Creamy Tortellini Soup

If tomato soup is your go-to comfort food, you’re going to love this creamy tortellini soup. It starts with a rich, velvety broth inspired by creamy tomato soup, and is packed with cheesy tortellini and a generous helping of spinach. A splash of balsamic vinegar — an unexpected ingredient that’s added to the soup once it’s finished cooking — adds a pop of acidity that both enhances the flavor of the tomatoes and keeps the soup from feeling heavy. 

The best part: It’s a true weeknight soup. There’s minimal prep, mostly hands-off cooking, and since the tortellini cooks directly in the soup, you only need one pot.

Creamy tortellini soup is a brothy tomato-based soup flavored with vegetables, Italian seasoning, and a splash of tangy balsamic vinegar. It’s loaded with tender cheese tortellini and a few handfuls of baby spinach. A combination of flour, Parmesan cheese, and heavy cream lends the soup its creaminess. There’s no meat in this version, and you can keep it vegetarian by using vegetable broth (chicken broth also works well, if you prefer to use that).

• Sauté vegetables. Cook the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and seasonings in olive oil until softened.
• Add flour. Stir in all-purpose flour to coat the vegetables and cook for a couple minutes. This makes for a thicker, creamy broth.
• Add liquids and simmer. Add the broth and fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, allowing the flavors to meld. 
• Cook tortellini. Add one package of refrigerated tortellini to the pot and cook for one minute less than the package instructions.
• Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Stir in Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and baby spinach. Once the spinach is wilted, stir in a couple teaspoons of balsamic vinegar.

I recommend using refrigerated tortellini for this soup. It tends to be slightly larger than frozen and cooks in just a few minutes directly in the pot of soup. This recipe calls for cheese tortellini, but if there’s another variety you love or already have on hand, toss it in; it’ll work just fine. 

This isn’t to say that frozen tortellini won’t work — it does. If you prefer to use frozen tortellini, which is a little smaller in size and often comes in a larger package, I recommend increasing the quantity to about 12 ounces (or about 3 cups).