Tomato Tortellini Soup | Store-bought tortellini helps you get this delicious tomato-based homemade soup on the table in just 20 minutes. This 7-ingredient soup uses a few basic shortcuts, including prepared tortellini, tomato sauce, and an Italian seasoning mix to put together a comforting and quick homemade dinner.
I think store-bought tortellini is the perfect hack for this homemade tomato-y, cheesy, flavorful soup. Plus, we added spinach, so.. healthy right?
We make almost everything from scratch on this website but sometimes people don't have time to make every aspect of a dish, myself included.
And whether it's incorporating a store-bought pesto, seasoning mix, or dried pasta, I think we all need a little help sometimes.
If you're craving homemade pasta, however, I have a perfectly delicious, comforting Sweet Potato and Kale Ravioli recipe that is totally worth the extra time put in. I mean just thinking about the lemon thyme cream sauce in that recipe can make me weak in the knees.
For a low-effort, big flavor weeknight dinner, this homemade tomato tortellini soup recipe is a delicious way to get your greens in.
The base for a tomato tortellini soup is chicken stock and tomato sauce. The flavor comes from onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Tortellini cooks in the sauce and chopped spinach is added at the last minute to quickly wilt. Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese and a piece of crusty buttered bread.
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Ingredients
About the ingredients for this recipe. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- an onion – browned onions give a great base flavor to many dishes and are incredible for starting off a soup.
- garlic – peel the garlic but leave it whole and remove it before serving. I like this better than mincing it for this soup because the soup doesn't cook for very long and you'll get garlic flavor without chunks of garlic.
- Italian seasoning mix – I make my own Italian seasoning, you can use whichever one you prefer.
- chicken broth – again, use your favorite, whether it's powdered, carton or homemade.
- tomato sauce or pasta sauce – a roasted red pepper sauce is super nice in this recipe. Use your favorite store-bought sauce that has nice ingredients or a tomato sauce. The Italian seasoning will give it a bold flavor.
- tortellini – store-bought tortellini is the sneaky shortcut that gets this soup ready fast. You can use homemade if you have it but I think this shortcut is worth it for homemade soup. I use cheese tortellini.
- spinach – sliced spinach makes it easy to get your greens! I use kitchen scissors to cut mine. Just use two big handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, no need to measure.
Instructions
To prep for making the soup, roughly chop the onions. They don't need to be pretty so don't worry about it.
Peel the garlic, but don't mince it - we'll add it whole and remove it before serving. I've seen this technique done a lot in Italian cooking especially for quick cooking recipes. It eliminates biting down on a chunk of garlic that might be kind of powerful in flavor and I like it for this soup recipe.
Grab two handfuls of fresh spinach leaves. There is no need to measure these, just grab a bunch. I stack up a bunch of leaves like paper and then cut them into half-inch strips with my kitchen scissors. You can use a chef's knife instead if you prefer.
Heat a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil and then add the chopped onions. Cook the onion, while stirring occasionally for about 4-5 minutes. The onions will just start to brown around the edges.
Add the whole garlic cloves and the Italian seasoning mix and cook for about 30 seconds or so, stirring often.
Next, add the chicken broth (photo 1), and the tomato sauce. Give everything a good stir and bring to a boil (photo 2). Add the tortellini and cook it according to the package instructions. Mine takes about 6-8 minutes. (photo 3)
Once the pasta is cooked, fish out the whole garlic cloves and add in the chopped spinach. Give the soup a stir, remove from heat and serve. (photo 4)
This soup is nice served with grated Parmesan cheese, fresh basil leaves, and thick crusty buttered bread.
Recipe Tips
EXPERT TIP: Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the spinach leaves into half-inch strips. I like using scissors for spinach sometimes to prevent running my knife over the delicate leaves too many times and bruising them. You can use a knife if you prefer.
Substitutions
✔ To make this soup recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock or vegetable-based chicken stock cubes instead of chicken stock.
> For a creamy tomato tortellini soup, add a ¼ - ½ cup heavy cream, optional, not pictured.
> Garnish with fresh basil.
> Add crushed red pepper flakes with the Italian seasoning for a spicy soup.
> Try adding more vegetables like chopped zucchini or green beans.
Equipment
I usually use a large enameled cast iron dutch oven pot by Cuisinart, which I love. I use this whenever I make soup or if I'm making something that's going from stovetop to oven. I also prefer a wooden spoon.
Storage
You can store this soup in the fridge but the pasta will keep soaking up liquid. Add water, a little at a time, as needed when reheating. Reheat this recipe in a pot on the stovetop.
More recipes like this
- Minestrone Soup
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato
Recipe
Tomato Tortellini Soup with Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning mix
- 1 liter chicken stock 4 cups
- 645 ml tomato sauce or pasta sauce 1 jar, 2 ½ cups
- 250 grams dried cheese tortellini
- 2 large handfuls spinach chopped
- parmesan cheese for serving - optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add oil and the chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until browned.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.
- Add the tortellini and cook according to package instructions.
- Remove the garlic, add the spinach and turn the heat off. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese, optional.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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Recipes FAQs
A side salad and bread go well with tortellini soup. I serve mine with my focaccia bread recipe.
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