Like a hug in a bowl, this recipe for creamy vegetable tortellini soup is so comforting and delicious. It’s made with simple ingredients (like cheese tortellini, veggies, broth and cream) and can be whipped up pretty quickly. Paired with some crusty baguette, this creamy homemade soup is such a satisfying meal on a cold day.
With cold weather lately, I’ve definitely been in soup mode. Granted, I could eat soup all year round, but it’s even more appreciated with a chill in the air and snow on the ground, ya know?
Since I can confidently say I’m not a fan of being out in the cold, whenever we have a good dump of snow, the deal in our home is that hubby clears it (thank goodness for that!) and I make a pot of homemade soup. When hubby comes in from the cold, there’s a warming pot of soup waiting to be devoured. Not too bade of a deal, I think!
I love all types of soup, but creamy soups are a particular favourite. This creamy vegetable tortellini soup is at the top of the list when it comes to easy soups too. Using store-bought tortellini and rather simple ingredients, it’s a cinch to put together. Kinda craving some right now, actually!
Fan of tortellini soup? Check out this tomato tortellini soup!
Ingredients
- Butter and olive oil: For sautéing the veggies.
- Vegetables: Onion, garlic, celery, carrot and baby spinach all add lots of heft and flavour to this veggie soup.
- Seasoning: Includes salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning.
- All purpose flour: Used to thicken the soup.
- Vegetable broth: I used a regular variety (meaning not a reduced sodium variety). You can use a regular, reduced sodium or no sodium variety, whatever you prefer. Just keep in mind that depending on the brand of broth, the variety of broth and your preference, the amount of salt you season your soup with could vary. Season the soup to how you like it.
- Cheese tortellini: Use your favourite store-bought variety. Tortellini can often be found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, usually where you would find refrigerated gnocchi, pasta sauces and the like.
- Whipping cream: 35% milk fat whipping cream add richness and creaminess to the soup.
- Garnish: Parsley and Parmesan cheese is optional but always a delicious addition!
How To Make Creamy Vegetable Tortellini Soup
Here is an overview of how to make creamy vegetable tortellini soup (full details are in the recipe card below:
- Sauté some onion in a soup pot or Dutch oven until it’s nice and tender, then stir in the garlic until it becomes fragrant and everything starts to smell oh-so-good!
- Add the celery and carrot, then season them with salt and black pepper. Cook for a tad just to get them going.
- Sprinkle over some flour, stir it in and cook for a minute. The veggies will be coated in the flour and you should see no visible signs of flour remaining.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and season with Italian seasoning. Cover ajar and cook until the veggies are almost (but not quite) tender.
- Stir in the tortellini and cook until they are softened and cooked through.
- Add the whipping cream and baby spinach. Stir everything together and cook just until the spinach has wilted.
Can I Add Protein?
For sure! If you want to make this vegetable tortellini soup even more substantial, you can add a protein of your choice.
Some delicious options are cooked chicken, turkey or Italian sausage (a regular variety or your favourite plant-based version). If using chicken or turkey, shred or chop the meat into bite-sized pieces before using. If using sausage, just slice before using (or you could crumble the cooked meat).
Whether using chicken, turkey or sausage, you can add it to the soup when you add the tortellini.
What To Serve With This Tortellini Soup
Some of my favourite things to pair with this creamy tortellini soup are:
- Baguette
- Garlic bread
- Salad (Caesar salad or a simple green salad are a couple of favourites)
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Tomato sandwich
- Veggie burger
Tips and Variations
- Broth: For me, 6 cups of vegetable broth is plenty. The vegetable tortellini soup is thick, rich and hearty. If you feel like you’d like to add another ½ cup or so of broth, go for it.
- Tortellini: Cheese tortellini is my go-to for this soup. If you want to use another variety (such as beef), feel free to use that.
- Greens: I love using baby spinach here. I typically add two to three large handfuls. It always looks like a lot when you add it to the soup pot but wilts down quite a bit. If you’d rather use another vegetable besides baby spinach, kale or Swiss chard are great options. Just remove the leaves from their stems, give them a chop, then add to the soup pot. Keep in mind that Swiss chard and kale are more hearty than baby spinach, so you may want to add less. Also, they take a little longer to cook, so you may want to add before you stir in the cream.
- Spice it up: Add a little spice by adding crushed red pepper flakes. These can be added when you add the Italian seasoning.
- Mix up the seasoning: As a seasoning twist, try Herbes de Provence instead of Italian seasoning. It’s a yummy twist to this vegetable tortellini soup!
More Comforting Soup Recipes
If you try this creamy vegetable tortellini soup recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Creamy Vegetable Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 ribs celery, sliced about ¼-inch thick
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced about ¼-inch thick
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste if necessary
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste if necessary
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 12 ounces cheese tortellini, about 3 cups
- ½ cup whipping cream (35% milk fat), or heavy cream
- 2 to 3 large handfuls baby spinach, depending on how much you want
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat butter and olive oil in a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the celery and carrots, then season with salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes (the veggies will still be firm at this point).
- Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir in to coat them. Cook, stirring regularly, for 1 minute. Stir in the vegetable broth and Italian seasoning. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat (to about medium-low) to maintain a simmer. Cover the pot with the pot lid slightly ajar. Cook for 5 minutes or until the veggies are slightly tender (they will finish cooking with the tortellini).
- With the soup simmering, stir in the tortellini. Cover again with the lid slightly ajar and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tortellini are tender and cooked through and the veggies are tender.
- Stir in the whipping cream and baby spinach. Cook just until the spinach has wilted (this should only take a minute or two). Add more salt and black pepper if desired (the amount of salt added will depend on your preference and how salty your broth is).
- To serve, divide the soup into bowls and garnish with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!Note: Properly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 2 to 3 days. Reheat before serving. Upon reheating, you can add more vegetable broth or water to the soup if it's too thick (because of the tortellini, the soup thickens in the refrigerator). Leftovers can be reheated in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
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Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Valentina
Pretty sure, “a hug in a bowl” is my new favorite comfort food description. I love it! Dawn, this soup is calling to me. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Aww, thank you Valentina! I hope you love the recipe!
Michelle
I love how you can enjoy this as a meal all in a bowl! So comforting and cozy!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Thank you very much, Michelle! Indeed it is!
David @ Spiced
We don’t see much in the way of snow now that we’ve moved down to North Carolina, but I like the deal you guys have! I remember the days of shoveling the driveway, and a good warm soup is the best thing to come inside to! This soup sounds like the ultimate comfort food! Tortellini…creamy…yes, please!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Totally, it’s so comforting and yummy! Thanks very much, David!