I’m always on the lookout for new soups, especially recipes like this one that feature vegetables. This quick and easy Italian-inspired soup calls for store-bought cheese tortellini (or your favorite flavor) and other ingredients that can be kept on hand.

I followed the recipe except for sauteing some diced onion along with the carrots and celery. I also substituted broccoli for the zucchini and canned diced tomato (about 1/2 cup) for the fresh tomatoes. For protein, I added some diced cooked chicken. Garnish each serving with a dollop of pesto and some Parmesan cheese.

Tortellini and Vegetable Soup
-recipe from williams-sonoma.com

For a traditional Italian version of this hearty vegetable soup, garnish each serving with a spoonful of store-bought pesto. The pesto adds herbaceous notes to the simple soup. Round out the meal with a loaf of crusty Italian or whole-grain bread.

2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 lb. fresh cheese tortellini
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the carrots, celery and zucchini and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil.

Add the tortellini and cook for 5 minutes, or according to the package instructions. Remove from the heat. Stir in the tomatoes and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the cheese and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, One Pot, by Carrolyn Carreño (Oxmoor House, 2008).

Tags: broccoli, carrots, parmesan cheese, pesto, soup, tomatoes, tortellini, zucchini

This quick and easy Asian-flavored dish is perfect for a weeknight meal. I followed the recipe except for adding some red bell pepper that I needed to use up. The fresh linguine I used worked great, but next time I’ll try the recipe using fresh Chinese noodles.

Pork and Broccoli Lo Mein
-recipe from America’s Test Kitchen 30 Minute Suppers (Winter 2010)

Cooking the pork in two batches ensures excellent browning and flavor development. Serves 4.

1 (9-ounce) package fresh Chinese egg noodles (see note below)
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 (16-ounce) bag broccoli florets
8 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 garlic cloves, minced

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain noodles in colander and rinse under water until cool. Drain thoroughly, then toss with sesame oil.

Whisk oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water in bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of pork, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining vegetable oil and remaining pork.

Add broccoli and remaining 1/4 cup water and cook, covered, until broccoli is just tender and water has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add scallions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return pork and any accumulated juices to pan. Stir in noodles and oyster sauce mixture and toss until well coated, about 2 minutes. Serve.

Test Kitchen Note: Fresh linguine can be substituted for the noodles.

Tags: broccoli, Chinese egg noodles, lo mein, pork, pork tenderloin

I love stir-fry dishes! They’re quick, easy to make, and a great way to eat more veggies.  My family is always thrilled to see beef on the menu so this meal was a hit (even with my Young Picky Eater). I particularly liked the sauce, which is flavored with hoisin sauce and sesame oil.

To get thin slices of beef, I froze the flank steak for 20 minutes or so then sliced it as thinly as possible. I used less garlic because I got side-tracked and forgot to put the remaining 4 cloves into the stir-fry (whoops!). It was still really good but the forgotten garlic would’ve added even more flavor. A rib-eye or flatiron steak would be a good substitute for the flank steak (use about a pound of meat). I sprinkled the stir-fry with toasted sesame seeds and served it with steamed jasmine rice.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry
-recipe from America’s Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers (Winter 2010)

Cooking the steak in two batches ensures maximum browning and flavor development. Serves 4.

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small flank steak (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1 (16-ounce) bag broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Whisk water, hoisin, sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch in bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of steak until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to bowl and repeat with additional 1 tablespoon oil and remaining steak.

Add broccoli, bell pepper, and remaining oil to empty pan and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until vegetables are nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return steak and any accumulated juices to pan. Stir in hoisin mixture and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve.

Test Kitchen Note:To spice up this simple stir-fry, add a seeded, minced jalapeno chile (or two) along with the bell pepper.

Tags: Asian, Beef, broccoli, flank steak, garlic, ginger, red pepper, stir-fry

I love pasta! It’s versatile, and a perfect foundation for a quick weeknight meal. I came across this recipe when I was looking for a dish that called for both Italian sausage and broccoli because I had both in the fridge and needed to use them. My whole family loved this pasta dish, and you know you’ve got a keeper when everyone from the 5-year-old on up to Grandma enjoys the meal. 

I used penne pasta (didn’t have orecchiette) and Foster Farms turkey Italian sausage; the dish would also be really good with a spicy Italian sausage for some added kick. I really like onions with pasta so I thinly sliced half an onion and sauteed it with the sausage (omitting the scallions). Be sure to cook your garlic over medium low heat or it will brown too quickly or burn (not very tasty). Also, I added 1/3 cup of Kalamata olives toward the end of cooking when I added the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. This simple, flavorful pasta dish will be appearing regularly at our dinner table.

Orecchiette with Caramelized Garlic, Sausage & Broccoli
- recipe from Fine Cooking magazine

Serves four.

10 oz. broccoli crowns, cut into 1-1/2-inch florets
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage, skinned and crumbled into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into thin strips
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
3/4 lb. dried orecchiette (or penne)
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more to taste
3 Tbs. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; more for serving
scallions (whites and greens), thinly sliced

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water until it softens to a tender crunch, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer it to the bowl of cold water.

Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the sausage and sauté, stirring, until it browns and is just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Put the pasta in the water. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium low; add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil and the garlic. Season with salt and cook, flipping the pieces occasionally, until they start to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Raise the heat to high, drain the broccoli, and add it to the skillet, along with the sausage. Cook until everything is heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and thyme.

Finish cooking the pasta until it’s just tender, about 10 minutes total. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the broccoli. Raise the heat to high and toss well for 30 seconds. If the pasta appears dry, add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir in the lemon juice, Parmigiano and scallions. Add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately, sprinkled with more Parmigiano.

Tags: broccoli, italian sausage, Pasta, sun-dried tomatoes

This spicy beef noodle dish made a good weeknight dinner; nothing fancy but certainly quick and easy. You’ve got a little bit of everything in one bowl with this meal…thinly sliced beef, stir fried veggies, pasta. The soy sauce, Sriracha and tomatoes combine to lightly coat the meat, veggies and pasta without standing in the way of their individual flavors. I thought that the one tablespoon of Sriracha was enough to give the dish a pleasant amount of heat. Use less, though, if you’re apprehensive about the spice factor; you can always drizzle more on later if you want more zip.  

The beef released alot of juices when I was browning it so I transfered the beef (and it’s juices) to a bowl, wiped out the pan, added more oil, and proceeded with the recipe. Some of the prep could be done ahead of time to speed up the cooking process. The handy hint in the recipe on chilling the beef in the freezer (before cutting) for a half hour really does make it easier to slice. Just don’t leave it in there too long or you’ll have a frozen hunk of meat. Sunset even includes recipe variations in case you want to change things up a bit. When it comes to food, variety really is the spice of life!

Beef with Tomatoes, Pasta, and Chili Sauce
-from Sunset magazine

While researching a story on Peruvian cooking (“Peruvian Passage,” June 2006), we came across tallarín saltado, a popular fusion dish that combines Asian stir-fry techniques with beef, fresh tomatoes, Asian chili sauce, and Italian spaghetti. It was a hit here at Sunset: It’s fast and easy, and you can substitute other meats, vegetables, or different kinds of pasta. This is our favorite combination, using broccoli and fusilli. Notes: Slicing the beef is easier if it has been chilled for 20 to 30 minutes in the freezer. For less spicy heat, decrease or leave out the chili sauce.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1/2 pound fusilli pasta
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound beef sirloin, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-in.-thick slices
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and cut into thin wedges
3 cups broccoli florets (about 1 in. each)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha (Asian red chili sauce)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1-in.-thick wedges
Preparation

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add fusilli. Cook until tender to the bite, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add beef and cook until it starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir and let it continue to brown for 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer beef to a plate, reserving oil, and set aside.

Add onion to the pan and cook, stirring often, until it begins to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add broccoli and cook until bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, Sriracha, cilantro, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and reserved beef and cook until tomatoes begin to release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the cooked fusilli, stir, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated or been absorbed by the pasta, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with additional soy sauce or Sriracha. Serve hot with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, if desired.

Variations: This dish is extremely flexible, and the soy-chili sauce tastes great with any of the following additions and/or substitutions.

Chicken or shrimp:Use 1 lb. boned, skinned chicken breasts cut into 1/4-in.-thick strips, or 1 lb. medium shelled and deveined shrimp.

Other vegetables: Add your favorite green vegetable (such as green beans or zucchini) in addition to or in place of the broccoli. You can also toss in a thinly sliced red or green bell pepper or 1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage (add at the same time as the onion).

Swap pastas:Try using penne pasta instead of fusilli. Or, for a more authentically Peruvian version, use spaghetti.

Tags: Beef, broccoli, Main Dish, Quick Cooking, stir-fry, tomatoes