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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. Can be prepped in under 30 minutes too! Stove top and Slow cooker variations to fit your need!

White bowl of tomato tortellini soup topped with fresh parmesan and chopped basil.

This recipe was originally published December 2018 and updated September 2023..

I never appreciated soup in my younger days, so now is the time, and I want all the soup! This Tomato Tortellini Soup recipe is one of my FAVORITE soups especially when I want a quick and easy, hearty bowl of soup.

I typically have this soup on hand along with this Italian vegetable soup, sausage gnocchi soup or rotisserie chicken noodle in the fridge or stocked in the freezer at any given time once fall hits. If not one of these, then chili for sure!

Why You Will Love This Tomato Tortellini Soup:

It is hearty and filling. If you are a fan of tomato basil style soups, this tortellini soup adds more bulk by adding in the pasta which gives it a bit of a boost in protein and carbs to really get you fueled.
Minimal ingredients to chop or prep. Lots of soups require a LOT of chopping veggies and ingredients. This one only involves chopping up one onion. Everything else is just a matter of tossing it in--that is what I love. A great canned good/pantry ingredient recipe.
You can make it stove top or in the crock pot. If you want to whip this soup up in just 30 minutes, make it stove top. If not, toss everything but the tortellini in the slow cooker and then add the tortellini in shortly before serving. It is a great soup either way!
The soup is so easy to vary. Switch up the tortellini to easily make this soup different every time. Use different marinaras to shift the flavor. Add Italian sausage, stir in some heavy cream--lots of ways to make this tomato tortellini soup different!

Recipe Ingredients:

onion: sweet onion is the preference here but if you only have white onion or another kind, it should still sub well
garlic: if possible, use freshly minced garlic for optimal flavor. If you don't have any on hand, start with about ½ teaspoon of garlic powder and adjust from there
canned tomatoes: diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes both work well but I find the diced work better in this soup to provide come chunkiness to the soup. If you use crushed tomatoes, it can be a bit too much since it's likely that there will be crushed tomatoes in the marinara and that could make the texture seem a bit off.
tomato paste: this will thicken up the broth. You can omit it if you like your broth a bit thinner and more liquid.
broth: chicken or vegetable will work. We prefer low or no sodium broths to be able to control the saltiness of the soup overall.
marinara: the marinara provides instant flavor to this tomato tortellini soup recipe as well as a bit of bulk. Use one that you really love. Tomato basil flavored marinara is great!
spinach: fresh spinach is ideal but if you would like to use frozen, that is fine too! About 5-6 oz. frozen spinach is probably ideal amount and you can throw it in frozen.
seasoning: salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and a touch of crushed red pepper round this soup out with great Italian flavor!
tortellini: use your favorite kind. We use the refrigerated tortellini, typically a cheese version. If you have frozen tortellini, just plan for extra time to
optional ingredients: we typically serve this soup with chopped fresh basil and freshly grated parmesan. A drizzle of heavy cream is great as well or you can stir in about ½ cup or a bit more for a creamy broth!

Ingredients needed to make tomato tortellini soup including broth, spinach, canned tomatoes, and more on coutner.

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, 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)

Slow Cooker Variation:

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.