This tortellini soup recipe is easy to prepare, delicious, and vegetarian friendly! A great option for a weeknight family meal or when having guests over during the colder months.
Winter in Wisconsin means that my family has a variety of soups on a heavy rotation right now. There is just nothing better on a cold winter’s day than coming inside to a warm, cozy bowl of homemade soup. This tortellini soup recipe is the ultimate comfort food recipe while still being pretty darn healthy (you can’t always say that when it comes to comfort food)! I especially love that this soup is an easy dinner recipe to put together, and it can be made on either the stove top or in your slow cooker!
This vegetarian tortellini soup is an easy dinner recipe for beginners who are just getting into cooking and the seasoned chef alike. It is made using a variety of vegetables, your favorite tomato based spaghetti sauce, and your go-to store bought cheese tortellini. This soup recipe is very forgiving…it doesn’t really matter how small you chop your veggies, or if you want to add more broccoli instead of one of the other vegetables…it’ll turn out great.
I have a particular soft spot for this tortellini soup recipe because it is based on a recipe that my mom made a lot while I was growing up…and it just makes me happy every time we have it. I hope you enjoy it too!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Level of difficulty: This vegetarian tortellini soup recipe is easy to make. The most challenging part of this recipe is chopping your vegetables…and I know you can do that!
Flavor: The main flavor you will get from this recipe is the tomato base you get from your sauce (so select a nice quality one!). The other vegetables kind of blend in, and you get pops of your pasta and cheese whenever you have a tortellini as a part of your bite.
Texture: This vegetarian tortellini soup recipe yields a thick and chunky soup.
Time: Including prep and cook time, plan for 35-45 minutes to make your tortellini soup if cooking on the stovetop. If you’re planning to use your slow cooker, plan for 5-½ to 6-½ hours for your soup to be ready. The prep time will vary depending on how fast you chop!
Ingredients Needed
Fresh Vegetables: This tortellini soup recipe is packed with veggies, so it’s important to purchase fresh produce from your grocery store when you’re planning to make this soup. You’ll need a medium onion, broccoli, carrots, and zucchinis in addition to canned, diced tomatoes.
Spaghetti Sauce: It’s true, this soup uses a high-quality tomato based pasta sauce as it’s base. Let the good folks at the sauce company do the heavy lifting for you on this one. I recommend using a tomato basil pasta sauce as it gives this tortellini soup recipe a really lovely flavor.
Cheese Tortellini: Use your favorite store-bought cheese tortellini for this soup. I usually use a mix-pack that has both standard and spinach pasta with a cheese filling.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Wash and chop your veggies: Prep your veggies per notes on ingredient list
- For the slow cooker, add ingredients, stir & go! Add all ingredients EXCEPT your tortellini to your slow cooker, stir, and let it work it’s magic on low for 5-6 hours.
- For the stove top, start by sautéing the onion, carrots and broccoli stems: Sauté these veggies with olive oil, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent.
- Add in your liquids and remaining veggies: First add a small amount of your broth in, and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze your pan. Then add the rest of the vegetable broth, V8, and pasta sauce. Stir, and add in your diced tomatoes, zucchini, and broccoli florets. Cook until all vegetables are tender.
- For both cooking methods, as you near the end of your soup’s cook time, cook your tortellini in a separate pan: Cook your tortellinis per the package instructions
- Serve up!: Spoon soup and desired amount of tortellinis into a bowl, bon appetit!
- Store leftovers: Store remaining soup in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. I recommend storing your soup and your tortellinis in separate containers to avoid soggy pasta.
Recipe FAQs
What kind of spaghetti sauce should I use for my tortellini soup? The spaghetti sauce is where you get a lot of your flavor for this soup. Using a high-quality tomato based sauce will make a big difference in the final flavor of your soup. I recommend using a tomato basil sauce as it really makes this tortellini soup recipe shine. But you can try your favorite marinara sauce, a fire-roasted tomato sauce, a fresh mushroom Italian sauce, etc.
My vegetarian tortellini soup is too thick, how do I fix this? If your tortellini soup seems too thick, you can thin it down by adding more spaghetti sauce, V8, and/or broth.
Should I put any toppings on my tortellini soup? While this tortellini soup recipe is delicious as-is, adding shredded parmesan or romano cheese on top of this soup only adds to this delightful comfort food recipe. You could also add fresh basil on top for a big punch of Italian flavor. You do you!
If I’d prefer to add meat to this soup, what should I add? You can definitely add meat to this tortellini soup recipe if you do not adhere to a vegetarian diet. You could easily brown italian sausage in a pan on the stove-top to add into this soup. I have also had this soup with diced, cooked chicken breast which was enjoyable as well.
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Tortellini Soup (Vegetarian)
Ingredients
- 1, 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce I recommend tomato basil
- 1, 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 2, 12 oz cans V8 tomato juice I like to use low-sodium
- 2 cups vegetable broth water will also work
- 1-2 medium heads of broccoli chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped into thin semi-circles
- 2 small to medium zucchinis chopped into thin semi-circles
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil*
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2, 20 oz packages cheese tortellini prepared per package directions
Instructions
Stove Top Directions
- Wash and chop all of the vegetables. Set broccoli florets and zucchini aside
- Place oil in a Dutch oven or large stock pot over medium heat. Once warm, sauté the onion, carrot, broccoli stems, with salt and pepper until the onions are translucent (~3-5 minutes)
- Pour a small amount of the vegetable broth into the pan and scrape the bottom of your pan to deglaze
- Pour the remaining broth, V8, and spaghetti sauce into the pot. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, and broccoli florets. Simmer until vegetables are tender (~10-15 minutes)
- While soup is simmering, prepare tortellini according to package directions
- Spoon soup and desired amount of tortellini into individual bowls, serve, and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge*
Slow Cooker Directions
- Wash and chop all of the vegetables
- Place all ingredients EXCEPT your tortellini in your crockpot and stir to coat your vegetables in the sauce
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours, until vegetables are fork tender
- While soup is nearing the end of it’s cooking time, prepare tortellini according to package directions
- Spoon soup and desired amount of tortellini into individual bowls, serve, and enjoy!
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge*
David says
We came across this recipe a while back, and it’s a staple in our house now. Kids love the tortellini, and we love that we can at least put vegetables in front of them that they might actually eat. I stress “might” eat because, well, kids.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
I love that this soup is a staple in your house now! And it’s always a “might” with kids, ha!