Easy Tortellini Soup
- PREP 10min
- COOK 20min
- TOTAL 30min
We love this quick and easy tortellini soup recipe made with store-bought pasta, a garlicky broth, and plenty of veggies. I usually keep it vegetarian and use cheese tortellini, but you can use whatever you love (spinach, sausage, chicken, or even vegan fillings). Most varieties are easy to find in larger grocery stores across the US.
You Will Need
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium zucchini, chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, minced, 1 heaping tablespoon
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, omit if sensitive to spice
8 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth (1.8L)
1 package tortellini, 8 to 10 ounces
1 small bunch kale, thick stems removed and chopped
Splash cream or non-dairy milk, optional
Handful chopped fresh herbs like parsley or dill
Dash fish sauce, optional
Parmesan for serving, optional
Directions
1Cook onions and carrots: Heat the oil in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, then cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, about 5 minutes.
2Add zucchini and spices: Stir in the zucchini, garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook for one minute.
3Simmer: Pour in the broth, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cook the soup at a low simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
4Add tortellini and kale: Stir in the tortellini and kale, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the heat to low and stir in the milk/cream (this adds a creamy texture to the broth, but you can skip it if you prefer a plain broth).
5To finish: Taste the soup and season with additional salt as needed. For extra flavor, add a few dashes of fish sauce (optional). Serve with chopped fresh herbs and grated parmesan cheese scattered on top (optional).
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Keep leftover soup in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Vegan tortellini soup: To make this soup vegan, look for a vegan tortellini (Kite Hill makes one) and omit the cheese and fish sauce.
- Fish sauce: This is optional but adds a lovely flavor to sauces and soups like this tortellini soup. Two to three dashes season the soup nicely. Think of fish sauce as salt on steroids. It doesn’t make the soup taste fishy but makes the flavor pop.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We did not include optional ingredients and assumed regular (not low-sodium) vegetable broth.