Tortelloni Fagioli with Fire Roasted Tomatoes

This spin on classic pasta fagioli was nothing more than an excuse eat tortellini.

Seriously. I’ve been craving it ever since I made Tortelloni Di Ricotta Di Noci Tostate but, since I find tortellini so easy to overeat, I try not to make it too often. Then I had a brilliant idea: stretch out a serving of tortellini by adding it to a soup full of nutritious ingredients. As it turns out, the soup that I created ended up being crave worthy in its own right — and is much healthier than just eating a giant bowl of carbs and cheese for dinner (which is what I would have done otherwise).

I always say that I like to make soup because it’s so simple, and this is one of the easiest yet — other than chopping an onion, all you have to do is open jars and dump them in your pot. Since there are so few ingredients in this recipe and I wanted to be sure that the final dish was full of flavor, I turned to my old favorite: fire roasted tomatoes. I really love the slightly smokey, charred flavor of these tomatoes and they really added a nice dimension to the soup.

Instead of regular cheese tortellini, I grabbed a package of chicken and proscuitto tortelloni from Buitoni. I LOVED the way these tasted in the soup! They were very delicate but they added a ton of flavor (they reminded me a little bit of wontons). I definitely recommend using them, but if you can’t find them — or if you’re a vegetarian — you can easily substitute regular cheese tortellini.

Kitchen Tip: When using store-bought stock, I always look for unsalted versions. Especially in recipe like this one that use a lot of canned ingredients, sodium levels can add up pretty quickly. Using unsalted stock puts you in control — just add as much (or as little!) salt as you need to make it taste the way you like.

Tortelloni Fagioli with Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Serves 6
Approx. 400 calories, 9 grams fat, 12 grams fiber, 22 grams protein

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbs dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 can (14 ounces) fire roasted tomatoes
• 6 cups unsalted chicken stock
• 1 package (9 ounces) Buitoni Chicken and Proscuitto Tortelloni (or filled pasta of your choice)
• 1 can (14 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 ounces baby spinach

1. Heat a large stockpot over medium heat (I used a 5.5 quart dutch oven). Add the olive oil and heat through. Add the onions and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden brown. Stir in the oregano and marjoram and cook and additional 5 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the tortelloni and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the cannellini beans and spinach. Cook 2-4 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted and the beans are heated through.