- 2 TBSP olive oil
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried basil
- dash of crushed red pepper flakes
- a splash of balsamic vinegar {probably about 2 tsp}
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes {or substitute 1 can each with 4 fresh tomatoes}
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 package cheese tortellini {we used a box of 7 oz dried}
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Add the diced tomatoes- undrained; you want all the liquid. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Increase the temperature until the soup is boiling again, then decrease temp and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf from the pot. Use a hand immersion blender to blend the soup (or carefully transfer soup to a blender to blend and return to the pot). I like this soup well blended, so I used my immersion blender for a good 3-4 minutes, stirring and making sure it was as smooth as possible.
In a small bowl, heat the half-block (4 oz) of cream cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Add in the cream and microwave another 30 seconds. Whisk until it’s smooth and creamy. Add in to the blended tomato soup. Also add in the 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.
The tortellini we used was dried, so we boiled it separately for about half the time it called for on the box (we boiled ours for 7 minutes.) If you bought the refrigerated kind, simply add it to the soup, no boiling required.
Stir in the cheese tortellini and continue to simmer with the lid on for about 10-15 minutes. Top with additional Parmesan cheese and enjoy!