Creamy Tomato Soup with Tortellini

Today I went fabric shopping with my sister. Yeah, I love to sew. I find it very relaxing. But being out meant I needed a quick dinner. I found a recipe this week for Creamy Tomato Soup with Tortellini. It was quite good and very easy to make. But of course, I needed something to go with the soup. I have heard someone say that soup is not a meal... This is where Rocco's stuffed bread comes in. I ordered the Meatball bread and picked it up after Mass tonight. Wow, it was really, really good.

Here is my version of the Creamy Tomato Soup with Tortellini Recipe -

Ingredients-

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil1 tablespoon butter
1 large leek, white & light green parts only, halved lengthwise, rinsed and sliced
1 (6 ounces) can no-salt-added tomato paste
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or no-chicken broth
1 (28 ounces) can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon crushed dried oregano 
1 teaspoon salt
1 (9 ounces) package cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups half-and-half
½ cup chopped fresh basil or parsley


Method-
Heat oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add leek. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add broth, tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
Remove the bay leaves.
Whisk flour and half-and-half in a small bowl. Stir the mixture into the soup.
Add basil (or parsley). Cook, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.