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Tortellini Soup

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on June 24, 2009

Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Tortellini Soup

Ingredients

Meat and Ricotta Tortellini

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 small garlic clove, minced2 ounces ground beef, veal or pork⅓ cup ricotta cheese 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, freshly grated1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves or parsley leaves, mincedSalt and ground black pepper ½ large egg yolk ½ pound Fresh Egg Pasta

Soup Base

2 quarts chicken stock 4 cups spinach, chard, watercress or escarole, stemmed and choppedSalt and ground black pepper Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Before You Begin

If you can find high-quality fresh tortellini at a local market, omit steps 1 and 2 and use about 50 small or medium tortellini in step 3. We recommend using homemade chicken broth in this recipe, such as our Quick Chicken Stock or All-Purpose Chicken Stock.

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil and garlic in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add the meat and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the larger pieces of meat, until the liquid evaporates and the meat browns, about 3 minutes. Spoon off the fat and transfer the meat mixture to a small bowl. Cool slightly. Stir in the cheeses, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the egg yolk. (The filling can be covered and refrigerated for 1 day.)
  2. Fill and shape the tortellini. Place the filled tortellini on a large baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. (The tortellini can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 2 hours.)
  3. Bring the stock to a boil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Drop the tortellini and greens into the pot. Simmer until the tortellini are al dente, about 4 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, passing the Parmesan at the table.
Tortellini Soup

Tortellini Soup

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Yield

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

Meat and Ricotta Tortellini

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 ounces ground beef, veal or pork
⅓ cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves or parsley leaves, minced
Salt and ground black pepper
½ large egg yolk
½ pound Fresh Egg Pasta

Soup Base

2 quarts chicken stock
4 cups spinach, chard, watercress or escarole, stemmed and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Meat and Ricotta Tortellini

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 ounces ground beef, veal or pork
⅓ cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves or parsley leaves, minced
Salt and ground black pepper
½ large egg yolk
½ pound Fresh Egg Pasta

Soup Base

2 quarts chicken stock
4 cups spinach, chard, watercress or escarole, stemmed and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

Meat and Ricotta Tortellini

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 ounces ground beef, veal or pork
⅓ cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves or parsley leaves, minced
Salt and ground black pepper
½ large egg yolk
½ pound Fresh Egg Pasta

Soup Base

2 quarts chicken stock
4 cups spinach, chard, watercress or escarole, stemmed and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

For our tortellini soup recipe, we focused on the pasta, rolling it into sheets as thin as possible; thicker pasta made for undesirable chewy edges on the tortellini. When making the tortellini for our tortellini soup recipe, we found it’s imperative to properly seal the edges on each piece of filled pasta. To ensure the seal, it’s best to use the pasta sheet as quickly as possible; that way, it is moist and easy to manipulate. To guarantee that the pasta does not dry out, make the filling first, so it is ready once the pasta has been rolled out.

Before You Begin

If you can find high-quality fresh tortellini at a local market, omit steps 1 and 2 and use about 50 small or medium tortellini in step 3. We recommend using homemade chicken broth in this recipe, such as our Quick Chicken Stock or All-Purpose Chicken Stock.

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil and garlic in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add the meat and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, using a wooden spoon to break up the larger pieces of meat, until the liquid evaporates and the meat browns, about 3 minutes. Spoon off the fat and transfer the meat mixture to a small bowl. Cool slightly. Stir in the cheeses, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the egg yolk. (The filling can be covered and refrigerated for 1 day.)
  2. Fill and shape the tortellini. Place the filled tortellini on a large baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. (The tortellini can be refrigerated, uncovered, for up to 2 hours.)
  3. Bring the stock to a boil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Drop the tortellini and greens into the pot. Simmer until the tortellini are al dente, about 4 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, passing the Parmesan at the table.

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