Lemony Tortellini Soup

Spring semester and the statistics class is exactly as hard as I expected and not harder, which is itself a relief. The professor is methodical and careful and takes time with the concepts. I sit in the front row and ask questions, which I would not have done two years ago. Now I ask. The asking is part of how I learn.

I have been cooking Italian food lately, which is a departure from Southern cooking but not as different as I expected once I started reading about the techniques. Both traditions are about patience and building depth of flavor with simple ingredients. A soffritto is not so different from the holy trinity. Braised things are braised things wherever you are. I made pasta e fagioli this month, a thick Italian bean and pasta soup, and it tasted like something that had been made in a cold kitchen in winter for a long time, which is exactly what it is. Different kitchen, same principle.

Called Gloria on Sunday and told her about the pasta fagioli and she said: you are turning into a real cook. I asked what the difference was between a real cook and a person who cooks. She said: a real cook is curious about food they have never made and not afraid of it. A person who cooks makes what they know. I thought about that for a while. I want to be the curious kind. I want to keep being curious.

James went to the doctor this week and his numbers are good. He reported this to me himself by calling on a Tuesday. He called on a Tuesday to tell me his numbers are good. That is the kind of person he is.

When Gloria told me a real cook is curious and not afraid, I wrote it down in the back of my notebook — the one I use for statistics, which felt right. The pasta e fagioli I made this month was the beginning of something, and this lemony tortellini soup is where I went next: still Italian, still built on simple things, but with that brightness from the lemon that surprised me and made me want to keep going. If you are learning Italian cooking or just learning that you like it, this is the kind of soup that confirms the feeling.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, sliced into thin rounds
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
9 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
3 cups fresh baby spinach
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Salt and black pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Instructions

Build the base. Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Add the broth and beans. Pour in the broth, then add the cannellini beans and diced tomatoes with their juices. Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil.
Cook the tortellini. Add the tortellini and reduce heat to a steady simmer. Cook according to package directions, typically 5 to 7 minutes, until the tortellini are tender and floating.
Finish with greens and lemon. Stir in the baby spinach and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan. The soup thickens as it sits — add a splash of broth when reheating leftovers.

Nutrition (per serving)

Lemony Tortellini Soup — The Curious Cook’s Italian Kitchen