Easy Tortellini Soup Chicken Broth (Printable)

Comforting creamy soup with cheese tortellini, chicken broth, and fresh vegetables.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
02 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped

→ Broth & Dairy

06 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
07 - 1 cup heavy cream

→ Pasta

08 - 18 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini

→ Seasonings

09 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
10 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Garnish

13 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
14 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil, then sauté onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Pour in chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
04 - Add cheese tortellini and simmer according to package instructions, typically 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Lower the heat, add heavy cream, and simmer for 3 minutes.
06 - Stir in chopped spinach and cook until wilted, approximately 1 to 2 minutes.
07 - Taste the soup and adjust seasoning as needed.
08 - Ladle into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, which means you can have a restaurant-quality soup on the table before anyone gets too hungry.
  • The cream makes it taste indulgent without requiring you to actually do anything complicated or spend a lot of money.
  • It's flexible enough that you can throw in whatever vegetables are lurking in your crisper drawer and it still tastes perfect.
02 -
  • Don't let the broth boil aggressively once you add the cream, or it might break and separate into greasy puddles instead of staying smooth and luxurious.
  • If you're using frozen tortellini instead of refrigerated, add an extra 3 to 4 minutes to the cooking time, or they'll be tough and sad.
  • Fresh spinach takes up way less room than you think—that 2 cups of loosely packed leaves will compress down to almost nothing, so feel free to be generous.
03 -
  • If your broth tastes a little thin or underseasoned, let it simmer for a few minutes longer before adding the cream—sometimes a little reduction makes all the difference in depth.
  • Grate your Parmesan fresh from a block instead of using the pre-shredded stuff; it melts into the soup more gracefully and tastes sharper and more alive.
  • Have all your ingredients prepped and lined up before you start cooking, because once you begin, the whole thing moves quickly and you don't want to be dicing garlic when the onions are already golden.
Go Back