Italian Tortellini Soup

This is what I made for dinner tonight. We have a vegetarian house guest, so I wanted to come up with a new veggie option. It was also a good practice run for the next time our favorite Brit veggies, Mark and Suzy, visit again!

Ingredients

• 4 carrots, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
• 6 cups Vegetable Broth
  
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 mini can of V8 juice
  
• 1 1/2 cups frozen cheese-filled tortellini
• 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Place the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme and 3 cups of the broth in a 6-quart sauce pot. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the onion is tender.
2. Add the remaining broth, V-8 juice, zucchini, tomatoes, tortellini and beans. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the tortellini is tender. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.