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Tortellini Soup is the coziest one pot dinner, a savory, veggie packed broth loaded with tender cheese tortellini, hearty kale, and a rainbow of fresh vegetables. This is the soup I make when I want something healthy that still feels like comfort food, and the girls love slurping up the little cheese filled pasta. Serve it with a basket of our warm homemade crescent rolls for dipping.
Packed with onion, carrot, sweet potato, zucchini, and kale, this hearty vegetable tortellini soup is a wholesome, satisfying meal in a bowl.
Tortellini Soup Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 10 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 195kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, hearty, and cozy with cheesy tortellini and fresh vegetables
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a simple one pot soup like our Italian wedding soup
Quick Answer
To make tortellini soup, saute onion, carrot, bell pepper, and sweet potato in olive oil until softened. Add zucchini, squash, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic and cook a few more minutes. Pour in vegetable stock, stir in kale, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add fresh cheese tortellini and simmer until tender, about 6 minutes, then garnish with parmesan and serve.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Fresh tortellini cooks right in the broth. Adding the cheese tortellini at the end lets it cook in the savory soup, soaking up flavor and thickening the broth slightly.
- A rainbow of vegetables makes it hearty. Onion, carrot, sweet potato, zucchini, squash, and kale pack the soup with color, nutrition, and satisfying texture.
- Building it in layers deepens the flavor. Sauteing the harder vegetables first, then adding the softer ones, builds a rich, savory base before the broth even goes in.
- Fresh thyme and bay leaf add depth. Simmering with fresh herbs infuses the broth with a cozy, aromatic flavor that tastes like it cooked all day.
- It is wholesome comfort food. Loaded with veggies and made with vegetable stock, this soup is healthy and filling while still tasting like a treat.
- It is a flexible one pot meal. Use whatever vegetables and tortellini you have on hand, and dinner comes together in a single pot with easy cleanup.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is cozy, hearty, and veggie packed, the kind of soup that warms you up and fills you up at the same time.
- It is a wholesome one pot meal that comes together easily, perfect with a slice of crusty bread or our homemade crescent rolls.
- It is naturally vegetarian, freezer friendly, and endlessly adaptable to whatever vegetables you have on hand.
Key Ingredients
Simple, wholesome ingredients come together in this cozy soup. Here are the ones that matter most.
- Cheese tortellini: Fresh cheese filled tortellini makes the soup hearty and satisfying, cooking right in the savory broth.
- Mixed vegetables: Onion, carrot, bell pepper, sweet potato, zucchini, and squash add color, texture, and natural sweetness.
- Kale: Hearty greens hold up beautifully in the soup and add a healthy, earthy bite.
- Vegetable stock: A good quality stock forms the savory base of the broth and keeps the soup vegetarian.
- Fresh thyme and garlic: These aromatics infuse the broth with cozy, savory depth as it simmers.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This tortellini soup is easy to adapt to your taste:
- Add protein: Stir in cooked Italian sausage, shredded chicken, or white beans to make it even heartier.
- Make it creamy: Stir in a splash of cream or a handful of parmesan at the end for a richer, creamier soup.
- Swap the greens: Use spinach, Swiss chard, or escarole in place of the kale.
- Use different tortellini: Spinach, mushroom, or even meat filled tortellini all work, or use our sausage tortellini bake for a baked twist.
How to Make Tortellini Soup
- In a large pot over medium low heat, add the olive oil, onion, carrot, bell pepper, and sweet potato with a pinch of salt. Stir, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent.
- Add the zucchini, squash, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic with another pinch of salt. Stir and saute for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, add the kale and black pepper, and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Add the fresh tortellini and simmer according to the package directions, about 6 minutes, until tender.
- Discard the bay leaf, ladle the soup into bowls, and garnish with grated parmesan if you like. Serve warm.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Dice the vegetables evenly, so they cook at the same rate and every spoonful has a little of everything.
- Add the tortellini last, cooking it right at the end keeps it tender and prevents it from getting mushy.
- Do not skip sauteing the veggies, building the base first gives the soup its deep, savory flavor.
- Use good vegetable stock, since it forms the broth, a flavorful stock makes a real difference.
- Store the tortellini separately, if making ahead, so it does not soak up all the broth and get soft.
- Add a parmesan rind, toss one into the simmering broth for an extra layer of savory, cheesy flavor.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
This cozy tortellini soup is a complete meal in a bowl, but it is even better with something to dip. Serve it with our warm homemade crescent rolls, crusty bread, or garlic bread to soak up every last drop of the savory broth.
Pair it with a crisp green salad for a light, wholesome dinner, or serve it as a starter before a bigger Italian meal of homemade gnocchi with marinara sauce. It is the perfect cozy soup for chilly nights.
A shower of fresh parmesan and a crack of black pepper on top make each bowl extra special. Leftovers are wonderful for an easy lunch, and the soup tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld.
Tortellini Soup FAQs
Yes, but for the best texture, store the tortellini separately from the broth. Make the vegetable soup base ahead and refrigerate it, then add fresh tortellini when you reheat and serve. If you cook the tortellini right in soup you plan to store, it will keep soaking up broth and soften over time.
Fresh refrigerated cheese tortellini is the most popular choice for tortellini soup because it cooks quickly and tastes great in the broth. You can also use frozen or dried tortellini, just adjust the cook time according to the package. Spinach, mushroom, or meat filled tortellini all work beautifully too.
Store leftover tortellini soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Reheat it gently on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through. The tortellini will absorb broth as it sits, so you may want to add a splash of stock or water when reheating to loosen it up.
You can freeze the vegetable broth base of tortellini soup, but it is best to leave the tortellini out before freezing, since pasta can turn mushy when frozen and thawed. Freeze the soup base for up to three months, then thaw, bring to a simmer, and add fresh tortellini just before serving.
To make tortellini soup heartier, stir in a protein like cooked Italian sausage, shredded rotisserie chicken, or canned white beans. You can also add more tortellini, stir in extra vegetables, or finish with a splash of cream and a generous handful of parmesan for a richer, more filling bowl.
This tortellini soup is vegetarian as written, made with vegetable stock, lots of vegetables, kale, and cheese tortellini. Just double check that your tortellini and stock are vegetarian, since some brands vary. To keep it vegetarian, garnish with a vegetarian parmesan or skip the cheese topping.
Craving more cozy soups? Try our Italian wedding soup and lasagna soup next.
Vegetable Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion small dice
- 1/2 cup carrot small dice
- 1/2 cup bell pepper (any color, I used red) small dice
- 3/4 cup sweet potato peeled, small dice
- 2 pinches kosher salt
- 1 zucchini, small small dice
- 1 yellow squash, small small dice
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme fine chop
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 32 ounce boxes vegetable stock
- 10 cracks fresh black pepper
- 4 cups kale rough chop
- 16 ounces fresh tortellini
- Parmesan garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, onion, carrot, pepper, and sweet potato. Add a pinch of salt, stir to combine. Cover and let cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent.1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- Add zucchini, squash, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic to the pot, add a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Saute 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except for the tortellini and garnish. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the tortellini to the pot and simmer per the directions on the back of the package. My package said to simmer for 6 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan, optional.1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Notes
- You can use any vegetable that you like in this.
- If you want you can add some shredded chicken to this recipe as well.
- You can switch the vegetable stock to chicken stock.
- This is able to be frozen, see my storage tips above.
- You can easily double this recipe to serve for larger crowds or to freeze for later use.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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It is perfect soup weather right now, and I love that this is loaded with veggies! I need more veggies in my life 🙂
I love tortellini soups! This looks so good and a great way to get some veggies in.