In honor of Lent, Three Bridges — a chef-crafted pasta, sauce, and meal brand that makes clean eating easy—are sharing meat-free recipes to enjoy on Lent Fridays.  Here is the second in the series. Hope you enjoy!

Triple Cheese Tortellini Minestrone Soup

PREP TIME: 10 min | COOK TIME: 20 min TOTAL TIME: 35 min | YIELDS: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1-18 oz pkg Three Bridges Triple Cheese Tortellini Family Size
1-7 oz tub Three Bridges Pesto Sauce
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 each yellow onion, diced 1/2″
1 cup celery, diced 1/2″
1 1/2 cup carrots, diced 1/2″
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
2 tsp Italian seasoning
28 oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
46 oz broth, chicken, bone, or vegetable
15 oz can kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
to taste kosher salt &fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions:
  1. In a large sauce pot, heat the extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until it releases its smells.
  2. Then add green beans, Italian season, and salt & pepper. Stir and cook 3 minutes.
  3. Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and boil for 10 minutes.
  4. Add kidney beans and cook 5 minutes.
  5. Add in Three Bridges Triple Cheese Tortellini and continue to cook an additional 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir and remove from heat.
  6. Serve each bowl of soup topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a dollop of Three Bridges Pesto Sauce. Enjoy!