Chicken & Tortellini Soup with Sage Pesto

Here is a good recipe when soup is calling your name. The soup itself is pretty basic – broth, chicken and tortellini – so I added some onions, celery and carrots. The sage pesto really transforms this humble soup and elevates the flavor profile to something fresh and unexpected. Serve with some salad and warm bread.

I found this recipe in Parade magazine of all places!

Chicken & Tortellini Soup With Sage Pesto

by: Bobby Flay

Servings: 6

Active Time: 25 min.

Total Time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts

1 cup tightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/4 cup fresh sage leaves

1 clove garlic, smashed

1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

Salt and fresh black pepper

1 Tbsp canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 6-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used 2 breasts)

8 cups homemade chicken stock (store bought is fine)

1 9-oz. package fresh cheese tortellini

Directions:

1. For pesto: Combine the nuts, parsley, sage, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely ground. With the motor running, slowly add 1/3 cup of the oil down the feed tube until the mixture is emulsified. Add the cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse a few times until it reaches a loose-paste consistency. Scrape into a bowl.

2. For soup: Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove breast to a plate. Drain any fat left in the pan; add chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Put chicken breast in the stock, cover pan tightly, and remove from the heat. Let the chicken sit in the hot broth until cooked through, 8 minutes. Remove chicken breast to a plate and let cool 10 minutes; shred into small pieces.

3. Return stock to high heat and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook until tender, 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper, and stir in the shredded chicken. Ladle soup into bowls and add a dollop of sage pesto and a sprinkling of cheese. Garnish with parsley leaves.