Tortellini in Brodo

Tortellini in brodo is proof that simplicity of preparation doesn’t have to be boring: subtle garlic and lemon notes in the broth make it far from dull. This classic Italian soup is made of sausage tortellini in chicken stock but it’s far more than the sum of its parts.

Tortellini in Brodo

Everyone knows Italy has it in the bag when it comes to turning simple ingredients into crave-worthy dishes. Tortellini in brodo is a perfect example of it. The name of the dish translates to “tortellini in broth” which is both a perfect description and the under-sell of the century.

It’s a little more nuanced than plain old tortellini floating in broth, of course. You take a little time to build some complexity by simply toasting garlic cloves and a pinch of red pepper in the oil you’re going to use to flavour the broth. And then you toss in a large strip of lemon zest and bring it to a simmer with the broth.

These little touches make all the difference between pasta in broth and Tortellini in Brodo. And boy are those little touches worth it.

Tortellini vs. Tortelloni

You may stumble upon tortelloni in the refrigerated or frozen pasta section of your local grocery store and wonder what in the world is the difference. I know our Wegmans carries both tortellini and tortelloni.

While both are well known key-hole shaped, stuffed pastas from Italy, the main difference comes down to what they’re filled with and the size. Tortelloni are slightly larger than more delicate tortellini.

If you’re hidebound about making your Italian cuisine as authentic as possible, you’ll want to make homemade sausage filled tortellini for this soup. I’m not a purist, though, both because of personality and because the sausage tortelloni at my grocery store are delicious. So for the purposes of our recipe, if you’re not a purist, you can use either.

Tortellini in Brodo Recipe

To make this classic Italian soup, you’ll need to gather up the following list of ingredients:

• olive oil
• fresh garlic
• crushed red pepper flakes
• lemons
• chicken stock
• sausage or chicken tortellini
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• baby spinach (optional)
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Because the chicken stock is the big flavour vehicle in this dish, it’s worth using the best you can get your hands on- whether that be a good quality grocery store version or a homemade basic chicken stock. You are going to augment it with the garlic, olive oil, crushed pepper, and lemon, but it’s worth starting with a good broth.

And likewise, the baby spinach is totally optional but it adds a lovely bit of fresh vegetal goodness to round out the soup. The beauty of choosing baby spinach to do this job is that if you have some folks who love it and some who are Team No Spinach, you can accommodate both.

Because baby spinach is best when just slightly wilted, you can add a handful to the bottom of the bowl of anyone who wants it. The heat from the broth will cook the baby spinach to perfection! You’re able to please them all with this soup!

Tortellini in Brodo Soup

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of a soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the whole garlic cloves and crushed red pepper flakes.

Cook for about 1 minute, or until the garlic is very fragrant and starting to toast and brown a little. Use tongs to remove the garlic. You can discard the garlic or slice it thinly to use as garnish.

Add the chicken stock or broth and strip of lemon zest to the pan and raise heat to medium high, bringing it to a simmer. Stir in the tortellini and simmer according to the package instructions. Adjust heat if necessary to keep it at a gentle boil or simmer rather than full rolling boil.

Remove the pan from the heat. If you’re using baby spinach, place a handful in each of the bottom of your serving bowls.

Remove the lemon zest then divide the soup between the serving bowls and garnish with a drizzle of the remaining olive oil and , if using, the grated Parmesan cheese.

This soup is best eaten freshly made because tortellini will soak up broth and become bloated and disintegrate if it sits too long. If you have leftovers you’d like to store, strain the tortellini, toss it with a little olive oil, and refrigerate separately from the broth. To reheat the leftover soup, reheat the broth, then add in the tortellini and reheat briefly in the broth before serving again.