Tortellini Soup

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.

Tortellini soup

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.

Pasta, tomatoes, olive oil, and vegetables

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.

Pot of tortellini soup

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!

Vegetarian tortellini soup recipe

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:

Round out the meal with homemade focaccia or good crusty bread. Enjoy!

Tortellini soup recipe

More Favorite Soup Recipes

If you love this soup, try one of these delicious recipes next:

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Tortellini Soup

rate this recipe:
4.99 from 168 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Serves 4
This vegetarian tortellini soup is healthy, comforting, and easy to make! For a vegan variation, substitute your favorite vegan tortellini. I like the Kite Hill brand.

Equipment

Ingredients

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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133 comments

4.99 from 168 votes (115 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Gloria Miller
    02.09.2024

    5 stars
    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

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.09.2024

      Hi Gloria, I’m so glad you loved it!

  2. Erin
    02.06.2024

    5 stars
    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.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.09.2024

      Hi Erin, great to hear! So glad you enjoyed the soup.

  3. Kim
    01.19.2024

    5 stars
    Such a tasty and hearty recipe! Just what we needed during the snowy weekend 🙂

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.19.2024

      Hi Kim, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!

  4. Kelly
    12.20.2023

    5 stars
    Delicious! My entire family loved it!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.21.2023

      I’m so happy to hear!

  5. Jess
    12.11.2023

    5 stars
    So easy. Soup was fresh and delicious!

  6. Nancy
    12.02.2023

    Soup looks delicious! Can I not just cook the tortellini in the soup?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.05.2023

      Hi Nancy, you can, but the starches of the pasta will thicken the soup. If it becomes too thick, add just a little water.

  7. Coleen
    12.01.2023

    5 stars
    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?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.05.2023

      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.

  8. Charlotte
    11.19.2023

    5 stars
    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.

  9. Dee
    11.14.2023

    5 stars
    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.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.16.2023

      That sounds delicious, I’m so glad your family enjoyed it!

  10. Devin
    11.04.2023

    5 stars
    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

  11. Dowe
    10.24.2023

    Do you think basil pesto as a sub for kale pesto would taste alright ?

  12. Julie C.
    09.23.2023

    5 stars
    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!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.27.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  13. Jack from love%20and%20lemons
    08.05.2023

    5 stars
    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

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.07.2023

      I’m so glad you both loved it!

  14. Jean
    07.21.2023

    4 stars
    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

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.24.2023

      I’m so glad you enoyed it!

  15. Julie
    07.21.2023

    My family loved this recipe. However, not kale fans, we substituted arugula and arugula pesto. A clear dinner time winner every time!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.24.2023

      Yum, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  16. Stephanie
    07.20.2023

    5 stars
    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!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.24.2023

      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.

  17. Gabriela
    02.20.2023

    Loved it, my wife will be pleased and hopefully happy the rest of the week.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.23.2023

      So glad you enjoyed the soup!

  18. kj
    02.02.2023

    5 stars
    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.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.03.2023

      I’m so glad you loved the soup! This base is fantastic for a veggie soup, hope you enjoy!

  19. Margaret Ault
    01.12.2023

    5 stars
    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.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.13.2023

      I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes! Great to hear that the soup was a hit.

    • G
      01.14.2023

      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!

      • Dee
        01.30.2023

        5 stars
        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.

  20. kelly
    01.05.2023

    5 stars
    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?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.05.2023

      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!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.