On a cold night, this tortellini soup recipe will be your best friend! Packed with fresh veggies and pasta, it's warming, flavorful, and easy to make.
This tortellini soup recipe has always been one of my favorites, but I gained a new appreciation for it this week. Over the last few days, a big, blustery snowstorm has turned Chicago into a winter wonderland. When Jack and I come inside from a chilly walk or shoveling snow, a hot bowl of tortellini soup is the perfect way to warm up.
If you’re also craving cozy, nourishing meals right now, you’ll love this tortellini soup recipe. It cooks up in just over 30 minutes, so it’s easy to make on a weeknight, and it’s packed with flavorful veggies and herbs. The chewy, cheesy tortellini makes it filling and fun to eat, and a vibrant kale pesto takes the whole thing over the top. On a cold night, it’s guaranteed to hit the spot.
Tortellini Soup Recipe Ingredients
Ready to make this tortellini soup recipe? Here’s what you’ll need:
- Tortellini, of course! Look for fresh tortellini in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, or use your favorite frozen tortellini. To make this recipe vegan, use vegan cheese tortellini. I like the Kite Hill Brand.
- Onion, garlic, carrots, and fennel – They add savory depth of flavor.
- Fresh thyme – It makes this tortellini soup taste fresh and aromatic.
- Diced tomatoes and their juices – Along with vegetable stock, they create the brothy base of the soup. I love their sweet and tangy flavor with the cheesy tortellini.
- Balsamic vinegar – It gives the soup a delicious tangy kick.
- Red pepper flakes – For a little heat.
- Kale – For extra veggie power! I add kale leaves to the soup and dollop a vibrant kale pesto on top.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
This tortellini soup recipe is super easy to make! First, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and sauté the onion, carrots, and fennel until they soften. Stir in the garlic, vinegar, tomatoes, broth, thyme, and red pepper flakes, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, cook and drain the tortellini. Add it to the soup along with the kale leaves, and simmer for 2 minutes more. Before you eat, season to taste. That’s it!
Tortellini Soup Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready to eat, ladle the tortellini soup into bowls. Garnish it with fresh basil or parsley and a generous scoop of kale pesto. (Tip: keep the kale pesto handy. If you’re anything like me, you’ll add more to your bowl as you eat!)
I often serve this tortellini soup on its own, but it’s also lovely with a salad on the side. Pair it with mixed greens tossed in Italian dressing or lemon vinaigrette or with one of these salad recipes:
- Pear Salad with Balsamic and Walnuts
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Citrus Salad with Fennel and Avocado
- Caesar Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Green Bean Salad
- Or any of these 19 Best Winter Salad Recipes!
Round out the meal with homemade focaccia or good crusty bread. Enjoy!
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this soup, try one of these delicious recipes next:
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Wild Rice Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
- Or any of these 30 Best Soup Recipes!
Tortellini Soup
Equipment
- Le Creuset Dutch Oven (I use my Staub to make soup)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, diced
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 3½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 9 to 12 ounces cheese tortellini, or vegan tortellini
- 5 cups torn kale
- Kale Pesto
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, fennel, salt, and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes.
- Add the balsamic vinegar, garlic, tomatoes, broth, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile, cook the tortellini in a pot of salted boiling water according to the package directions until al dente. Add the tortellini and the kale to the soup and simmer for 2 more minutes.
- Season to taste with about ¼ to ½ teaspoon more salt and a few generous grinds of pepper.
- Serve in bowls with scoops of kale pesto and fresh parsley for garnish.
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This is a great recipe, a wonderful soup that was put together quickly. My husband loved it. I followed the recipe and will make this again
Hi Gloria, I’m so glad you loved it!
As I was making this, I was worried it would be one of those recipes that feels like you’re missing something at the end. Not so! It was filling and delicious and I will definitely make it again.
Hi Erin, great to hear! So glad you enjoyed the soup.
Such a tasty and hearty recipe! Just what we needed during the snowy weekend 🙂
Hi Kim, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!
Delicious! My entire family loved it!
I’m so happy to hear!
So easy. Soup was fresh and delicious!
Soup looks delicious! Can I not just cook the tortellini in the soup?
Hi Nancy, you can, but the starches of the pasta will thicken the soup. If it becomes too thick, add just a little water.
I have a question. I am making a yripplbatch for a soup supper. I will need to make ahead of time, like 5 hrs. Should I put the tortellini in 30 minutes prior instead of right awY?
Hi Coleen – either way will be fine. If it’s easier to put it in while you make it, I’d just go ahead and do that.
Super tasty soup!! I was feeling under the weather so I wanted a soup that I could actually taste and had a ton of veggies in it but that my husband would also eat and this was it! I used regular pesto as that’s what I had on hand but it was still tasty.
So simple, but so good. I used regular pesto, and added butternut squash and cannellini beans for an extra nutrition boost. The whole family enjoyed it.
That sounds delicious, I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!
I didn’t get to use the fennel bulbs or the kale pesto but this soup was absolutely phenomenal! With what seems to not be many ingredients, it is packed with flavors! 10/10
Do you think basil pesto as a sub for kale pesto would taste alright ?
Yep!
Best soup ever! I followed this exactly. I did chop up zucchini to add. I used spinach tortellini. I finished with parsley and fresh basil. Really very very good!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this soup with minor differences. My wife doesn’t like fennel so I used zucchini in the last 15 minutes. Added tsp fennel seeds. EXCELLENT will be making again
I’m so glad you both loved it!
I used Spinach and skipped the vinegar and fennel used parsley and oregano. I used herbed and spiced diced tomatoes. .i had leftover tortalinies that I made the soup with. It was excellent
I’m so glad you enoyed it!
My family loved this recipe. However, not kale fans, we substituted arugula and arugula pesto. A clear dinner time winner every time!
Yum, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I love this soup because it does not need heavy cream to taste so nice. Thank you! Do you include calories with any of your recipes? I may be overlooking it!
Hi Stephanie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! We don’t calculate nutrition facts but you can plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.
Loved it, my wife will be pleased and hopefully happy the rest of the week.
So glad you enjoyed the soup!
i am terrible at making soups. This one- this one i made perfectly. Thank you for such a flavorful recipe.
I used white modena vinegar instead of balsamic – it was so bright!. I’ll be making this again for sure. I’m thinking of using the base for a garden veggie soup.
I’m so glad you loved the soup! This base is fantastic for a veggie soup, hope you enjoy!
This was delicious and we didn’t even add the pesto! One of my FAVORITE recipe sources is this site. Always a 5 star meal.
I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes! Great to hear that the soup was a hit.
Have you or any readers tried eliminating the garlic or onion? Any suggestions for doing so? We’re having trouble getting the smell of garlic and onion out of the house and I want to avoid these ingredients for the next few weeks. Thank you!
I have food intolerances to garlic and onion. I just leave them out and added extra fennel (sub for onion) and extra spices (about 1.5 times as much of everything – except don’t increase the salt). It was delicious!
I also added frozen chicken breast. Then chopped it when I added the tortellini. Came out perfectly.
I make this recipe all the time except I substitute the fennel with celery, substitute the vegi broth with bone broth, and add shredded cooked chicken. I’m trying to get the freezer stocked with great post-partum meals. Do you know if this soup can be frozen and reheated?
Hi Kelly! If you want to freeze this one, I’d recommend freezing the base without the tortellini, because the pasta can absorb a lot of the broth and get very soft if it sits in the soup for too long. When you’re ready to serve the soup, I’d cook the tortellini separately and add it in then. Hope this helps!