This creamy tortellini soup is a great vegetarian winter warmer. It's so easy to make and takes just 20 minutes before this creamy tomato soup with cheesy tortellini is on the table!
This soup is one of the best easy dinners I've made in ages.
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I think this is exactly what you should be eating all through January. The broth is rich and creamy with plenty of flavour from a few dried herbs and thickened with a little flour before adding the pasta and kale.
I like to use fresh cheese tortellini which keeps the whole thing vegetarian although you could easily switch for your favourite meat one or whatever your favourite is. Frozen would also work but you might just need to cook for a little longer to make sure it's heated all the way through.
I like to stir through some kale before serving and waiting until it's bright green before ladling out bowlfuls and topping with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese for the most delicious wintery bowl.
Why we love this soup...
This is such a great soup for a weeknight dinner because it's really quick and easy. The whole thing takes just 20 minutes to make but tastes like it's been cooking for hours.
You can easily customise this soup to your own tastes by adding any of your favourite leafy greens like spinach or switching the cheese tortellini for another flavour like spinach and ricotta or a meaty one.
Most of the ingredients you need are store cupboard ingredients so you can make this soup even when you haven't been shopping in a while.
If you'd like to lighten this soup up you could always skip the cream and have a more brothy soup which would still taste delicious.
Ingredients
This section is here to provide further tips and ideas for alternative ingredients. The full recipe and instructions are included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
Olive Oil, Onion and Garlic: The onion and garlic is fried gently before adding any other ingredients to get a great base of flavour.
Dried Herbs: I like to use oregano and thyme in this soup for that classic Italian flavour.
Liquids: The broth of the soup is made up of vegetable stock and passata.
Tortellini: I usually use just a cheese filled tortellini but you could go for whatever you fancy.
Kale: This works really well in this soup because it adds a lovely bit of crunch but you could switch it for spinach if you prefer.
Double Cream: I like to add just a little bit before serving to give it that indulgent creaminess.
How to make it
Fry the aromatics: Heat the olive oil then add the onion and garlic followed by the dried herbs. Season well.
Make the broth: Cook the flour until browned then pour in the liquids and simmer.
Add the rest of the ingredients: Add the tortellini followed by the kale then stir through the cream before serving.
What to serve with this soup
Honestly, I don't think you really need my help on what to serve with soup. The obvious answer is a big hunk of crusty bread. The great thing about this recipe is that it's a full meal in itself thanks to the hearty pasta but you could always serve it with a light salad if you need a little extra and bread isn't your thing.
Does this recipe freeze well?
You can freeze this recipe but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. The reason for that is that when you defrost and reheat the soup the pasta will become mushy thanks to the double cooking. This will also lead the pasta to soak up more liquid so you would probably need to add more to the soup. A good option would be to complete the recipe up to the end of step 2 then cool and freeze the soup base. When you're ready to eat, defrost the soup base, put it in a saucepan and continue with step 3 of the recipe.
What's the difference between ravioli and tortellini?
If you look at a piece of ravioli and tortellini next to each other you can clearly see the difference in shapes. Ravioli is usually square, sometimes with a frilled edge, while tortellini is normally round with folded over edges. For the purposes of this soup you could use either if you prefer ravioli or find it easier to get hold of.
Want more? Try these other soup recipes!
- Spicy Lentil Soup with Coconut
- Mushroom Miso Soup with Soba Noodles
- Coconut Noodles Soup with Mushroom & Edamame
- Veggie Pesto Pasta Soup with Kale
- Roasted Red Pepper Soup with White Beans
- Spicy Soup with Beans & Rice
- Loaded Baked Potato Chowder
Recipe
Tortellini Soup with Kale
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 1 Onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2 tablespoon Plain Flour
- 1 litre Vegetable Stock
- 1 400g tin Passata
- 300 g Cheese Tortellini
- 100 g Kale chopped
- 100 ml Double Cream
Instructions
- Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic, oregano and thyme. Cook until the onions are soft then add plenty of salt and pepper.
- Add the flour and stir until browned then stir in the vegetable stock and passata. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add the tortellini and cook until tender, usually about 3-5 minutes. Stir the kale in 2 minutes before serving then finish with the cream and extra seasoning if needed.
Notes
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Emily says
What a gorgeous looking soup, it looks absolutely delicious and I love the idea of adding kale in there!
Emily Liao says
This is one of my favorite types of soup to whip up for the week! The flavors are amazing and perfectly hearty.
Peter Petrzala says
Your intro paragraph says exactly what I was thinking. This looks SO perfect for the winter. It really looks like it would warm the soul. But I think what is most impressive is that this only takes 20 minutes? This looks like one of those fabulous restaurant soups that you’d think takes all day.
I love also that you included crusty bread in your photos because I can only imagine how great dipping that bread into that beautifully complex soup would taste!
Andrea Metlika says
Tortellini and tomato with a splash of kale sounds so delicious.
Erika says
This soup is so comforting and flavorful.