Healthy and quick tortellini soup with garlic, tomatoes, chard and eggplant. A hearty and delicious way to stretch a bag of bought tortellini.
- 1 medium aubergine eggplant
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil more to serve
- 1 medium onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 100 g chestnut mushrooms cremini mushrooms
- 1/2 medium courgette zucchini
- 100 g chard or 80g spinach
- 400 g tinned/jarred tomatoes
- 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
- 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
- 250 g Aubergine Parmigiana filled pasta or other vegetable filled pasta of choice
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes or to taste
- chopped fresh herbs, like parsley and thyme to serve
- grated hard Italian cheese to serve
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Chop the aubergine/eggplant into small-ish cubes. Steam them for eight minutes. Set aside with the lid off.
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While the aubergine is steaming, finely chop the onion, mince the garlic, chop the mushrooms, cut the courgette into small cubes and ribbon-slice the chard or spinach - chopping the tender chard ribs, too.
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Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring, for five minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and turn to coat. Saute, stirring for five minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, boil 1.2 litres of water.
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After the vegetables have softened, add the steamed aubergine cubes, tomatoes with their juices, mixed herbs, sun-dried tomato paste and the boiling water. Bring to the boil. When the soup has come up to the boil, add the tortellini and cook for three minutes. Stir in any fresh chopped herbs and chilli flakes and let sit off the boil for one minute. Serve warm with grated cheese and more olive oil.
Nutrition calculation based on average, purchased, vegetable filled tortellini and doesn't include optional grated cheese and additional olive oil.
I use Rana Aubergine Parmigiana Tortelloni for this recipe. Other, similar products would work just as well, I'm sure.
Feel free to sauté the aubergine, but I find that steaming it is perfectly fine for this kind of recipe.
Use whatever vegetables that compliment your tortellini, or that you like!
Although I use water, do use a light vegetable broth if this better suits your palate.
Make it even heartier - although we find this version very hearty - by adding some cooked beans, such as borlotti when you add the water and tomatoes.