Creamy Sausage & Sundried Tomato Orzo
Adding pasta to this soup turns it into a substantial meal. You can use any tortellini you like; my favourites are spinach and ricotta or three cheese.
Serves 4–5
Ingredients
Tomato soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 20 g (¾ oz) salted butter
- ½ brown onion, finely diced
- 2 celery sticks, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 2 x 400 g (14 oz) cans chopped tomatoes
- 250 ml (9 fl oz) chicken stock
- 250 ml (9 fl oz) water
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan
- sea salt
- cracked pepper
To assemble
- 300 g (10½ oz) packet fresh tortellini
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
Method
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or large casserole dish, melt the oil and butter over a low heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and fry for 12–15 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and dried herbs and fry briefly until aromatic.
- Stir in the tomatoes, stock, water and bay leaves and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and carefully pour the soup into a food processor, or use a stick blender, and blitz the soup until smooth.
- Return the soup to the pot and stir through the sugar and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick for your liking, you can add a little pasta water to loosen it.
- Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to the packet instructions.
- Serve the soup topped with tortellini, a spoonful of basil pesto and grated parmesan.
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CHEF'S TIP
If you're cooking the soup in advance, don't add the tortellini until you are ready to serve as it'll get a bit too soft and could start to fall apart.
RECIPES & PHOTOGRAPHY OLIVIA GALLETLY
Images and text from The Hungry Cook by Olivia Galletly, published by Allen & Unwin, RRP $45.00. Check out @thehungrycooknz on Instagram for more deliciousness.
