Vegetable Tortellini Soup

Name: Vegetable Tortellini Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1/2 large red onion, diced; 4 large garlic cloves, minced; 2 medium carrots, diced; 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, optional; 1 (15-oz) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes; 1 (32-oz) box chicken stock; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 9 ounces frozen cheese tortellini (see note); 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley; Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

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Veggies, tender cheese tortellini, and herbs simmered together in one pot. This tortellini soup is easy to make and is ready to serve in about 45 minutes.

overhead photo of a bowl of tortellini soup.

I’ve been tweaking and updating this tortellini soup recipe over the last few years, and, long story short, it’s a lot less fussy than it was when I first shared it back in 2014. Less fussy is always good, and even with some edits and a shorter ingredient list, it’s still one of my favorite soup recipes.

Last week, I made a batch with toasted garlic bread and a simple salad with the last of my garden tomatoes. The whole spread looked a lot like the soup/salad/breadstick deal you get at Olive Garden, but better because, well, it’s not Olive Garden. Oh, and bonus: It’s a one-pot soup recipe ready in about 45 minutes

Ingredients

Olive oil
Diced onion – I like red onion, but you can use white or yellow onion.
Chopped garlic cloves
Diced carrots
Dried Italian seasoning – I’ve also made it with dried oregano.
Crushed red pepper
Fire-roasted tomatoes: I love the Muir Glen brand.
Chicken stock – or you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Salt and black pepper
Tortellini: You can use frozen cheese tortellini or refrigerated tortellini.
Chopped fresh parsley
Grated Parmesan cheese

close-up shot of the tortellini soup in a pot.

How to Make It

☑️ Saute

This tortellini soup starts as many soups do, with onion, garlic, and carrots sauteed in a pot or Dutch oven on the stovetop. From there, add the dried seasonings, tomatoes, stock, salt, and pepper.

☑️ Simmer and Cook the Tortellini

Simmer the soup for about ten minutes and, after ten minutes, bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the tortellini, adjust the heat to a simmer, and cook the pasta in the soup for eight to ten minutes.

☑️ Garnish and Serve

Right at the end, just before serving, add the chopped fresh parsley. This might be my favorite part – when the chopped herbs hit the hot soup, they release a wonderfully fresh aroma. You can also use chopped fresh basil.

Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with Parmesan cheese, and serve.

Recipe FAQ

Can you make it ahead?

So, parts of the soup can be made ahead. Pasta that sits too long in the soup will eventually absorb all of the liquid. So here are my tips for making the soup ahead of time:

Make the soup up until the point you would add the pasta. Instead of adding the pasta, cool the soup and store it in an airtight container. It will keep well in the refrigerator for three to four days.

When you’re ready to serve it, warm the soup in a pot and bring it to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook it in the soup until it’s tender. Add the parsley and serve with Parmesan cheese.

How long do the leftovers keep?

The soup without the pasta will last three to four days in the refrigerator. If you leave the pasta in the soup, the pasta will absorb all of the liquid, and you’ll be left with mushy pasta and no soup. The recipe I’m sharing serves four, so if you’re not planning to serve all of the soup in one sitting, you have a couple of options:

Make all of the broth, but only cook enough pasta for the number of people you are serving. Save the leftover broth in the refrigerator, and when you want to serve the leftovers, cook the rest of the tortellini.

Or, and I’ve done this with success, cook all of the pasta in the soup. If you have leftovers, separate the cooked pasta from the soup and store them in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve the leftovers the next day, warm the soup, add the leftover cooked tortellini, and simmer it until it’s warmed through.

How do you make creamy tortellini soup?

To add a little creamy richness, stir in some heavy cream or half-and-half before serving it.

What else can you add to this soup?

You can add some cooked ground beef, sausage, or shredded rotisserie chicken if you want it to be more filling. You may need to add some extra broth if you do.

I’ve added a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach, and it works well. Add it when you saute the vegetables.

More Soup Recipes

The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.

More Recipes with Frozen Tortellini

A bowl of this easy tortellini soup is the best comfort food for a chilly day – I hope you love it!

Happy soup-making!

The photos and recipe in this post were updated from the archives. The post was first published in October 2014.