More Soup! Sun-Dried Tomato and Tortellini

As I always say, one good soup deserves another (or something like that). So here's what I made last night for dinner. It made for a good weeknight dinner--fast, healthy, decently tasty, and only dirtying a minimal number of kitchen items (this is key for me). Looking at this recipe, I just realized I forgot the garlic. Darn. That probably would have been tastier. I was thinking I might kick up the spices a tad for the next time I did it.

Notes: Cutting sun-dried tomatoes can be a pain. Make sure you have a good, sharp knife or that your tomatoes are less leathery than the Alessi ones.

It is also nearly impossible to find just a 12 oz. pack of tortellini. Don't beat yourself up trying.

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carrot
2/3 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 1/4 cups sun-dried tomato halves, packed without oil, chopped (about 3 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
3 cups fresh cheese tortellini (about 12 ounces)
1 cup chopped bok choy [official food of Carrie and the Dream of Cowboys]

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; sauteé 5 minutes. Add broth and next 5 ingredients (through bay leaf); bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 2 minutes. Add pasta and bok choy; simmer 7 minutes or until pasta is done. Discard bay leaf.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 256(28% from fat); FAT 8g (sat 2.6g,mono 3.9g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 12.1g; CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 47mg; SODIUM 681mg; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 33.9g