Survival Soup

It's been a busy weekend.  Saturday morning, I babysat my youngest niece.  I don't have kids, so it's always interesting to see what happens...Saturday night, I took my mom to see Bruno Mars at the Kentucky International Convention Center.  Sunday, I went to watch my oldest niece play softball, all the while, my sister and I were attacked by bees.  Don't worry; we got 'em.  Sunday night, my mom went with my brother, his wife, my middle niece, my oldest niece, and some in-laws to Disney on Ice. I watched the season finale of Naked and Afraid last night, so it made me chuckle when I thought of today's food theme as "Survival."  I've collected some odds & ends in the fridge and pantry over the past couple of weeks, and I drove myself crazy trying to decide what on earth to cook for dinner tonight. 
Of course, I took to the interwebs....you don't think I actually dusted off my cookbooks, did you? HA!  Maybe one day, but not this day...
I perused my Pinterest page and stumbled on this yummy-looking recipe that I think I've seen a hundred times, but never actually pinned -- you know, because I thought I had already pinned it.  Don't act like you don't know........
It's from the blog Six Sisters' Stuff, and it's called Tomato Tortellini Soup.  As luck would have it, I had everything but FOUR ingredients.  That makes for some easy shopping after work.  I love it when I have all this crap in my house, and I find a way to cook it to use it all up.  This is my Survival Soup night.

Here's the scoop:

Tomato Tortellini Soup
Ingredients:
1 (9 oz) package frozen or refrigerated cheese tortellini -- I used Bertolli 3-Cheese Tortellini
2 cans (10.75 oz each) condensed tomato soup -- I used Campbell's
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes -- Let me just say this: the ONLY place I could find these was in the authentic Italian section at Kroger.  The 6 oz jar cost me $5.79, but you can't put a price on authenticity!  I'm not a huge sun-dried tomato fan, but they add great flavor.
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese -- Aaaannnnd, I forgot I threw mine out because it had expired. Luckily, I had some leftover shredded Italian blend, which is fine.  It actually gives you more flavor.  Are you noticing the theme of survival here?  I've already had to improv!
Directions:
Cook tortellini according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. Drain tortellini and carefully add to soup. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired.
Makes about 8 servings.
 Pictures?  Okay!

Extra bit of yummy:  I made some bread.  Who has soup without crackers or bread?  I picked up a loaf of Tuscan ready-to-bake bread. Crispy crust and soft, chewy innards.  I made my own garlic butter using Butter (hello, Captain Obvious,) Garlic Salt, Sugar (yes, sugar,) and some of the same dried basil I used in the soup.  But, any Italian seasoning would do...or whatever green stuff in a jar you have.
More pictures? Got it!

It's EASY-PEASY. If you can't boil pasta and throw it in some tomato soup, what can ya do?!
Some notes:  You could easily swap some of this stuff out for what you already have.  If you have grated Parm, then use it instead of buying shredded...shredded parm is like 4-bucks a pop, for much less than what comes in a jar of grated, so don't make a special trip for it. That's silly. You can also use whichever brand of soup you have or prefer.  I would not recommend using Progresso, because it will be reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaallllllllly liquidy.  Unless you're just a stickler, then just cut back on the milk and stock.

So you want to know how it tastes?  It was creamy, and tomatoey (but not too tomatoey), and the tortellini added just the right texture to bulk it up.  The broth was fab by itself.  I'll be taking some leftovers to work tomorrow.  Fellow Paychex peeps, get ready to sniff and swoon!

Last, but not least, it got Mom's approval. 2 thumbs up! Uhhh, pardon the wreath in the background.  That's an unfinished housewarming gift.  Ooops.