Tortellini Tomato Veggie Stew

This is a very quick but tasty and hearty vegetable stew. I first got introduced to it during my college time. However, later on it became a special Italien dinner option. You can easily fancy it up, making a two-course meal out of it by serving a side salad, adding some garlic bread and a glass of red wine :)

You can also change it up a bit by using different vegetables including carrots, grean beans, chickpeas and sugar snap peas. However, the trick is not to overload the stew and I would suggest to use only three to four different vegetables.

Note: While you can use tortellinis with any kind of filling, I prefer to keep the dish vegetarian with a cheese or a spinach filling. If you use frozen or dried tortellini, they will need longer to cook. I would suggest to prepare them beforehand separately and add them to the stew in the end.
 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion (largly chopped)
• 1 red bell pepper (cut in big cubes)
• 1 zucchini (sliced)
• 3 garlic cloves (peeled and smashed, otherwise whole)
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 x 14.5oz or 1 x 28 oz cans tomatoes (diced or whole)
• 1/2 teaspoon of each, dried oregano, rosemary, basel and thyme (or substitute with 2-3 teaspoons of italian herbs mix)
• 1 teaspoon savory
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can dark red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 200 g fresh tortellini (filled with spinach and/or cheese)
• salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

Toppings:

• fresh basil and parsely
• fresh parmesan shavings 

 

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil, add the onions. Fry just for a short moment, then add the chunks of bell pepper and zucchini. Fry for about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic cloves, bay leaves and canned tomatoes. Bring to a light boil and add the remaining herbs and savory. Fill up with the vegetable broth and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Vegetables should not be too soft, still have a bite to it.
2. Now, add the drained kidney beans and the fresh tortellinis. Let simmer for another 5 minutes till the vegetables and tortellinis are soft. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne for desired taste.
3. Top with fresh chopped basil and pasely, parmesan shavings. Serve with some rustic bread. Or make a meal out of it and serve with garlic bread and a side salad. Don't forget a glass of red wine :)

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