

I thought it looked and tasted wonderful, but the wee boy wasn't impressed with the sliced vegetables, 

I think he found them a bit big and daunting to eat in a soup, so if you have children, you may want to chop the vegetables instead of slicing them. 

If you do slice the veg, slice them thinly so they won't take as long to cook. You really don't want crunchy vegetables in a soup.

The tortellini added to the soup really turns it into a hearty meal. You can buy both vegetarian and vegan tortellini or ravioli these days.

You choose your favourite stuffed pasta or plain pasta.

MORE VEGETABLE SOUPS TO TRY

Here are a few more tasty vegetable soups for you to try.

Easy Carrot & Mixed Vegetable Soup

Scottish Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup

Winter Vegetable Soup

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tortellini soup, ravioli soup, minestrone, vegan minestrone, vegetarian minestrone, vegetable soup, soup

dinner

Italian, vegetarian, vegan

Yield: 6 - 8

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum

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Tortellini Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup made with courgette (zucchini), carrot, spinach and cannellini beans. The special finishing touch which makes this soup a filling meal is parcels of filled tortellini.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, finely sliced
• 1 courgette (zucchini), finely sliced
• 50g / 1 ½ cups spinach
• 1 x 400g / 14 oz tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 x 400g / 14 oz tin chopped tomatoes
• 4 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 litre/4 cups vegetable stock (3 stock cubes)
• 200g / 7 oz tortellini or ravioli (vegetarian or vegan)
• a handful of fresh basil, torn
• a good grinding of salt and pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot saute the onion and garlic until soft, then add the celery and cook gently for another few minutes.
2. Add the carrots and courgette (zucchini) and cook for another few minutes.
3. Add the stock, tomatoes, tomato puree, spinach and beans. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are firm but not crunchy.
4. Season the soup with salt and pepper then add the basil and the tortellini. Cook for a few more minutes until the tortellini are cooked.
5. Serve immediately.
6. Enjoy!

Notes:

Once you have made your minestrone, you can chill it in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

You can use vegetarian or vegan tortellini or ravioli in this soup, depending on your diet.

If you can't find a suitable stuffed pasta, macaroni pasta shapes are a good option.

Calories

280.83

Fat (grams)

5.80

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.85

Carbs (grams)

44.92

Fiber (grams)

8.55

Net carbs

36.38

Sugar (grams)

6.20

Protein (grams)

14.89

Sodium (milligrams)

901.47

Cholesterol (grams)

14.79

Created using The Recipes Generator