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.
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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 was very delicious! I added a can of rinsed black beans and a dash of Italian seasoning. It was a meal by itself. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Very good recipe! The fennel is a great ingredient here. The fresh tortellini doesn’t take long to cook so I added it to simmer in the soup rather than dirtying another pan. House guests coming next week. This will be a great first night supper after a long day’s traveling.
So glad you love the recipe, Ted! I hope your guests enjoy it too.
This is FAB, thank you!! Like some other people, I used fresh spinach bc I didn’t have kale. Only thing I added that was not in the recipe was cottage cheese. Great recipe!
Hi! Making this tonight. Does it keep well? For leftovers?
Hi Amanda, yep! It keeps well. The tortellini will soak up some of the broth and soften as it sits, so it’s best enjoyed within a day or two.
I want to make this soup for 80 people, can you tell me the volume per serving? I know it says serves 4, but it seems like a lot of soup to multiply it by 20. I need about 22 quarts of soup total.
Hi Kelli, unfortunately, I don’t know the total volume for this soup recipe. I might estimate 2 quarts? So you’d need to multiply by 11 to serve 80? But that’s just a guess.
The best tortellini soup I’ve tried! The base is excellent – I think the fennel adds so much flavour and a delicate sweetness which works beautifully. I think I’ll use this base for a minestrone as well.
Hi Sharon, I’m so glad you loved the soup!
Made this soup for the first time today and it’s definitely a keeper. I used just half a bulb of fennel and spinach in the soup instead of kale. I omitted the red pepper flakes because sadly I can’t have themand the soup turned out great! I topped it with the kale pesto and paired the soup with crusty sourdough bread which was a perfect combination on a cold Canadian day!
Hi. I’m in the middle of making the soup right now. I’m chopping up the fennel and I was wondering how much of it to use. My husband bought a big one so I was wondering how many actual cups I should be dicing. Thank you I can’t wait to eat it and either way I’m sure it’ll taste delicious as all your recipes.
Hi Amanda, I’m sorry I didn’t see this quick enough – the whole thing should be fine, even if it’s large.
Good soup, I used store bought pesto instead of making kale pesto. It was really healthy and full of vegetables, and had good flavor.
Used chard because I had it. Used chicken tortellini for the same reason. (I don’t eat dairy.) Made a rich homemade stock with chicken bones and trimmings from leeks. Did not use any pesto. Super good.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
If i cant find fennel what can i use instead?
Delicious but I must have over measured peppers because it’s very spicy. Is there. A way I can tone it down
Hi Daphne, try adding more something acidic – more lemon or balsamic vinegar.
Just wondering why you can’t cook the tortillas in the soup instead of cooking before adding to the soup
Hi Daphne, you can but the starches in the pasta release into the soup so it gets very thick. If you want to do it that way, you can add some water at the end if it becomes too thick.
The whole family loved this, even our picky eater children. I’ve made this a few times, but never added the pesto. I used vegetable better than bouillon as broth each time. Delicious and healthy!
I’m so glad you’ve loved it!
What could I sub tortellini for or do you think it would still be good without it?
Delicious! I subbed spinach for kale since I had some in the fridge that needed using up, along with leftover basil pesto instead of kale pesto as the garnish, but it was still great. We had quite a bit left over as this makes a good amount – closer to 5 or 6 servings in my household of two. I’ll have to see how it keeps but will most likely halve the recipe next time . Cheers!
Very good! The Kale Pesto makes it!
So glad you loved it, Liz!
What can I use instead of Kale? I was thinking Spinach.
Hi Amanda, spinach would work!
I have made this recipe faithfully for about four years. For the first time, however, I didn’t have balsamic vinegar. I ended up using red wine vinegar I had around as a substitute and it worked in case any one is in a bind for ingredients.
So glad you love the recipe, Victoria! Thanks for sharing that tip.
Hello! Do you have the nutrition facts for this recipe?