Tortellini Soup With Chicken Broth (Print Version)

Comforting creamy tortellini soup with chicken broth, fresh vegetables, and Italian herbs in just 40 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
02 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

→ Broth & Dairy

06 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
07 - 1 cup heavy cream

→ Pasta

08 - 18 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini

→ Seasonings

09 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
10 - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
11 - ½ teaspoon salt
12 - ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Garnish

13 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How To Make:

01 - Heat a large pot over medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened.
02 - Add minced garlic to the pot and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Pour in chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in dried Italian herbs, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
04 - Add cheese tortellini to the broth and simmer according to package instructions, typically 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Lower heat to medium-low, pour in heavy cream, and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring gently.
06 - Stir in chopped spinach and cook until completely wilted, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
07 - Taste the soup and adjust salt, pepper, and herbs as needed for desired flavor.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish generously with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours simmering when you really just opened a package of tortellini and let the stove do the work.
  • The creaminess wraps around you like a blanket, but the spinach keeps it from feeling too heavy.
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to settle into each other.
02 -
  • Don't let the soup boil hard after you add the cream, or you'll end up with weird grainy curds floating around instead of silky richness.
  • If you're reheating leftovers, add a splash of broth or water because the tortellini soak up liquid overnight and turn the soup thick.
03 -
  • Use a wooden spoon to stir so you don't accidentally break the tortellini, which are delicate and split easily under metal.
  • Taste the broth before you add the tortellini, because once they're in, adjusting the seasoning gets harder with all those floating pillows in the way.
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