Chunky white bean and chard soup with tortellini

I dreamt about this soup and I had to have it. A thick minestrone-style soup with tofu ricotta stuffed tortellini bobbing around. It was exactly as I dreamt it, so good. A. little weird for summer but maybe you have a cool night? Or save this for fall. I personally like to eat soup in all weather, there’s never a bad time for soup.

WHITE BEAN AND CHARD SOUP

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
big pinch chili flakes
1 bunch of chard, cut into 1 inch segments
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
3 carrots
2 big cans good quality tomatoes
4 c. broth
black pepper and salt to taste
2 tsp white wine vinegar or balsamic
1/8 c nutritional yeast if you please/

Heat oil in a large pot. Saute onions with a pinch of salt until slightly browned. Add garlic, chili flakes and stir until just starting to colour. Add carrots, chard and sweat the greens. Take the whole tomatoes from the can and break them up between your fingers. Add to the pot along with the tomato juice from 1 can (save the other for some other endeavor). Take half the beans and puree in the broth. Add to the soup along with the whole beans. Cook until reduced slightly and the carrots are soft. If using nutritional yeast, stir it in at the end.

TORTELLINI

dough:
2 c. flour
3/4 c. water
pinch of salt

Combine in bowl of mixer with dough hook attachment. Add water until a shaggy dough forms. you may need to stop it and stir a few times for it to come together. Once it forms, let it knead in the machine until smooth and soft, about 3 minutes. Rest the dough (covered) for an hour.

filling:
2/3 pkg firm tofu
handful of fresh basil
1/3 c. grated vegan mozarella
1/3 c. grated vegan parmesan (I like VioLife for both of these)
1 clove garlic

Pulse everything in a food processor until smooth. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. You want it to be slightly on the salty side.

Roll out your dough and stamp circles out to your size preference. Spoon filling and press together sides to form a half-circle. Pinch the tips together.

Cook in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes! Add to soup and eat it up. Serve with extra vegan parm and a few good cracks of black pepper