Best Italian soup, better than anything you can get in a can. Anything.
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 large celery stalks diced
- 3 large leeks white part only, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 3 large carrot diced
- 1 35 ounce canned whole or plum tomatoes break up
- 4 can college inn beef broth (~56oz)
- 10 oz frozen cheese tortellini
- 10 oz frozen italian green beens
- 19 oz white cannellini beans progresso drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup italian flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1 tsp basil dried or fresh to taste chopped
- 1.4 tsp pepper i don't use this
- grated parmesan cheese at the table
- Carbohydrate 28.2989591544131 g
- Cholesterol 9.922333085 mg
- Fat 3.79131558730474 g
- Fiber 5.34836028893103 g
- Protein 9.20145328381072 g
- Saturated Fat 1.2578901829259 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (378g)
- Sodium 819.101131810943 mg
- Sugar 22.9505988654821 g
- Trans Fat 0.388366200012106 g
- Calories 180 calories
Step-by-step
- In large stockpot, heat oil over medium high heat, Add Leeks; Saute 5 minutes, Add Carrots and Celery, Cover; cook 5 minutes, Add Plum Tomatoes and their liquid; simmer 10 minutes (break up tomatoes, if still large)
- Add Broth, Add Totellini: cook not more than 6 minutes (a couple minutes less than the bag says), Add Frozen Italian Green Beans, Add Cannelli Bean, Basil, Fresh Parsley
- Simmer 5 minutes
- Put in bowls and add Parm Cheese on top!
Standard ingredient lists cannot convey the sheer physical volume of vegetables required for this broth, meaning a standard four-quart saucepan will overflow before the liquid even enters the pot. A heavy-bottomed stockpot holding at least eight quarts is strictly necessary to accommodate the leeks, carrots, celery, and the subsequent forty-eight ounces of beef broth without splashing scalding liquid onto the stovetop. When sweating the leeks over medium-high heat, look for them to collapse entirely and turn translucent within five minutes rather than merely browning at the edges, which ensures proper sugar extraction before the tomatoes go in.
Thermal mass dictates the cooking timeline here, as dumping frozen tortellini and frozen green beans into a simmering pot drops the liquid temperature significantly below the necessary two hundred twelve degrees Fahrenheit. To prevent the pasta from turning to mush, undercook the tortellini by two minutes relative to the package instructions, pulling them out while the center still offers slight resistance to the teeth. Canned cannellini beans add starch to the broth as they simmer, so rinse them thoroughly under cold running water beforehand to wash away excess canning liquid that might otherwise cloud the final appearance of the soup.
Common errors in this preparation usually involve boiling the tortellini too vigorously or adding the cheese too early in the process. Vigorous boiling tears delicate pasta wrappers apart, while stirring grated parmesan directly into the pot causes the proteins to clump into a grainy mass instead of melting smoothly upon the surface when served in individual bowls.
Leftovers demand careful handling because the pasta continues absorbing liquid while stored in the refrigerator, turning the dish into a dense stew within forty-eight hours. Separate the remaining broth from the solids if storing for more than one day, or simply add an extra cup of broth when reheating the mixture over medium-low heat to restore the proper ratio.
