Tortellini Soup w/ Parmesan Crisps

I stole this recipe from one of my favorite blogs: http://annies-eats.com/ I modified it a little. I think as long as I give credit to my source it's ok to use it on my blog. Perhaps I'll look into that further to make sure. :) I made it last night and it was incredible! I wasn't sure at first but after a few bites I was hooked. And I had it for lunch today and it was even more amazing. Really simple & quick. I like recipes that don't have a lot of weird ingredients. Weird ingredients = anything I don't normally have in my cupboard. Cupboard makes it sound cute & quaint. Really my pantry is mostly in the garage but that doesn't sound as nice. My brother in law calls our garage a shop which Honeybear and I think makes it sound so much cooler. But for pantry purposes it sounds even worse.

Tortellini Soup:
olive oil
1 chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 T tomato paste
1/2 t red pepper flakes
2 quarts chicken broth (homemade if you have it!)
1 can diced tomatoes (I really like the fire roasted)
1 can drained cannelini beans
2 t italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
Salt & Pepper
20oz fresh tortellini
1 bunch swiss chard - chopped
grated parmesan to sprinkle

In a large pot heat oil and saute onion until soft, about 5-6 mins. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste & red pepper flakes. Cook for about a minute. Add broth (all of it), tomatoes beans, italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil and then lower down to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes. Covered or uncovered - your choice.

Add swiss chard. Let this cook down for about 10 mins. Then add the tortellini. The fresh pasta should only take about 10 minutes to cook. Read the package directions to be sure. Ladle into bowls & top with a little Parmesan Cheese. Or...top with a Parmesan Crisp (see below)

**I like really thick soups so I was hesitant to add 2 quarts of broth. But I eventually did. The swiss chard soaks up some and the tortellini really soaks up some. It was still very thick and hearty. The original recipe called for 9oz of tortellini but Honeybear brought me a bigger container so we used it. It was perfect. You don't want people to have to fish around for the good stuff. This ensured that there was plenty of tortellini for everyone. (which was only Honeybear & me but still...you don't want to fight over tortellini. It's just not worth it.) This was nice because it was ready in less than an hour but next time I'll make it a little earlier and let it simmer for a little longer with the lid on. Just to get all the flavors to blend a little more. I have a feeling that lunch tomorrow will be even more delicious!

Parmesan Crisps
grated parmesan cheese

Pre-Heat your oven to 400. I have a Silpat - which is incredible. If you don't have one you absolutely should run out and buy one. In fact - buy 2. They're that good. I use them all the time. Anyhoo. Put your new silpat on your cookie sheet and then place some parmesan cheese in circles. Just enough so that you can't see through it. Bake it for roughly 10 minutes. This requires some patience. Mine took about 10 minutes but that's just a guess. I didn't really time it. Just depends on your oven. The cheese will bubble and sizzle and smell delicious. Let it keep cooking. Just when it BARELY turns golden pull it out. Let it cool. Place it on top of your soup bowl and devour. Oh. Em. Gee. You're welcome!