Happy Soup Sunday! You know when it’s still kind of chilly out, but you also want it to be warm and you still want your meals to mesh? I’m feeling the same way. It’s “spring” in New England, but not super. The daylight is longer and the snow from a late storm is melting, but it’s not quite light jacket weather. I think of spring and summer as lots of fresh garden veggies — tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, leafy greens, etc. I wanted a hearty “winter” soup that began to bridge the gap to spring. My mom and aunt always made a tortellini soup that’s extremely easy, but also satisfying. I chose to stick with peppers, zucchini and fire-roasted tomatoes for an added a flavor. (You can also add spinach, kale, carrots or potato.) Alas, the Beacon Hill Whole Foods has a bigger ravioli selection, so I chose to swap ravioli for tortellini. Again, using the rest of the homemade vegetable broth from the Buzzfeed’s Tasty recipe that I froze, I tossed all the ingredients in and had Vegetable Ravioli Soup piping hot in about 20 min.
Ingredients (makes ~10 c with 2 c serving size).
- 1 T EVOO
- 1/2 c onion, chopped
- 1½ c red/orange bell peppers, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 t dried basil
- 1/4 t red pepper flakes
- 1 large can (28 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 medium zucchini, quartered into thick slices
- 4 c vegetable stock (I made my own! Follow the easiest directions here.)
- 1 package ravioli of choice *
- Grated parmesan to garnish (optional)
Note: I left my veggies thick and chunky to make a heartier soup. Feel free to make thinner cuts, but the vegetables will cook faster.
* Feeling a bit adventurous, I tried Soy Boy’s Original Ravioli; while not “bad” by any means, the tofu ravioli lacks the vibrant flavors, and I’d stick to regular cheese ravioli or bite-size cheese tortellini next time I make this.
Directions.
- In a large soup pot, heat EVOO over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and sauté until just tender. Stir in garlic, basil and red pepper flakes and sauté 1-2 min until fragrant.
- Add tomatoes, zucchini and broth and bring soup to a boil.
- Once boiling, carefully drop in ravioli, reduce to a simmer cook for about 2-3 min LESS than package directions. Check that ravioli is tender and cooked through before removing from heat. Vegetables (especially zucchini) should also be tender now.
- Dish up 2 c (heaping) per bowl and top with parmesan if desired.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
Adapted from a family recipe.
Nutrition for one 2 c serving using soy ravioli.
255 calories • 5.4 g fat (18%) • 41.9 g carbs (64%) • 11.4 g protein (17%) • 11.1 g sugar
* These are estimates based off specific products I used and how I entered ingredients in a fitness tracker. This is completely subjective and used to give a rough nutritional estimate.
Eat Drink Savor Repeat 