Campbell’s Soup does not own the phrase M’mm M’mm Good. Or if they do, then the Cheese Tortellini Soup we had today was M’mm M’mm Better Than Good. It was delicious! Maybe it was the cloudy, windy weather, or maybe it was the Titans’ awesome win, but the soup was just the perfect food for the day. It had browned bits of kielbasa, cannellini beans, kale, and lots of tortellini – hard to go wrong with those ingredients.
The fact is that with soup you can always play around with what goes in it. I could have left out the Kielbasa and used vegetable stock for a vegetarian version. Escarole would work as well as kale in this recipe and any kind of bean would be delicious. The original recipe also called for fennel, which cost as much as a small apartment so I left it out. Rosemary sounded better than the thyme the recipe called for so that’s what I used. I also added a Parmesan cheese rind for flavor. An Italian friend taught me that trick years ago. Whenever I grate Parmesan or any hard Italian cheese down to the rind, I put the rind in a baggie and store it in the freezer for my next batch of soup. Just remember to fish it out before you serve your soup. It won’t hurt anyone, but it’s not gorgeous after a swim in the hot tub!
The kitchen smelled heavenly and everybody went back for more. I can’t wait to make this again. Is it too early to wish for snow?
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
12 oz kielbasa cut in bite size pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp dried or 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy food)
8 c chicken broth
1 can cannellini beans, undrained
3 c chopped kale
9 oz pkg cheese tortellini
Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
grated Parmesan to serve
Directions
Heat a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add oil to pot. Add next five ingredients, through red pepper flakes and sauté until sausage is browned and vegetables are soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Reduce heat and add chicken broth, beans, kale, and Parmesan rind if using. Cook another 15 minutes until kale is wilted.
Add tortellini and simmer for about 8 minutes until cooked, but still firm to the bite.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Accept applause!
