It's a Souper Day!

As a FoodBuzz featured publisher, I was fortunate in receiving a package of Buitoni Riserva Wild Mushroom Agnolotti to try. I held off for a while because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. After seeing other foodies post fabulous recipes using the pasta, it only made me ponder what I wanted to do with it even further. Well, it is a beautiful Sunday morning and I "need" to make some soup and I want it to be somewhat light (not as in calories...as in not heavy) and I want to use my pasta, so I decided to combine all of my efforts into one tasty bowl. Agnolotti is a sort of ravioli. This one in particular is large, half moon shaped with scalloped edges wrapped around an ABSOLUTELY, AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS mixture of fresh portobello & crimini mushrooms, Grana Padano & Parmesan cheeses and fresh roasted garlic; and the Buitoni Riserva pasta line is All Natural (minimally processed with no artificial ingredients). I decided to float some in a hot bowl of broth made chock-full of garlic, herbs and mushrooms. Garlic, Mushroom and Herb broth w/ Wild Mushroom Agnolotti by girlichef serves: ~4 Parsley Sprigs, small bunch Thyme Sprigs, small bunch Bay Leaves, small sprig (3 or 4) Garlic, 1 head, peeled Dried Shiitake Mushrooms, 3 ea. 6 c. Vegetable Stock, Broth or Water 1 pkg. (9 oz) Buitoni Riserva Wild Mushroom Agnolotti Combine all ingredients except Agnolotti in medium pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook for about 20 minutes. Strain the broth. You could keep the whole garlic cloves (now soft) and the shiitake (sliced really thin) and add them back to the broth for serving. Cook the pasta according to package directions, until just al dente. Drain and add a few Agnolotti to each bowl. Ladle in some of the hot, strained broth. Garnish with some chopped, fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

I didn't have any set expectations for this pasta, but still I was pleasantly surprised! It was so packed full of gorgeous, earthy, salty, cheesy flavor. It is a good thing that my daughter and I were the only ones around to eat bowls of this beautiful broth, because I ate the remaining Agnolotti straight from the strainer. Honestly, it was that good...that addicting. So, big thanks to FoodBuzz and Buitoni for the opportunity to try this great, new pasta! I'm off to send this over to Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays (go check it out...for this beautiful weather you can also send salads & sammies to go along w/ your soup...or on their own).

**DON'T FORGET TO ENTER MY hOt GIVEAWAY FOR THE MONTH OF MAY!!!**