This is one of our new favorite soups. I got the recipe from (who else?) Giada, and we totally love it. It’s a nice mix between a brothy, slurpy, eat-it-when-you-don’t-feel-so-good soup and a filling, hearty, eat-it-as-a-main-dish soup. On her cooking show, Giada made parmesan crisps by baking mounds of grated parmesan until they were just golden brown, then letting them cool to form a little cracker. I did this once with this soup, and Justin loved it, but I have to say that I prefer to grate my parmesan right on top of the soup so that (A) I can add more if I want to, and (B) okay, basically that’s it, so that I can add lots more cheese than it calls for. I love cheese.

Cheese Tortellini in Light Broth

• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (9-ounce) package fresh cheese tortellini
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Pour the broth into a large, heavy saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the tortellini and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cover partially and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini are al dente, about 7 minutes. Season the broth with more pepper to taste.

Ladle the broth and tortellini into serving bowls. Top with Parmesan cheese and parsley, and serve.

Makes 4 servings (or 2 if you’re pretty hungry).

Source: Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis.