Tomato Tortellini Soup
This homemade Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup recipe is my reader’s favorite Parmesan Basil Soup kicked up a notch with pillowy cheese, veggie or sausage tortellini! It’s luxuriously creamy, cozy and satisfying, loaded with fire roasted diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, basil and Parmesan pureed until velvety, then studded with tender tortellini. This Creamy Tortellini Soup is pantry friendly, make ahead friendly, versatile and will have everyone coming back for seconds and thirds. Your family will love this recipe with homemade Caesar salad and buttery garlic breadsticks!
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 stalks celery, chopped into thirds to fit food processor
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, chopped into thirds to fit processor
- 1/2 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or salted and reduce salt)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 4 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 14 oz. cans fire roasted diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 tablespoon dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH dried parsley, pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup half and half or evaporated milk
- 16 ounces refrigerated cheese, veggie or sausage tortellini
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (grated on zester, not like powder)
GARNISH
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- fresh basil (optional)
Instructions
- Add celery, carrots, onion and garlic to a food processor and pulse until finely minced (or mince by hand).
- Melt butter in oil in a large Dutch oven/soup pot over medium-high heat. Add minced vegetables and sauté for 4 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and continue to cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
- Gradually whisk in the chicken broth, followed by the tomatoes, all herbs, seasonings and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn.
- Puree with an immersion blender or working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth, being careful to let smoke escape or it will explode (I remove the fill cap and cover with a paper towel). ***Using a blender will give you a MUCH smoother, creamier soup.***
- Stir in the half and half and bring to a simmer. Add the tortellini and cook for 3-4 minutes, or as instructed on Tortellini package. Add the Parmesan a handful at a time until melted. Dig in!
Video
Notes
- Tortellini: I recommend the smaller tortellini (it usually says “great in soups” on the package) because the tortellini plumps up when cooked.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes: These can be found in the canned section next to traditional diced tomatoes. These are diced tomatoes that have been gently roasted, imparting a complex sweetness and smokiness, while mellowing the acidic bite. If you can't locate fire roasted diced tomatoes, use regular diced tomatoes and be prepared to add a splash of sugar at the end of cooking to mellow the acidity.
- Parmesan: Use only FRESHLY grated Parmesan cheese so it will melt easily. Grate the Parmesan on a citrus zester. If you only have a box cheese grater, then it's okay to grate to powder, but I would start with only 1/2 cup, and add more to taste if needed.
- To make it less creamy: Omit the half and half and add additional broth as needed.
- Half and half substitute: Use evaporated milk, coconut milk, almond milk, or even chicken broth. Please, however, don’t use regular milk or it will curdle while simmering. If you want to use regular milk, add it at the end, after simmering the tortellini.
- To make it dairy-free: Use vegetable/mushroom tortellini, substitute the half and half with coconut, almond or cashew milk. Use vegan Parmesan like VioLife Just Like Parmesan (according to reviews, it melts extremely well).
- To make it vegan: Same as above and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- To make it gluten-free: Use gluten free tortellini. Replace the flour with gluten-free flour OR whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch into part of the chicken broth until smooth to create a slurry. (The general rule of thumb is you need half the amount of cornstarch as flour.)