Creamy Vegetarian Tortellini Soup

Creamy vegetarian tortellini soup is the perfect bowl of coziness you need for a cold night. The recipe is highly customizable, and you can have it on the table in just 30 minutes!

I love this creamy vegetarian tortellini soup with beans, not just because it's hearty and perfect for cold weather but also because it requires minimal effort to prepare.

It only takes about 30 minutes to make this soup, and that includes the time you need to wash, peel and dice your veggies.

This creamy spinach tortellini soup is hearty enough to enjoy on its own, but you can also serve it with some crusty bread or garlic bread.

Ingredients and substitutions

Onion, carrot and celery — This is the veggie trio that forms the base of the soup, and you should be patient to cook it for 4-5 minutes to allow them to soften.

Fresh herbs — Fresh rosemary and thyme infuse this tortellini soup with an incredible flavour. However, if you don't have fresh herbs handy, you can use 1 teaspoon of Italian-style herb mix instead.

Tortellini — Cheese tortellini are perfect for this soup, but anything that's vegetarian is fair game. Think spinach and ricotta or aubergine parmigiana tortellini. If you're not vegetarian, use your preferred kind — prosciutto tortellini have the right flavour for this soup.

I typically make this soup with fresh tortellini because they only take 3 minutes to cook. If you want to use dried tortellini, cook them longer, according to the instructions on the package.

Cannellini beans — Canned white beans add extra texture and a boost of protein to this soup. Feel free to use beans that you've cooked from scratch. It will just take longer to make the soup.

Spinach — Tender baby spinach is perfect for this soup, but you can substitute it with kale if you prefer.

How do you make creamy tortellini soup?

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or a Dutch oven and saute the onion, carrot and celery for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until they soften.

Stir in the garlic, rosemary and thyme and cook for another minute until fragrant. Add the vegetable stock and stir to combine.

Bring to a boil, and then add the tortellini, beans and spinach. Lower the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.

Stir in the double cream and season to taste. Serve with some extra freshly ground pepper and sprinkled with Parmesan if you like.

Make it vegan

It's quite easy to make this tortellini soup vegan because most of the ingredients are plant-based anyway.

All you have to do is use vegan tortellini and skip the double cream at the end or replace it with a plant-based version. The plant-based cream alternative from Elmlea is a good option.

How to make Instant Pot tortellini soup

You can also make this tortellini soup in the Instant Pot. It's best to use dried tortellini if making the soup in the pressure cooker because they typically take 14-16 minutes to cook. Fresh tortellini are likely to disintegrate in the Instant Pot.

Here's how to make tortellini soup in the Instant Pot.

Wash, peel and wash all your veggies and plug in the Instant Pot.

Press "Saute" and pour the olive oil. Saute the veggies for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs, cook for another minute, and then press the "Cancel" button to turn off the "Saute" function.

Add the rest of the ingredients except for the spinach and double cream and spinach. Stir to combine, then close the lid and lock it.

Set the release to "Sealing" and then adjust the manual time to 3 minutes. Release the pressure manually, open the lid, and stir in the spinach and double cream. Close the lid for another 2-3 minutes to allow the spinach to wilt.

Recipe notes and tips

• If you want your soup to be thicker, whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour right after sauteeing the veggies.
• Leftovers taste great, but you need to keep in mind that tortellini will continue to absorb the liquid. To reheat, add some stock, water, or milk and bring to a simmer in a saucepan for a couple of minutes.
• If you're not vegetarian, you can add some Italian sausage to this tortellini soup.

If you liked this creamy vegetarian tortellini soup, you might also like:

Easy Italian Meatball Soup

Creamy Spiced Chickpea Soup with Coconut and Lime

Lebanese Lentil Soup with Lemon and Kale

Vegan Lemon Rice Soup

Vegan Harira (Moroccan Chickpea and Lentil Soup)

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