Have you guys met my buddy Joe? You know, the one who trades…yeah, him…Trader Joe. He’s pretty much my best friend.
Why you ask, do we have such a great relationship? Well, because he always offers me yummy food at fair prices. And he’s got free samples to boot. I made a pit stop to visit my buddy Joe last night on my way home from doing errands. I walked in to pick up one item, pancetta for my Homemade Bolognese Sauce. But I can never leave Trader Joes without checking out their sample booth. It’s a magical place and it often makes me smile. Last night was no disappointment. In fact, I can say with confidence, my visit to the sample booth last night was the best one yet. Thanks to my buddy Joe, I now have an easy, healthy, delicious meal to add to my bag of tricks: Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Tortellini and Veggies.
I am not sure if I was more vulnerable last night because I was under the weather or not, but this soup gets me going. The creaminess from the base is a wonderful backdrop for the smoothness of the tortellini. The veggies add an additional pop and the pesto added a depth to the flavor profile. They didn’t serve me the soup with the parmesan, that’s my own addition, but the salt from the cheese gives this soup that extra bite I was looking for. Plus, isn’t parmesan pretty much good on everything?
Here’s what you need:
1. 1 Bag Vegetable Melange (I defrosted mine instead of cooking it before I threw it in the soup)
2. 1/2 Bag Italian Tortellini with Pesto Filling
3. 1 Carton Organic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup
4. A few spoonfuls of Pesto alla Genovese
5. A generous pinch of Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
This meal can be prepared in under 20 minutes. And the tortellini is to blame for hogging all the time. But really, there’s no hard work involved. Boil the water (I always add a pinch or two of salt), throw in the tortellini, let them hang out for 16 minutes or so, drain them, heat up the soup, add the veggies, the tortellini and a few spoonfuls of pesto. Stir it all up, garnish with parmesan cheese and dinner is served! When ease, health and deliciousness collide, there is no better team.
So if you are ever in the neighborhood and decide to visit my buddy Joe (chances are you guys are already acquainted), do yourself a favor and give this meal a try. It’s a good one!
