Pesto Tortellini Soup (gluten-free)

This homey, hearty Pesto Tortellini Soup is made with a special trick to turn store bought stock into tastes-like-homemade and a gluten-free hack you’ll love!  No one will know how fast and effortless making the soup truly is (it’s our secret!).

This post is sponsored as part of Boulder Locavore’s ongoing partnership with Udi’s Gluten Free.  All opinions are my own.

Is it too early to be thinking about soup?!  If I were to have my way I’d eat soup for every meal as soon as there is even a hint of a chill in the air.  I love every type of soup; especially soup that’s loaded with flavor and is easy to make! Gluten-free Pesto Tortellini Soup is no exception.

Most of you know I’ve been gluten-free (for medical need) for over 10 years.  When I became gluten-free it was a veritable wasteland of prepared gluten-free products.  We did discover a good brand of dry gluten-free pasta but yummy things like ravioli and tortellini were in my dietary rear-view mirror.

One thing I had loved as a gluten-eater was tortellini soup.  I love the folded triangular stuffed pasta bobbing in a steamy savory broth.  I would calculate the amount of broth and the number of tortellini’s to be sure my last bite included tortellini.

My long-time gluten-free partner, Udi’s Gluten-Free, has just released a delicious single-serve Pesto Tortellini frozen meal that I l.o.v.e.!  Pesto lovers this has your name written all over it.  It has wonderful bold pesto flavor with broccoli in a light creamy sauce.

As I was savoring a serving of the pesto tortellini recently I began to reminisce about that tortellini soup.  It made me wonder if I couldn’t create a lazy girl tortellini soup with the frozen meal.  I set out to make it happen.

I have a great soup making time saving tip to share with you.  I am a firm believer homemade stock is the best but it’s just not practical all the time.  It is a time-consuming process of boiling down bones with aromatic herbs and vegetables.  However, to make this Pesto Tortellini soup I used a great trick to get homemade flavor with store bought stock.

How to Make Homemade Quality Stock with Store Bought Stock

Add a 1-quart container of low sodium (this is important) chicken stock to a stock pot.  Throw in a carrot, stalk of celery and a small onion (they do not need to be peeled), along with 10 whole peppercorns and a garlic clove.  Bring the stock to a gentle boil and boil until the liquid is reduced to 2 cups.  Strain and it’s ready to be made into soup!

The addition of mirepoix, the carrot, celery and onion which are the classic trio to make stock, and reducing the liquid make for a flavorful broth with wonderful texture with less time and mess.  It takes about 15 minutes.  Because the stock is condensing using low-sodium stock keeps it from becoming overly salty.  You’ll add salt to your taste after the final soup is made.

I love serving the soup with toasted slices of an Udi’s gluten-free French baguette.  Places the slices on a baking sheet, brush the tops with melted butter and broil just until golden (about 30 seconds).

How to Make gluten-free Pesto Tortellini Soup:

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Pesto Tortellini Soup (gluten-free)

This bold soup uses a shortcut with boxed stock to make it taste more like homemade in only 15 minutes.  Using a frozen single-serve tortellini meal, the soup is ready in a flash....and no one will know it's not wholly homemade!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 1

Calories 385 kcal

Author Toni Dash

Ingredients

• 1 quart Low-Sodium Chicken Stock
• 1/2 medium Yellow Onion (peeling not required)
• 1 medium stalk Celery rinsed, broken into thirds
• 1 medium Carrot scrubbed, cut into large pieces
• 10 Peppercorns
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1/3 cup Canned Diced Tomatoes with Italian Herbs
• 1 package Udi's Pesto Tortellini
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese to top

Instructions

1. In a medium stock pot or saucepan, combine the chicken stock, onion, celery, carrot, peppercorns and garlic, over medium-high heat.  Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until reduced liquid equals 2 cups (strained).  Approximately 15 minutes.  Add the canned diced tomatoes to the strained stock to warm them.

2. While the stock is cooking, prepare the frozen Udi's Pesto Tortellini per the package instructions.

3. Gently spoon the tortellini into the stock, salt to taste, top with grated Parmeasan cheese (if desired) and serve.