Creamy Vegetable Tortellini Soup (Printable Version)

Comforting soup with cheese tortellini, fresh vegetables, and creamy broth—ready in just 40 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 zucchini, diced
07 - 1 cup baby spinach, packed

→ Pasta

08 - 9 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini

→ Broth & Cream

09 - 4 cups vegetable broth
10 - 1 cup heavy cream
11 - 1/2 cup whole milk

→ Seasonings

12 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
13 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
14 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
15 - Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

→ Garnish

16 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
17 - Fresh basil or parsley, chopped

# How to Prepare:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and diced zucchini; cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
03 - Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
04 - Add cheese tortellini and cook according to package instructions, usually 3-5 minutes, until just tender.
05 - Lower heat to a gentle simmer. Stir in heavy cream, milk, Italian herbs, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using.
06 - Add spinach and simmer until wilted, about 1-2 minutes.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan and fresh herbs. Serve hot.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like restaurant quality but comes together faster than you'd think possible.
  • Every vegetable softens into the broth beautifully without turning mushy, which is harder than it sounds.
  • The cream makes it feel indulgent while still being something you'd actually make on a random Tuesday.
02 -
  • If you add the cream while the broth is boiling hard, it can separate and look curdled—I learned this the humbling way on my second attempt.
  • The tortellini will continue cooking slightly even after you turn off the heat, so pull it off when it's just barely tender, not when it's perfectly soft.
03 -
  • Keep your broth at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, because the lower heat prevents cream from breaking apart.
  • Taste constantly as you go—it's the only way to know if your broth is salty enough or if you need one more pinch of something, because every brand of tortellini and broth is different.
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