Creamy Tortellini Soup

This 5-star tortellini soup is lusciously creamy! It’s easy and under 30 minutes, with big flavor from tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan.

Here’s a soup that will make people come flocking and might result in a few marriage proposals: this creamy tortellini soup! This is one for the books. You can make it in under 30 minutes, and the flavor that results is simply killer. Tomatoes, basil, Parmesan and cream make a lusciously flavored broth that floats with doughy orbs of tortellini. In fact, we put down our spoons in amazement at first bite. Then I made a mental note to put it on the regular rotation…stat.

Ingredients in tortellini soup

There are many ways to make a tortellini soup. A traditional Italian way to serve it is called tortellini en brodo, where the filled pasta floats in a simple broth. For our spin, we went for a tomato-basil-meets-tortellini vibe, where a creamy tomato broth provides the backdrop for the delightful doughy pasta. Here’s what you’ll need for this Italian soup:

Tortellini
Onion and garlic
Crushed fire roasted tomatoes: Fire roasted is key! See the section below.
Tomato paste
Vegetable broth
Olive oil and salt
Dried oregano and dried basil
Spinach
Fresh basil
Heavy cream or substitute whole milk
Parmesan cheese, grated

Find fire roasted tomatoes if you can!

Fire roasted tomatoes are key to getting just the right flavor in this tortellini soup. If you’ve been around for a while, you know we cook with them often. What are they and why are they so special?

Fire roasted tomatoes are a type of canned tomato that’s cooked over an open flame before canning. It makes the flavor beautifully sweet out of the can, instead of acidic like many canned tomato varieties. It’s a cooking method, not a brand!
Where to get them? This type of tomatoes are becoming pretty easy to find in grocery stores in the US; they’re sold by several brands. Look in the canned tomatoes section.
What if you can’t find them? Substitute the best quality canned tomatoes you can find.

What makes it a creamy tortellini soup…and a substitute

Our recipes are generally on the healthy side, so you won’t often see us cooking with heavy cream. But there are always exceptions, right? And this creamy tortellini soup is one of them. Why cook with cream here? It adds an intense richness, depth, and body of the soup that just can’t be replicated by 2% milk. Worried about using cream, though?

You can use whole milk or half and half instead as a substitute! How do they compare? Well, heavy cream is 36% milkfat, whereas half and half is 10% and whole milk is 3%. So these types of dairy have significantly less fat than heavy cream. Pick whatever seems right for you!

Tortellini soup variations for any diet: vegetarian, vegan & more

This recipe is a vegetarian tortellini soup: assuming you use tortellini with no meat! It’s one of those recipes you wouldn’t think of being vegetarian…because it’s so packed with flavor. People of any diet love this one (promise!). You can also make it vegan, or add Italian sausage for meat eaters. Here are a few options:

Vegetarian tortellini soup: This is already vegetarian: just use a cheese or spinach ravioli!
Vegan tortellini soup: Buy vegan tortellini: there are some great brands out there these days! Then substitute Cashew Cream for the heavy cream and Parmesan.
Gluten free tortellini soup: Use gluten free tortellini. Again, there are some great options out there these days.
Sausage tortellini soup: Cook 1 pound Italian sausage in the pan until browned, about 3 minutes, draining the fat as necessary. Then make the remaining soup, using slightly less salt.

Let us know your favorite gluten free or vegan tortellini brands in the comments below! We’d love to know your recommendations.

Make it a meal: side ideas!

This tortellini soup is delicious and satisfying, but not quite filling enough on its own to be a meal. We’d suggest pairing it with a salad or grilled cheese to make a full meal. Here are some ideas:

Salad: Try Easy Arugula Salad, Fennel Orange Salad, Favorite Chopped Salad, Brussels Sprout Salad, or Perfect Italian Salad,
Garlic bread or toast: Opt for Easy Garlic Bread or Garlic Toast.
Grilled cheese: Spinach Artichoke Grilled Cheese would be lovely.
Crusty bread. Buy an artisan style bread or make your own no knead bread.

Storage, reheating and make ahead tips

This tortellini soup is best hot from the stove! But if you have leftovers or want to make it ahead, we’ve got some tips.

Store leftovers refrigerated, noting that the pasta soaks up the broth. The pasta soaks up even more of the broth when you refrigerate, so it can become very thick. You may want to add a splash of water when reheating.
Make the soup ahead without the tortellini. If you make it ahead, make it without the tortellini and refrigerate. Then heat it up and cook the tortellini right before serving.

This tortellini soup recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten-free or vegan, see variations above.