Tortellini Soup (with Fresh Spinach Tomato and Garlic)

Name: Tortellini Soup (with Fresh Spinach Tomato and Garlic)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 7
Ingredients: 2 lb Roma tomatoes* ((about 10 medium)); 1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 yellow onion finely chopped ((1 1/2 cups)); 6 cloves garlic, (minced ); 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth; 2 cups water; 1 (20 oz) pkg. refrigerated three cheese tortellini; Salt and freshly ground black pepper, (to taste); 1 tsp granulated sugar; 6 - 9 oz fresh spinach, (chopped); 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil; 3/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, (for serving)

December 16, 2018

Tortellini Soup – with fresh tomatoes, fresh spinach, fresh garlic and fresh basil! It’s such a tasty, colorful soup and it’s brimming with cheesy flavor and so much fresh goodness. Such a comforting soup you’ll want to make year round!

Tortellini Soup with Spinach Tomato and Garlic in a white serving bowl set over a ruffled white plate, sitting on a dark wooden tabletop with a side of bread.

Tortellini Soup with Fresh Tomatoes Spinach and Garlic

Cheese tortellini is one of the tastiest ingredients! I absolutely love it and I also how the store-bought, refrigerated tortellini adds a major short cut and makes it so much easier.

I love it tossed with pesto or another easy sauce for a quick dinner and I also love to add it to soups.

This is a soup I love to make in the summer but obviously I love it in the winter too when it’s so cold outside, and it’s perfect for the month of December with it’s perfectly festive natural red and green colors.

Ingredients for Tortellini Soup

Roma tomatoes (or canned tomatoes)
Extra virgin olive oil
Yellow onion
Garlic
Chicken broth
Refrigerated three cheese tortellini
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Granulated sugar
Fresh spinach
Fresh basil
Parmesan cheese

Ingredients needed to make tortellini soup shown here including tortellini, spinach, tomatoes, onion, parmesan, garlic, chicken broth, basil, olive oil.

How to Make Tortellini Soup

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Once water in pot boils, carefully drop tomatoes into water and boil until easy to peel, about 4 minutes (if a few of them aren’t peeling easily even once you slice through the skin, you can cut an “X” in the bottom of the tomato then return to water for about another minute until skins slightly pull alway).

Boiling tomatoes in a large pot for tortellini soup.

Remove from boiling water, let cool on a cutting board (or for faster cooling chill in a bowl of ice water) then peel seed and dice into bite size pieces, set aside.

Showing how to make tortellini soup. Starting by sauteeing onion and garlic in a large pot.

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat, add onion and saute until tender, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer.
Pour in chicken broth, sugar and season with salt and pepper to taste then increase temp to medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Boiling tortellini in broth mixture to make tortellini soup.

Once it reaches a boil, add tortellini, season with salt and pepper to tastes and boil 7 minutes (or longer if directed on tortellini package).

Adding fresh tomato and spinach to tortellini soup.

Stir in tomatoes, spinach and basil and cook until spinach wilts, about 30 seconds. Serve warm topped with Parmesan cheese.

Completed tortellini soup in a large red cast iron pot with a wooden spoon.

Can I Use Canned Tomatoes?

Boiling, peeling and seeding the tomatoes takes just a little bit of time, but once you get the hang of it’s a breeze. The fresh tomatoes in this soup are so delicious, but in the winter if you can’t find good fresh ones (or if you just don’t have the time to prep the fresh) the canned work great too.

If you are using canned tomatoes in place of fresh add them when adding the chicken broth. Use 2 (14.5 oz) cans or a 28 oz can.

Regular cut or petite cut will work great, or try it with canned San Marzano’s or canned Roma’s (break them up with your hands since they come whole).

Close up image of tortellini soup in a red pot set over a wooden tabletop.

Can I Use Dried Basil?

Dried basil could be used here as well, it won’t be quite as good as the fresh but it will work. If going that route use 2 tsp dried, adding it along with the chicken broth.

Can I Use Frozen or Shelf Stable Tortellini?

Refrigerated tortellini is best in my opinion but frozen tortellini could be used here as well. Add additional cook time as needed (according to package label). Skip shelf stable tortellini the quality is the least of the three options.

Overhead image of tortellini soup in a large red pot.

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Overhead image of tortellini soup in a white serving bowl.

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