Chicken Soup With Tortellini and Pesto

One spoonful of our take on “instant soup,” and you’ll never want to buy the canned or dried kind again. It’s simple; cook tortellini in chicken stock until tender, swirl with a hint of pesto and pile high with Parmesan. It’s ready in 30 minutes or less, but tastes like took-all-day soup.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8
• Yields: 10 Cups

Ingredients

• 4  cups water
• 4  cups chicken broth
• 1  green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1⁄2 cups  tortellini (refrigerated or frozen)
• 1 -2  cup  cooked chicken (chopped or shredded)
•  salt and pepper, to taste
• 2  ounces basil pesto
•  parmesan cheese, to garnish

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy saucepan, bring water and broth to a boil.
2. Add sliced green onion and tortellini. Cook until tortellini is tender, about 10 minutes.
3. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add chicken. Season soup with salt and pepper.
4. Ladle into bowls, then swirl in a dollop of pesto (about 1 teaspoon). Top generously with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
5. Tip: For extra kick, substitute 1-2 cups spicy chicken sausage, crumbled and cooked. Or make it vegetarian with 1-2 cups fresh mozzarella balls (known as bocconcini) and 4 cups vegetable broth.