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This Creamy Tortellini Soup recipe consists of layers upon layers of cozy flavor! It’s an easy vegetarian soup recipe loaded with cheese tortellini and tender veggies cooked in a flavorful, creamy broth.
If you love this recipe for tortellini soup, your next one on the list to try should be my creamy crack chicken soup and then this warm and cozy creamy chicken noodle soup.
This creamy Tortellini Soup is so simple yet so delicious. It combines cheesy tortellini and fresh spinach in a creamy broth, made with just the right amount of roux and a splash of milk. It’s easy to make in just 30 minutes using only one pot, and it results in a perfect, comforting meal.
How do I know? Anything with cheese and soup is an instant hit with the tweens in our house. This cheese tortellini soup is no exception. They love the creamy, cheesy goodness, and I love how quick and easy it is to prepare, making it a go-to weeknight dinner for us.
Why We Love This Tortellini Soup
- Quick: Ready in 30 minutes, it’s your go-to for a speedy, hearty meal.
- Creamy Comfort: Cheesy tortellini and creamy, velvety broth offer a soul-soothing dinner experience.
- Vegetarian: Packed with veggies and protein, this tortellini soup recipe is a vegetarian dish that is so tasty and really satisfying.
- Versatile: Easily adaptable, make it your own with personalized tweaks to ingredients or seasonings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You might already be aware, but I’m a vegetable lover in a house full of pasta fiends. This creamy veggie soup filled with tortellini is our meeting ground!
- Butter: For sauteing your veggies. Use salted or unsalted butter, just remember to adjust the amount of salt.
- Vegetables: You’ll need a yellow onion, fresh garlic, carrots, and baby spinach.
- Seasonings: I seasoned the tortellini soup with Italian seasoning, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the base for a quick and easy roux to thicken the soup.
- Vegetable Broth: Use low-sodium vegetable broth if you’re making vegetarian soup. Otherwise, chicken broth will also work.
- Tortellini: Get one package of frozen tortellini. I make this soup recipe with cheese tortellini, but you can use your favorite variety.
- Cream: You can use full cream, milk (I use 2%), or half-and-half, depending on how creamy you prefer your tortellini soup.
How to Make Creamy Tortellini Soup
Get out a big pot – just one, because I’m all about that one-pot dinner life – and let’s make this quick soup!
- Sauté: First, sauté onion, garlic, and carrots with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Once the veggies are fragrant and tender, whisk in the flour to make the roux.
- Make the Broth: Gradually pour in the broth, whisking until smooth. The base for your soup should be clump-free so that the end result is oh-so-creamy! Once combined, bring the pot to a boil.
- Add Tortellini and Spinach: While the soup boils, stir in the frozen tortellini and fresh spinach leaves. Simmer for a few minutes more to get the tortellini heated through.
- Add Cream: Pour in your choice of cream, then stir continuously as the soup returns to a boil. Let the cream cook and thicken for a few minutes, then take the pot off the heat. Season the tortellini soup to taste with salt and pepper, then serve!
Recipe Tips And Variations
Look through the following few tips to perfect that tortellini soup and take it to the next level of deliciousness!
- Adding heavy cream. Lower the heat before adding the cream, and stir continuously as you pour it in. This technique helps prevent the soup from curdling.
- Leave out the cream. For a dairy-free version, use olive oil or coconut oil in place of butter. Swap out the milk or cream with your choice of dairy-free alternatives, like oat, coconut, or rice milk.
- Less carbs. To lower the carbs, omit the carrots and use this low carb pasta.
- Protein options. Add cooked, shredded chicken to make creamy chicken tortellini soup, or check out my Instant Pot creamy chicken tortellini soup. You can also stir in cooked Italian sausage for a heartier soup.
- Veggie additions. Swap spinach for kale and add mushrooms, too, or take inspiration from my chicken vegetable soup.
What To Serve With Soup
Whoever coined the term “soup for the soul,” I’m pretty sure they were talking about my creamy tortellini soup recipe. I serve up bowls of this soup with a thick slice of my garlic and cheddar drop biscuits for myself and garlic breadsticks for the rest.
Also, before slurping up the soup, I almost always serve a big chef salad, then top the soup with add-ons like crumbled bacon, freshly grated parmesan cheese, croutons, or shredded cheddar. If all that doesn’t work, serve it bistro-style with a side of watermelon salad or this wonderful lemon kale Caesar salad paired with pinwheel sandwiches.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat portions in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove until the soup and tortellini are warmed through again.
- To freeze: While it’s technically safe to freeze this soup, I usually don’t recommend it. Cream soups are tricky to freeze, as the texture and flavor tend to change for the worse once the soup is thawed.
More Creamy Soups
- Roasted Creamy Mushroom Soup
- Cream of Zucchini Soup
- Creamy Tomato Bisque
- Slow Cooker Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Creamy Roasted Asparagus Soup
- Creamy Lobster Bisque
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Creamy Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 12 ounces frozen tortellini
- 1 cup heavy cream, you can also use milk OR half-and-half.
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot set over medium heat.
- Add onions, garlic, carrots, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat for 6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Whisk in the flour; whisk until crumbly.
- Slowly add the broth and continue to vigorously whisk until everything is well combined and there are no clumps.
- Bring the soup to a boil and add in the frozen tortellini. Continue to cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until tortellini is tender and heated through.
- Whisk in the cream or milk and add in the spinach; bring back to a steady boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth and thickened.
- Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Taste the tortellini soup for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.
- Serve.
Notes
- Cream: I like to use heavy cream for a creamier, silkier texture, but this soup also works with milk or half & half. Also, stir continuously when adding the cream so it doesn’t curdle.
- Dairy-Free: To make this soup dairy-free, use coconut oil instead of butter, and you can also use nut milk to replace the cream.
- Frozen Cheese Tortellini is my favorite frozen pasta for this particular soup, hence the name “tortellini soup”, but you can use whatever pasta you have on hand.
- Spinach: Baby spinach is my go-to leafy green for soups, but you can also use kale, watercress, collard greens, etc.
- Add Protein: Stir in some cooked, shredded chicken or cooked Italian pork sausage.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
It’s the best soup I’ve ever made .Thank you .I was wondering if I can chop up tomatoes to equal the can tomato?
This is byfar the best tasting soup I’ve ever made thank you for sharing..
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your success with me! 🙂
Made this for a big family dinner over thanksgiving weekend and everyone loved it! They raved over it every time they took a bite lol! I did add shredded rotisserie chicken to it for some extra protein. Delicious! Definitely making this again.
This is a hit with everyone! I started out making as a meat-free soup during Lent … and changed it up a little during the fall/winter by adding sausage to make it heartier.
I always add a Parmesan rind toward the end — it makes all the difference! Another depth of flavor, another bit of saltiness & cheesiness. So delicious!
Hello! I plan to make this for dinner and was wondering if the tortellini have to be frozen or can they be refrigerated?
Hi!
Yes, refrigerated are fine. Cook them in the liquid for as long as the instructions state on the packaging, just so you don’t end up with mushy, overcooked pasta.
Made for lunch yesterday and me and my husband loved it! Easy and quick to make! Thank you very much!
That’s great! I’m very glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Made it today and it was delicious. I love that it wasn’t a real thick heavy cream soup. Definitely will make it again.
I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
It’s now my youngest daughter and my favorite soup.i put 16 oz.of Italian sausage and I triple the rest.
Are the servings listed at the bottom referring to a 1.5 cup serving? I think it’ll be helpful if you specified serving sizes in the nutritional value 🙂