Good Friday Gourmet

My husband and I are fortunate enough to get five four evenings in a row together without outside obligations, so I’ve decided to take advantage of this opportunity by making home cooked meals 3 of these nights.  (Obviously, Easter is already taken up by family commitments though.) 

I decided to try a few new dishes, one of which being Tomato Tortellini Bisque.  I was pleasantly surprised how well this turned out on my first attempt since I created this recipe myself.  (I admit, I cheated a little with some help from other premade soups.)

TOMATO TORTELLINI BISQUE

*1 cup Bertolli Tomato and Basil pasta sauce or Progresso Tomato Basil Soup

*1 (regular) can Campbell’s tomato soup

*1-24 oz. can crushed tomatoes

*1 cup chicken broth

*½ cup half-and-half

*2 tbsp. butter

*2 tbsp. EVOO

*1 tsp. crushed garlic

*1 tsp. minced onion flakes

*1 tsp. herbes de provence

*4 large bay leaves

*Salt and pepper to taste

*1 bag frozen cheese-filled tortellini

(I had already squeezed the liquid from a jar of Bertolli with cheese cloth for a pizza a few weeks ago and froze the liquid, so I used this.  The starch from the tortellini helped to thicken the soup.)
Combine all the ingredients except for the half-and-half in a large pot and set to medium heat. 
When soup begins to boil, drop to a simmer, and allow flavors to blend for approximately a half hour before returning to medium heat and adding half-and-half and tortellini. 
Cook the tortellini for approximately 10 more minutes or until tender, remove bay leaves, and serve.

And viola!

I served the soup with Cole’s garlic bread that I added mozzarella to.  Despite this being a vegetarian meal, we both found it hearty and satisfying. 

I know this isn’t a very impressive dish considering the spreads destined to appear on most American tables this Sunday, but I will try to add a few more dishes before the weekend is through.  (Maybe I'll have some more pictures then too.)