Recipe: Tomato Tortellini Soup

Before I get into today's actual post, a quick question: Would any of my bloggy friends out there be interested in doing a clothes swap? Joanne of Fabulously Average mentioned it on Twitter on Friday, and I thought it sounded like fun. Leave a comment or just email me if you think you'd be interested!

Now. On to the main event. It's been a looooong time since I posted a recipe, and I friend of mine recently mentioned on Twitter that she was missing a certain soup from our alma mater, so I decided to give it a whirl. Here's my attempt at recreating the creamy tomato tortellini soup that the student center at OU sometimes served!


Ingredients:
(Note that since I kind of just made this up as I went along, not all the measurements are precise. I tried. I promise.)
- about half (maybe a little more) of a 20 oz bag of frozen tortellini
- 14 oz can of chicken stock or broth
- 2 cups tomato juice
- 1 bay leaf
- about 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup milk (for a thicker soup, use heavy cream instead)
- dash each of onion powder, garlic powder, pepper and basil
- fresh basil and shredded mozzarella for garnish (optional)

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. While that's heating, set another medium pot over medium-high heat and add the chicken broth, tomato juice and bay leaf, bringing it to a low simmer. Once your pot of water hits a hard boil, add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Drain when done and set aside.

After the broth/juice mixture has simmered for a few minutes (again, no exact science here), add the Parmesan and milk (or cream). Return to a low simmer and add the dried seasonings. Simmer for a few minutes more, then add the tortellini back in and simmer until the pasta is heated through.

Spoon into two bowls and top with the mozzarella and basil. Serve with French bread or enjoy all by itself!

So what do you think, OU folks? Pretty close to the student union's version? Something missing? Let me know! And don't forget to contact me Joanne if you're interested in the clothes swap :)