Creamy Vegetable Tortellini Soup (Printable)

Comforting soup with cheese tortellini, vibrant vegetables, and creamy broth—ready in 40 minutes.

# Ingredient List:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 zucchini, diced
07 - 1 cup baby spinach, packed

→ Tortellini

08 - 9 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini

→ Broth & Cream

09 - 4 cups vegetable broth
10 - 1 cup heavy cream
11 - 1/2 cup milk

→ Seasonings

12 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
14 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
15 - Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

→ Garnish

16 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
17 - Fresh basil or parsley, chopped

# How-To Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and diced zucchini; cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
04 - Add cheese tortellini and cook according to package instructions, typically 3 to 5 minutes, until just tender.
05 - Lower heat to a gentle simmer. Stir in heavy cream, milk, dried Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
06 - Add spinach and simmer until wilted, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, which means you can have dinner on the table before the day fully catches up with you.
  • The cream transforms simple vegetables into something so silky and satisfying that even people who claim they don't like soup will ask for seconds.
  • Cheese tortellini does all the heavy lifting—no complicated pasta-making required, just tender pockets of comfort floating in every spoonful.
02 -
  • Don't skip the gentle simmer once the cream goes in—a rolling boil can cause the cream to break and separate, which happened to me once and taught me patience the hard way.
  • Taste the broth before adding cream so you know what seasoning level you're starting from; cream dilutes and softens flavors, so what tastes right before might need adjustment after.
03 -
  • Use refrigerated tortellini instead of frozen, as they cook faster and taste fresher, absorbing more of the creamy broth flavor.
  • If you want to add protein, a can of white beans or some crumbled sausage stirred in with the tortellini makes this heartier without changing the cooking time.
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