Soup season is upon us and this Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup is what it’s all about! A creamy broth is stuffed with tender tortellini and hearty vegetables and chunks of chicken breast. This is an easy, simple soup that is made in 30 minutes and perfect for a weeknight meal.
Let’s show you how to make Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup step by step:
I used a mirepoix to start; carrots, onion, and celery. I rough diced them- this is a rustic Italian style soup, so they don’t need to be perfect. Toss the mirepoix in a bit of flour to keep the soup thick. Pro Tip- Don’t feel like chopping? Trader Joes sells a prechopped mirepoix mix! It’s near the vegetables and chilled salad dressings.
Cook the vegetables until they are tender or the onions are translucent, then add chicken broth. Once simmering, add the tortellinis and continue to simmer until they float. Once the soup is no longer bubbling, add in heavy whipping cream, frozen peas, and precooked chicken.
Let the soup sit for about 5 minutes to allow the chicken to heat up, then add in a handful of spinach leaves. I will say, the spinach can get a bit chewy if the leaves are too big. Chopped spinach is another option.Â
And boom- you got yourself a big ole’ batch of creamy chicken tortellini soup. It’s that easy!
What other vegetables can I add?
While we used a traditional mix of mirepoix, peas and spinach, you could also add:
- Zucchini
- Mushrooms
- Chopped Asparagus
- Red Bell Pepper (or Roasted Red Bell Pepper would be great, too!)
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
What other meat can I use besides chicken?
- Leftover Thanksgiving turkey
- Sausage- any kind. Sauté it with the vegetables though, or precook and add once soup is finished.
- Ground turkey, chicken or beef.
- Meatballs! Fresh or leftover would be great.
- You could use shrimp to make it almost like a chowder. Add 1/2 cup of clam juice if you enjoy a real chowder seafood type flavor.
How can I make this soup vegetarian?
Leave out the chicken, use vegetable stock, and boom- vegetarian soup. You could add a bit of extra tortellini to make up for the difference if you need some added ‘oomph’. You could also use ground Beyond meat!
Other Questions & Tips about this Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup:
- Use heavy whipping cream (rather than milk or half and half). It won’t curdle and because not alot is used, it doesn’t impact the calories that much.
- This soup freezes well. Allow to cool and then transfer to a large airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, I reccomend placing semi thawed soup in a pot and heating on low-medium heat.
- I buy my tortellini at Costco- but any fresh type of tortellini works well. I do not recommend dried tortellini as it can taste like play dough 😀
- If you do not have tortellini on hand, try a thicker pasta like Cavatappi. Follow the recipe as written.
Other 30 minute soups we recommend:
- 20 Minute Chicken Corn Chowder
- Sausage and Potato Soup (similar to Zuppa Toscana!)
- 30 Minute Minestrone Soup with Sausage
- Gnocchi Sausage Soup
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Cheers to hearty, home cooked soups! – Kathi and RachelÂ
Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 tbsp dried Italian spices (basil/oregano/rosemary/thyme)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz cheese tortellini pasta
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves (chopped if preferred)
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast (or leftover rotisserie chicken)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sized soup pot on medium heat, add olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Once onion is translucent, toss in flour and stir to coat.
- Add Italian seasoning and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Once simmering, add tortellini. Once tortellini float to top, reduce heat to low.
- Once soup is no longer bubbbling, add heavy whipping cream, chicken, and frozen peas. Let sit 5 minutes.
- Add spinach, stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
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