Creamy Vegetable Tortellini Soup (Printable Version)

Tender cheese tortellini simmered with carrots, celery, zucchini, and spinach in a rich, seasoned broth.

# What You 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

→ Tortellini

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, or to taste
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 Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, 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 to 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 to 2 minutes.
07 - Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
08 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan and fresh herbs if desired. Serve hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd expect, which means weeknight dinners stop feeling like a chore.
  • The creamy broth is luxurious enough to feel indulgent but built on vegetable broth, so it never feels heavy.
  • Vegetables soften into the soup rather than staying raw, so every spoonful tastes intentional and fully cooked.
02 -
  • Don't skip the initial five-minute sauté of the onion, carrot, and celery—those few minutes do more for the final flavor than you'd expect.
  • Add the spinach at the very end so it stays bright and tender instead of becoming a dull shadow of itself in the simmering broth.
03 -
  • Keep the heat gentle once you've added the cream—a rolling boil can cause it to separate and look broken, even though the taste stays delicious.
  • Taste the broth before you add tortellini and adjust seasonings then, because the pasta will absorb some of the saltiness as it cooks.
Go Back