Spinach Tortellini Soup
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Spinach tortellini soup is hearty, comforting, and packed with flavor from lots of veggies, cheese tortellini and a swirl of pesto! I’ve given you suggestions for vegetables, but feel free to add others if you choose! (This post was originally published on February 24, 2012. As an Amazon Affiliate, I receive commission on qualifying purchases.)
I love soup, and I could eat it just about every day except during the summer, and that’s when I switch to cold cucumber soup or gazpacho . I’m not sure why one would need to have canned soup on hand, since making it from scratch is so fast and easy.
What’s in spinach tortellini soup?
This spinach tortellini soup recipe starts with a chopped onion, celery and carrot, sautéed in a little olive oil. Add some garlic, chicken broth, and a can of San Marzano tomatoes and you’ve got a simple base. Add whatever vegetables you like -this is a good time to clean out the veggie bin in your fridge. Then add a package of fresh spinach or cheese tortellini for a hearty vegetarian dish. Substitute chicken tortellini if you’d like! Add a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach just before serving. For an extra blast of flavor, stir in a big spoonful of pesto, sprinkle some parmigiano-reggiano cheese, and pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
How to make this soup recipe
Gather your ingredients. This soup has a lot of fresh veggies.
Most vegetable soups start exactly the same way. Heat oil until it shimmers, add the trilogy of onions, carrots and celery.
Next you’ll need liquid. Chicken or vegetable broth both work. Obviously if you would like this to be a vegetarian soup, stick with vegetable broth. Tomates come next; I use San Marzano tomatoes which come whole, but take less than a minute to chop.
I use culinary shears and cut them while they’re still in the can. The length of time this soup takes depends on how thick or thin you slice your vegetables. Add the tortellini towards the end, following the directions on the package. No tortellini? Substitute fusilli, farfalle or penne.
But it still takes just around 45 minutes from start to finish which makes it perfect for a busy weeknight. Just before serving, add the “extras”, a tablespoon of pesto, some grated cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Heating the soup up the next day
Because this soup has pasta in it, I find that it tends to absorb a lot of liquid, add more broth if needed.
Winter Tortellini Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 cups carrots sliced, about 4
- 1 cup celery 2 ribs, chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms 3 ounces, sliced
- 2 cups zucchini sliced, about 2
- 28 ounces San Marzano Tomatoes undrained and chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 10 ounce package spinach tortellini (or cheese)
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes optional
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over a medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, celery, carrots, and sauté for 5 minutes..
- Stir in garlic and continue stirring until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, vegetable or chicken broth and oregano and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook about 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are nearly tender.
- Bring heat back to slow boil and add zucchini and cook an additional 7-10 minutes or until zucchini is nearly tender.
- Add the tortellini and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. (Time will depend on the packaged tortellini you purchase. Follow the instructions for cooking time).
- Add the spinach and stir. Turn off the heat.
Optional garnishes:
- Stir in pesto, or serve in a dish on the side and let each person add their own.
- Serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese and red pepper flakes.
Notes
- cook time of vegetables will depend on how thin or thick you slice them. Adjust time accordingly.
- For a vegetarian version, swap out chicken broth for vegetable broth.
- Adjust seasonings after soup has cooked. As it cooks down, the flavor will intensify.
- Serve with pesto or pistou on the side or stir into each bowl.
- Add more veggies if you like! Add more broth as necessary.
Sounds like a great recipe, thanks for sharing! I’m just a little confused about Step’s 3 & 4:
3. Bring heat back to slow boil and add zucchini and tortellini and cook an additional 7-10 minutes or until zucchini is nearly tender.
4. Add the tortellini and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. (Time will depend on the packaged tortellini you purchase. Follow the instructions for cooking time). When should I add the Tortellini?
Hi Elizabeth! thanks for catching that. I have updated it! Basically you want all the veggies ALMOST tender, because you’re going to add the tortellini at the end and cook an additional 5-8 minutes depending on the brand you purchase.
Thank you! Cynthia
I didn’t have tortellini, so just made the soup without it and it was delicious. I served the soup with some crusty bread, and it was perfect.
Perfect!
I love to try new soup recipes all the time and this one looks so good with all these vegetables in it! Tortellini sounds like a great addition too.
Love the combination of flavors in this tortellini soup. Thanks for sharing.
What a healthy and hearty soup recipe. Thank you, we all loved it!
I’ve never used tortellini in a soup up until now, and I am glad I did! A lovely way to eat filled pasta! Will definitely be making this soup again when the weather starts getting cold again here in the UK!
Yes very filling!
This looks absolutely amazing! I love finding recipes like this that are full of flavor and also healthy for my family. I can’t wait to make this!
I am definitely making this over the weekend. It’s the perfect way to get some really healthy ingredients into my toddler AND my husband (who also eats like a toddler). LOL
Lol! Awesome!
This sounds like a really tasty soup. I do love tortellini but haven’t had it in a soup before.
The soup looks so delicious…Perfect for Winter. I am saving it for our Winter season…
Perfect for autumn or winter too!
Oh yum! I’ve just come back from Italy and so was delighted to see this recipe. It looks super yummy!
This looks so good, I love all of the hearty vegetables put into this!
This soup looks so hearty and delicious. I can’t wait to make it for my family!
I love the look of this soup. It’s so colourful and it looks like it would really fill you up.
thank you!
What a good idea to use tortellini in soup. Such a good idea to add the red pepper flakes for a bit of kick.
carol
Absolutely, hands down delicious. Made a pot … made another one next day for friends!
thank you so much! Glad you liked it!
I have made this, but believe me not in the same ease as presented in this recipe. It is a wonderful soul warming soup that is easy to put together, once you learn the tricks, but Christina has covered the what if’s beautifully in this recipe. I highly recommend THIS recipe and to follow Christina’s recipes.
Hi Mari,
thanks so much, but I’m not Christina, I’m Cynthia.
At 1892mg sodium that is NOT healthy for anyone. No salt broth and tomatoes would be a much better choice.