Tomato Tortellini Soup

Simple and hearty, this Tomato Tortellini Soup is a great recipe for dinner when you need some good comfort food that will fill you up. Stove top and Slow cooker variations to fit your need!

This recipe was originally published December 2018 and updated August 2020.

Comfort food (siiiigh), you really just get me. And soup is for sure right up there with food that soothes the soul. Look at me! It is August, and I suddenly feel like I need to pop out all the sweaters, who am I?

I don't think I really appreciated soup until more recent years. Not sure why. I guess I connected soup with being sick for so long because that's what you eat when you are under the weather, right?

But this Tomato Tortellini Soup is one of my FAVORITE soups of all time and for so so many reasons. It is one of those soups that is cozy and comforting and yet it is still thick and hearty and you still get to chew something.

Once the first cool crisp Sunday comes around as we move into fall, my belly basically screams, "Soup! Chili! Soup! More Soup! More Chili!" and this one is top on the list.

1. It is thick and hearty. I like to think of this tomato tortellini as a bowl of pasta just with a whole bunch of sauce. The tortellini adds a lot of bulk to the soup.
2. There is minimal chopping ingredients. Lots of soups require a LOT of chopping veggies and ingredients. This one only involves chopping up one onion. I think I can do that!
3. It is so easily varied. Switch up the tortellini and switch up the marinara and you can have a different soup every day of the year!

What you will need to make this recipe:

• I have used chicken and vegetable broth for this Tomato Tortellini soup and love both. The day I snapped this image, the grocery subbed my veggie broth with chicken so that's what I used! That's pandemic grocery pick up for us, these days.
• You can use frozen spinach if you would like to in this recipe. I know "2 large handfuls" isn't really a great measurement but if you are using frozen, use about half of a 10 oz. package or your desired amount.

How to make this recipe (stove top):

• Heat olive oil and add in onions and garlic. Sauté until onions start to become translucent. (step 1)
• Add in the marinara, 4 cups broth, diced tomatoes (no need to drain the liquid), tomato paste, spices, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. (step 2)
• Add in the spinach and bring heat to medium low. Allow to heat for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Allow a light bubbling here but if it starts to really boil, lower the heat a touch. (step 3 and 4)

• Lower to a simmer. About 5 minutes before ready to serve, add in the tortellini and allow to cook until al dente. If the tortellini is frozen, you will want to cook it longer. (step 5)
• Adjust thickness of soup if desired by adding in another cup of broth for a thinner broth or more tomato paste for thicker. Enjoy your soup with freshly shredded parmesan, fresh basil and a big loaf of warm bread. (step 6)

For the slow cooker version, literally toss everything in the slow cooker and heat on low 4-6 hours or high 2-3 hours. Add in tortellini about 10-15 minutes before ready to serve.

I love both versions of this soup. There is something to be said about soup from the slow cooker. The flavors just really meld together.

Notes:

• The thing I find to be the best part of this recipe is using a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. This allows you to really make it your own. And you can switch up the type each time you make it! We loooooove Newman's Sockarooni the most but I have made this also with a spicy marinara  and that was fun.
• The tortellini can also be any flavor you love. Another way to fine tune this one and switch things up every time. We love using a four cheese but a spinach and ricotta or something meaty for Anthony are coming soon to our home.
• Garlic bread--that goes without saying, right? It's the perfect pairing with this soup!
• Don't overcook the tortellini. You will definitely want to wait until just before serving to add the tortellini for best results.

Can I freeze this soup?

I have frozen this soup before and reheated it in the microwave. The flavor is great but the tortellini texture isn't as good as freshly cooked. But it's not bad enough for me not to continue freezing it.

Just know its still good re-heated, but fresh or day old is my personal favorite.

Other than that, this Tomato Tortellini Soup is cozy and delicious and sure to make everyone's belly's happy!

Check out these other cozy recipes:

• Simple Chicken and Biscuit Skillet
• One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
• Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili
• Maple Glazed Roasted Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

DID YOU MAKE ONE OF MY RECIPES? LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW! I ALSO LOVE TO SEE YOUR LEMONS + ZEST RECIPES ON SOCIAL MEDIA–TAG ME @LEMONSANDZEST ON INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK!

Tomato Tortellini Soup

Simple and hearty, this Tomato Tortellini Soup is a great recipe for dinner when you need some good comfort food that will fill you up. Stove top and Slow cooker variations to fit your need!

4.92 from 12 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 353kcal

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 24 oz. jar marinara
• ▢ 1 onion, diced
• ▢ 2 14.5 can tomatoes (not drained)
• ▢ 3 T tomato paste, more or less for desired thickness
• ▢ 2 handfuls Spinach
• ▢ 2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon basil (Italian seasoning works too!)
• ▢ 4 -5 c broth
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Red pepper
• ▢ 1 8-12oz. Tortellini package
• ▢ sea salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ olive oil (for stove top)

Instructions

For Stove Top:

• Over medium high heat, heat olive oil. Sauté garlic and onion until translucent. 
• Add the broth, tomatoes, tomato paste and spices (including salt and pepper). Stir to combine. Add in the spinach and allow it to cook down into the soup. Turn the stove to medium low and allow to heat at a light bubble for about 10 minutes.
• Several minutes before ready to serve, toss in tortellini and allow to cook until softened. Add more tomato paste to thicken the broth or if you prefer your soup more broth based, you can even add more broth.
• Enjoy with fresh basil, garlic bread and your favorite shredded parmesan cheese!

For Slow Cooker:

• Combine all ingredients into slow cooker except for tortellini. Cook on low 4-6 hours or High 2-3 hours.
• Add in tortellini about 10 minutes before serving and allow to cook until al dente. Serve with your favorite garnishes!

Notes

• Make this super creamy with a few tablespoons of heavy cream. Stir it in after adding the tortellini.
• The thing I find to be the best part of this recipe is using a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. This allows you to really make it your own. And you can switch up the type each time you make it! We loooooove Newman's Sockarooni the most but I have made this also with a spicy marinara  and that was fun.
• The tortellini can also be any flavor you love. Another way to fine tune this one and switch things up every time. We love using a four cheese but a spinach and ricotta or something meaty for Anthony are coming soon to our home.
• Don't overcook the tortellini. You will definitely want to wait until just before serving to add the tortellini for best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 3273mg | Potassium: 1968mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 3615IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 204mg | Iron: 8mg

Did you try this recipe? I would love to see it! Mention @LemonsAndZest or tag #LemonsAndZest!