Hearty pasta soup

Hearty pasta soup

By Good Food
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(237 ratings)
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Prep: 5 mins Cook: 25 mins

Easy

Serves 4

Do something different with a pack of tortellini. This filling soup is full of fibre, low fat and full of veg. The perfect lunch or supper

Nutrition and extra info

  • High in fibre, 3 of 5-a-day. freeze before adding pasta
  • Easily doubled / halved
  • Vegetarian

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal286
  • fat9g
  • saturates3g
  • carbs44g
  • sugars11g
  • fibre6g
  • protein11g
  • salt0.88g
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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • 2 carrot, chopped
    Carrot

    Carrot

    ka-rot

    The carrot, with its distinctive bright orange colour, is one of the most versatile root…

  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
    Onion

    Onion

    un-yun

    Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…

  • 1l vegetable stock
  • 400g can chopped tomato
  • 200g frozen mixed pea and beans
    Peas

    Peas

    p-ees

    A type of legume, peas grow inside long, plump pods. As is the case with all types of legume,…

  • 250g pack fresh filled tortellini (we used spinach and ricotta)
  • handful of basil leaves (optional)
  • grated Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), to serve
    Parmesan

    Parmesan

    parm-ee-zan

    Parmesan is a straw-coloured hard cheese with a natural yellow rind and rich, fruity flavour. It…

Method

  1. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the carrots and onion for 5 mins until starting to soften. Add the stock and tomatoes, then simmer for 10 mins. Add the peas and beans with 5 mins to go.

  2. Once veg is tender, stir in the pasta. Return to the boil and simmer for 2 mins until the pasta is just cooked. Stir in the basil, if using. Season, then serve in bowls topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan and slices of garlic bread.

  • Tip

    No basil - pesto will do

    Can’t get hold of fresh basil? If you’ve got a tub of pesto in the fridge, stir a spoonful into the soup just before you serve it.

  • Tip

    Make it a bake

    Ricotta & basil bake: Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/ gas 6. Tip the pasta into a baking dish, season the tomatoes, stir in the basil, then spoon on top. In a bowl, combine the peas and beans, 250g tub ricotta and a handful grated Parmesan. Dot the mix over the pasta, scatter with more Parmesan, then bake for 20-25 mins until golden.

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Comments (244)

SimoneSCG's picture
SimoneSCG6th Sep, 2016
3.75

Love this recipe. Didnt realise I had no carrots though until the onions were already in the pan, so instead I added garlic, small chunks or broccoli and a little fresh chilli. It was perfect. Used peas from the pods as well which were a very nice sweet hint and a bit of oregano from the garden. Lovely!

Joesyjo's picture
Joesyjo5th Apr, 2016
5

I have made this a few times now. Have the same problem with the carrots. I have chopped them up really small and they still take forever to cook. I will try frozen veg as others have suggested in future.
Other than that this recipe is delicious and very filling!

mrp55's picture
mrp5522nd Mar, 2016
5

This was wonderful! I also cook with what I have available so used chicken stock, tortellini with porcini mushroom filling, and baby lima beans for substitutes. As suggested I added celery, garlic, parmesan rind, chili flakes, and a dash of Tapatio. I will make this again. But, it will probably be different!

CKATE's picture
CKATE12th Nov, 2015

Made this yesterday, it feeds a lot more then 4 people, very delicious and easy to throw together after work if you don't feel like a big meal

bethnnath's picture
bethnnath21st Apr, 2015

Delicious

We also added garlic, sweetcorn and a touch of tomato puree. Very tasty and very filling will definitely be having again

rhapsodyinc's picture
rhapsodyinc1st Nov, 2014
3.75

I love this, I added garlic and used basil pesto and a grating of parmesan to finish off.

FrankiePants5's picture
FrankiePants516th Oct, 2014
3.75

I added in 2 cloves of garlic, half a teaspoon of chilli flakes, splurge of tomato puree, splash of tabasco and some red lentils. It was absolutely delicious, i was dubious to wether my other half would like it but he loved it and so did I! Will definitely be making it again.

gillbaillie's picture
gillbaillie14th Aug, 2014
5

A firm family favourite which is different every time I make it as I add whatever is in the fridge and whatever pasta I happen to have. However I always add a few chilli flakes, some smoked paprika and a pinch of sugar and it always tastes great! Btw I always use frozen mixed vegetables which include carrots rather than fresh ones and they cook fine.

mc1nnty's picture
mc1nnty10th Apr, 2014
3.75

made this dish for a hearty mid week meal >> nobody else has commented on this part of the dish but when i cooked it the carrots they were rock hard even when i had cut them into dice size pieces and cooked them about half hour more than advised ? that aside it was a very tasty healthy dish would do again but maybe substitute the carrots for something that cook quicker :)

pollyparrot2's picture
pollyparrot21st Feb, 2015

I have always had this problem with recipes asking for chopped carrots, so now I use small/slim carrots and slice them thinly for such recipes and it always works out fine.

emmas29's picture
emmas291st Apr, 2014
5

I made this for 2 so halved all the ingredients. Having read through the comments I added a small leek, a branch of celery, some frozen sweetcorn and some thinly sliced mini peppers (red, orange and yellow). I used dried basil and a hefty dose of chilli flakes (I will use fresh next time I think). I also threw the rind from the parmesan into the pot to add depth, as suggested in an earlier comment (a brilliant tip that I will use again and again).
The result was utterly delicious. My mother is recovering from major surgery and has little appetite, but she finished the whole bowl !!!

koomalesh's picture
koomalesh24th Feb, 2014
5

Made this for lunch last Saturday and it was delicious despite all of us being meat lovers! Very simple to do. Though, I must say the above recipe sufficiently serves 3 people (1 male and 2 females portion) and not 4.

Cooking Freak's picture
Cooking Freak15th Feb, 2014

Just made this for lunch, it seemed to go down well with everyone. I also added 1 glove of chopped garlic with the onion and carrot. I think next time I will also add some chopped celery at the beginning and some chopped flat leaf parsley with the basil at the end.

donnadrew's picture
donnadrew13th Feb, 2014
5

I tried this today for hungry workers and it went down a storm! I added a small leek, a clove of crushed garlic, some dried oregano, a splodge of tomato puree & a small potato diced finely, to thicken. I used a 500g carton of passata with 900ml chicken stock. Amazingly we had spinach & ricotta tortellini sitting in the fridge. It was superb, and will definitely be a keeper!

tassipadeiro's picture
tassipadeiro11th Feb, 2014
4

Very simple but delicious! I added a smoked sausage and it gave a special taste (bought in a Polish market). Instead of the beans I used lentils, and I didn't use the vegetable stock - only spices: black pepper, oregano, dried parsley... great!

salr's picture
salr6th Feb, 2014
5

I really like this recipe it's quick, easy and tastes lovely.

Shepherd8's picture
Shepherd85th Jan, 2014

Delicious and really easy to make! I always reheat the leftovers too

salbots's picture
salbots9th Nov, 2013

This is really really nice, simple to make and very tasty. Added some chilli flakes as suggested.

denidax's picture
denidax27th Sep, 2013
5

This is simply delicious!, so tasty and easy to make that it has become a favourite with our family

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Tips (2)

salr's picture
salr6th Feb, 2014
5

I like to add a clove of garlic, and instead of onion i use a leek for more flavor.

rhl500's picture
rhl50024th Jan, 2014
4

Add celery, bacon and garlic with the onions and carrots, peppers and courgette just before the tomatoes, and sun dried tomatoes, and dried herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme). This makes it much tastier and a more satisfying dinner.