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This spinach tortellini soup is easy and bursting with flavor! Veggies, herbs and Parmesan cheese make a deliciously savory broth.
Here’s a tasty, simple soup that impresses every time: Spinach Tortellini Soup! This one is for the books. Doughy pillows of tortellini float in a tangy, tomato broth seasoned with Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese. It’s loaded up with nutrient-dense spinach and tender vegetables like carrot and fennel, which add nuance and crunch. Sprinkle with Pecorino Romano cheese and it’s a total triumph. Our friends and family couldn’t get enough: when it’s “wow!” from the first bite, we know it’s a keeper!
Ingredients in spinach tortellini soup
This spinach tortellini soup has an herby tomato-based broth, thickened slightly with Parmesan cheese. The flavor of the broth is dependent on the quality of tomatoes, so don’t skimp here! It’s similar to our Creamy Tortellini Soup but simpler, without the cream and with more spinach. Here are a few notes on the ingredients you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Fennel
- Carrot
- Garlic
- Crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- Vegetable broth
- Parmesan cheese
- Oregano, garlic powder, dried thyme, salt, and pepper
- Refrigerated cheese tortellini or tortelloni
- Spinach
- Fresh ground black pepper
Use refrigerated tortelloni
Turns out, the best pasta to use for a tortellini soup is actually tortelloni, a larger shape of tortellini! We prefer this shape because it’s bigger and more satisfying flavor-wise. Make sure it’s refrigerated, because this means it’s fresh pasta (and will cook during the short simmering time). Don’t use dried tortellini! Here’s the difference between tortellini vs tortelloni:
- Tortelloni is a pasta shape that is larger than tortellini with a filled center. Tortellini is smaller and ring shaped, with a hole in the middle.
- Where to find it? Tortelloni is easy to find the refrigerated section at your local grocery. It’s usually not available dried or frozen (though you can find tortellini dried and frozen).
- How to tell the difference quickly? Tortellini has a hole in the middle, whereas tortelloni has a solid center that encloses the filling.
- Either way: don’t use dried pasta! It has a different cook time and the package weights are different.
Use fire roasted tomatoes if possible
The other key to this spinach tortellini soup? Fire roasted tomatoes! We use this type of tomato often in our recipes to bring big flavor in a short cook time.
- Fire roasted tomatoes are a type of canned tomato that’s cooked over an open flame before canning. It makes the flavor beautifully sweet out of the can, instead of acidic like many canned tomato varieties.
- Where to get them? This type of tomatoes are becoming pretty easy to find in grocery stores in the US; they’re sold by several brands (Muir Glen is a favorite of ours). Look in the canned tomatoes section.
- What if you can’t find them? Substitute the best quality canned tomatoes you can find and increase the simmer time by 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar if the flavor still seems bitter.
Spinach tortellini soup storage info
This tortellini soup is best hot from the stove! But if you have leftovers or want to make it ahead, we’ve got some tips.
- Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 5 days. The flavor gets even better over time!
- Reheat over the stovetop for a few minutes until warmed through. If you make it ahead, you can make it without the tortellini and refrigerate. Then heat it up and cook the tortellini right before serving. This allows the broth to not soak into the tortellini during storage (but it’s not required).
More tortellini recipes
Want more with tortellini (or…tortelloni?). Here are our top tortellini recipes:
- Try Cheese Tortellini in Creamy Marinara
- Make Creamy Tortellini Soup instead
- Mix up Baked Tortellini or Pesto Tortellini
- Go for Easy Tortellini Salad
This spinach tortellini soup recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Print
Spinach Tortellini Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This spinach tortellini soup is easy and bursting with flavor! Veggies, herbs and Parmesan cheese make a deliciously savory broth.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, small diced
- 1 fennel bulb, small diced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and small diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 28-ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes*
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 9 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini or tortelloni
- 4 cups (4 ounces) baby spinach (or chopped standard spinach)
- Fresh ground black pepper
- To garnish: grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, fennel, and garlic and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, Parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder, thyme, and kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the tortellini or tortelloni and the baby spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Season with fresh ground black pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Notes
*Can’t find fire-roasted tomatoes? Substitute the best quality canned tomatoes you can find and increase the simmer time by 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar if the flavor still seems bitter.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Soup
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Spinach tortellini soup, tortellini soup with spinach
What are the calorie counts are these recipes?
I added the nutrition info to the bottom of the card.
Made this soup a couple nights ago and was amazed how quickly and easily it came together. And-it really was delicious and satisfying. I added a tsp of cayenne to give it a kick. Very good! Thanks for saving Thursday night dinner!
can you give the sodium content?
Hi! We omit the sodium from our card because many ingredients we use such as beans, soy sauce or broth can have vastly different amounts and we don’t want to give false information. Even different brands of kosher salt can vary. 1/2 teaspoon of Morton kosher salt has 960 mg of sodium
I am really a novice when it comes to cooking. I only started cooking around 10 years ago after retiring. Because of many different dietary restrictions of family members, I sometimes have a tough time finding a receipt that is compatible with most people. Your website has been really helpful. Just tried the tortelloni soup. Everyone just loved it and I am already getting requests to make it again. I have never used fennel before so I left it out and I used more tortelloni and spinach than the receipt called for because I know that the spinach shrinks when cooked. I have used quite a few of your receipts and have great luck with all of them. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for the comment! So glad you are enjoying the recipes. Try the fennel some time! You’ll love it.