Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
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Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
This Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup is the ultimate cozy meal for those chilly months—it’s comforting, satisfying, and packed with flavor! Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a cozy weekend meal, this soup is loaded with tender tortellini, sun-dried tomatoes, Tuscan herbs, fresh kale, and rich tomato goodness. Slow Cooker, Vegan + Gluten-Free Options.
Whenever I'm in the mood for something extremely comforting + satisfying. I almost always lean towards Tuscan flavors. There's just something amazing about the bold, herby feel of a Tuscan blend that gets me right every time. Personally, this Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup is just one of those dishes that I could eat year-round without hesitation. This Baked Tuscan Chicken and Gnocchi is another one of those dishes also.
This soup is packed with rich, savory flavors from those jammy tomatoes, and if you’re not sticking to meatless options, you can easily mix things up with chicken, shrimp, lobster—whatever you like! It’s a staple in my house, and I make it at least once a month when I want something super easy. Pure comfort in a bowl, and you can enjoy it as-is, or make it vegan or gluten-free—totally up to you!
I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed. Don't believe me, try this Easy Weeknight Creamy Tuscan Ravioli! Plus, this Creamy Roasted Red Pepper + Tomato Soup is a delicious soup to try next!
Jump to:
- What is Tortellini?
- How to Make Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
- Ingredients for Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
- HOMEMADE TUSCAN BLEND
- How Long to Cook Tortellini
- Homemade Tortellini vs. Store-bought
- What You’ll Love Most About This Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
- What Can I Add to This Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
- What Are Delicious Foods to Pair This Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup With?
- What Kind of Tortellini Fillings Work for this Creamy Pasta
- What Can I Use Instead of Sundried Tomatoes?
- Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup Q + A's
- More Comforting Soup Recipes to Try this Season!
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
What is Tortellini?
Tortellini is a tasty stuffed pasta that hails from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It’s usually shaped like little rings or hats (visually similar to a tiny wonton or croissant) and filled with delicious things like cheese, meat, or veggies. Every bite is packed with flavor
How to Make Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
To make this Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup, you'll basically dive right into the recipe by sautéing the garlic + sundried tomatoes over the stovetop in a dutch oven. The tortellini pasta along with the remaining ingredients go into the pot for the soup. Let it simmer a bit more and wallah! Nice creamy results.
Ingredients for Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
Here's what you need to make this Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup at home:
- Extra virgin olive oil. You can also use Grapeseed oil or coconut oil as well.
- Garlic cloves. I prefer fresh, but you could substitute with ½ teaspoon garlic powder in a pinch.
- Cheese tortellini. I like to use organic! Pick these up in the refrigerated or freezer section of the grocery store.
- Flour. Used for the thickening of soup. You can sub with GF flour for that option.
- Chicken or vegetable stock. Use store-bought low-sodium broth or make your own! For vegan option, use veggie stock.
- Heavy cream. I recommend organic–always! I am a big fan of the Organic Valley brand! Of course, for a vegan option, just use full-fat coconut cream/milk.
- Sundried tomatoes. Choose an organic bottle of sundried tomatoes or make your own roasted tomatoes.
- Kale. Destemmed + chopped.
- Tuscan herb blend. You can purchase my Tuscan Marry Me Blend for great ease and authentic flavor. Also, see below on how to make your own!
- Parmesan cheese. You could also use pecorino romano. For a vegan option, Violife cheese shreds tastes great.
- Red sweet peppers. I like to use mini sweet peppers, however, feel free to use a red bell pepper and chop it into pieces.
- Tomatoes. You can add as many tomatoes as you'd like to fill this soup. I used grape tomatoes, however, heirlooms, roma, etc. works too! Just chop them up into nice bite-sized pieces.
- Lemon juice. You can use store-bought or freshly-squeeze juice from an actual lemon.
HOMEMADE TUSCAN BLEND
Creating your own special Tuscan blend is a simple and quick process, taking just a few minutes of your time. However, if you're in a rush or want an easy solution, you can always choose a quality pre-packaged option like McCormick's.
Here's what you'll need if you want to make your own + Feel free to customize to your liking!
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsps dried parsley
- 2 tsps dried basil
- 2 tsps dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
SHOP MY FAVORITE TOOLS FOR COOKING, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS SOUP!
Here, I’ve curated a list of cooking + baking essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baked goods or cooked meals, especially with this Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup. Everything from my fave baking sheet, dutch ovens, immersion hand-blender, mixing bowls, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
How Long to Cook Tortellini
Like with many other types of pasta, you bring a pot of water to a boil, add the tortellini along with olive oil or salt, and let it boil for 4-9 minutes, depending on the packaging and brand----shorter than most other pastas.
General rule of thumb: 2 to 3 minutes for refrigerated (soft) tortellini, 3 to 5 minutes for frozen tortellini, and 10 to 11 minutes for dried tortellini. Signs of doneness are when the pasta floats to the surface of the water, and has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Homemade Tortellini vs. Store-bought
Usually, I like purchasing organic tortellini via Whole Foods, which has a great option by Artisola. However, making your own tortellini much like ravioli is something feasible as well!
Tortellini is generally made with either round pasta wrappers or square pasta wrappers. In either case, you'll just be sure to roll your dough as thin as possible. Overall, like most stuffed pasta, try to not over-stuff the centers, always keep the pasta dough covered to avoid drying, use ample flour, and take your time when assembling---- all of which help to make the perfect tortellini.
Regardless of whether you use homemade or not, this creamy soup recipe is sure to come out amazingly!
What You’ll Love Most About This Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
- It’s super easy to make + so flavorful.
- Simple set + forget it—-Simmer, simmer, simmer over the stovetop! There's even a slow-cooker option!
- Only requires ONE pot.
- Makes for a great weeknight meal with a full vegan option.
- Smooth, chunky, + comforting, all at the same time.
- Perfect Fall + Winter vibes!
What Can I Add to This Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
I like to add some extra texture to creamy soups like this Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup. While the ingredients in this creamy soup is perfect as is, I wanted to share a few more ideas of ingredients that you can add in case you make this soup more than once and want to switch things up!
Other ingredient ideas include:
- Roasted broccolini instead of kale
- Homemade croutons
- Crispy bacon (if you're not plant-based, of course)
- Grated cheese like Parmesan, mozzarella, pecorino romano, etc. (vegan or regular if you're not vegan!)
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Crispy sage leaves (for the topping)
- Roasted chickpeas
- Beans (White beans, etc.)
- Shredded chicken breast
- Seafood (like shrimp, lobster, etc.)
- Sausage
What Are Delicious Foods to Pair This Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup With?
When it comes to serving these mouthwatering Tuscan Pumpkin Stuffed Shells there are some options that will truly elevate your meal:
- Garlic bread – You can’t go wrong with a warm, buttery slice of garlic bread to soak up all that creamy, flavorful broth.
- Try roasted asparagus, zucchini, or Brussels sprouts for a light, veggie-forward side.
- A simple loaf of crusty bread is great for dipping and makes the meal feel extra hearty.
If you want a little freshness, serve it with a salad on the side, like this Fall Harvest BBQ Chickpea Kale Salad, Fall Harvest Apple Kale Salad or this Best Buffalo Chickpea Kale Salad. It's like a fresh burst of flavor that complements this easy weeknight dinner beautifully.
What Kind of Tortellini Fillings Work for this Creamy Pasta
For this specific one-pot pasta recipe, I chose to use cheese stuffed tortellini. However, there are so many options (whether homemade or store-bought) that can help to elevate this entire dish based on the use of any of the following tortellini:
- Chicken
- Sausage
- Vegan filling options
- Spinach and Ricotta
- Lobster or Seafood stuffed
- Mushroom
- Four cheese
What Can I Use Instead of Sundried Tomatoes?
If you aren't the biggest fan of sundried tomatoes or just don't have them on hand, here are a few great alternatives for you to choose from so that you can still enjoy this delicious chicken gnocchi dish:
- Fresh tomatoes
- Roasted herb tomatoes
- Tomato puree
- Roasted bell peppers
- Canned tomatoes
- Tomato sauce or paste
Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup Q + A's
Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, for optimal freshness. Can also be frozen for 4-6 months. To defrost, simply place soup in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before re-heating on the stove top to serve. NOTE: If the soup becomes too thick, add a bit of heavy cream or stock to make creamy again.
Yes! Of course. To make this soup vegan, be sure to substitute the tortellini with a vegan-friendly version, heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream/milk, chicken stock with veggie stock, and cheese with nutritional yeast and/or dairy-free cheese shreds.
To make this soup GF-friendly, simply substitute the tortellini with a gluten-free version (or other pasta) and ensure that other ingredients are GF-friendly and you use GF bread on the side, if using.
To make this soup in the slow cooker, simply sauté garlic before adding everything (including tortellini) into your slow cooker and cooking on a low setting for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.
More Comforting Soup Recipes to Try this Season!
Now that you've fallen in love with this Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup recipe, try these family-friendly recipes next!
- Creamy Roasted Garlic Tortellini Soup
- Hearty Cheddar Garlic Herb Potato Soup
- Creamy Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Chickpea Soup
- Apple Cheddar Sweet Potato Soup
- Loaded Vegan Veggie Soup
- Easy Flavorful Rigatoni Meatball Soup
- Creamy Lemon Broccoli Tortellini Soup
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried this Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. And don't forget to tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea! I love hearing from you!
Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (8 oz.) pacakage organic cheese tortellini
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock/broth
- 3 Tbsps organic all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ Tbsps Tuscan Marry Me Blend (You can purchase my Marry Me Blend for authentic flavor or make this homemade as well---See Notes)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup organic heavy cream
- 1 cup organic kale, chopped
- 3-4 mini red sweet peppers, chopped (optional)
- 1-2 Tbsps organic tomato paste
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or whole (You can sub with sundried tomatoes or my Herb Roasted Tomatoes, if desired)
- ½ lemon, freshly-squeezed
GARNISH:
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
TO MAKE THE SOUP:
- In a medium-sized dutch oven pot over medium high-heat, add the olive oil. Once heated, add the minced garlic, chopped sweet red peppers (if using), and sundried tomatoes (or cherry or herb roasted tomatoes) and sauté until translucent + fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the Tuscan Marry Me Blend, and salt, stirring until combined. Add the tomato paste and flour and continue to stir until combined.
- Add in the chicken or vegetable stock, stirring frequently to avoid lumping until thickened. Add in the tortellini, lemon juice, heavy cream, and kale, stirring to combine. Let everything simmer for another 8-10 minutes or until the soup has thickened nicely and the tortellini are fully cooked through and tender.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately into prepared bowl(s), top with freshly-grated parmesan, and with a side of bread, if desired.
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Leftovers can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, for optimal freshness. Can also be frozen for 4-6 months. To defrost, simply place soup in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature before re-heating on the stove top to serve.
- SLOW COOKER OPTION: To make this soup in the slow cooker, simply sauté garlic before adding everything (including tortellini) into your slow cooker and cooking on a low setting for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.
- SPICES/HERBS: If desired, you can reduce the amounts slightly. Please know that this recipe is bold in spice/herb flavor, so feel free to adjust based on your tastebuds.
- GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: To make this soup GF-friendly, simply substitute the tortellini with a gluten-free version (or other pasta) and ensure that other ingredients are GF-friendly and you use GF bread on the side, if using.
- VEGAN OPTION: To make this soup vegan, be sure to substitute the tortellini with a vegan-friendly version, heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream/milk, chicken stock with veggie stock, and cheese with nutritional yeast and/or dairy-free cheese shreds.
- EQUIPMENT: Here, I’ve curated a list of cooking + baking essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baked goods or cooked meals, especially with this Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup. Everything from my fave baking sheet, dutch ovens, immersion hand-blender, mixing bowls, and more.SEE THEM HERE!
- HOMEMADE TUSCAN BLEND: 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 tsps dried parsley, 2 tsps dried basil, 2 tsps dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, + 2 bay leaves.
Nutrition
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Tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea
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Wait - is it cherry tomatoes or sun-dried? Your ingredients list says cherry but your instructions say sun-dried.
Hey Rachel! You can actually use either! 🙂
It’s was a rainy, cold Spring day so I made the Creamy Tuscan Tortellini soup for dinner. It was soooooo YUMMY 😋. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Nik! Yay---I'm so glad that you enjoyed this delicious soup on a rainy, cold Spring day! Definitely a staple in our house! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I’ve made it multiple times and it’s always a family favorite.
I sautéed chicken breast with the tuscan blend this time and shredded and added to soup. Was a big hit.
I also add more broth, tomato paste, lemon juice and heavy cream to create more of a base. In my experience the tortellini sucks up the liquid quickly and it becomes more of a stew. Either way, the recipe is delicious and one of my all time favorites. Thanks for sharing!!!
Hi Laura! WOW! I'm so thrilled that you've enjoyed this recipe! Absolutely my pleasure! Thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂
This soup is so wonderful and heartwarming! I added a pack of mild Italian sausage and two diced gold potatoes.
Hi Kristin! I'm so happy that you enjoyed this soup! Your additions definitely sound delish! Thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂
Super delicious and warming fall/winter recipe! Also, I love that it comes together so quickly, which makes this perfect for weekdays. 🙂
Just one info: the 4 cups of broth mentioned above do not translate to 728g. As the density of broth is close to that of water, I would suggest you consider changing the amount of broth in the metric section to 946 ml (the direct conversion from cup to ml), roughly 1 litre. Had I not paid attention to this, the soup would have turned out way too thick.
Apart from this, I was very pleased with this comfort dish. Thanks!
Hi Zuhal! Thanks so much for your feedback on this---I truly appreciate it! For the metrics, I actually use a program that automatically translates from the U.S. measurements, therefore, I apologize if it isn't entirely accurate!
However, I'm so glad that you enjoyed this one! Thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂
This soup is so warm and comforting! I added and sauteed cremini mushrooms with an extra Tbsp. of the Tuscan spice blend. All of the flavors form a delightful taste explosion in my mouth!
Hi Kim! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this soup! I love the fact that you enjoyed the mushrooms----they are such a nice touch! Thanks so much for choosing to try this recipe! 🙂
Where is the minced garlic amount? Not mentioned in ingredients.
Hi! It's 3 garlic cloves, minced! 🙂
A couple notes regarding this recipe:
Cherry tomatoes are in the list of ingredients but not mentioned in the instructions
Minced garlic is in the instructions but not in the ingredients
1 1/5 tbs of Tuscan blend in the ingredients but 1 tbs in the instructions with no mention of what to do with the remaining 1/2 tbs
This soup was overly acidic due to the combined effect of sundried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and the juice of half a lemon (which depending on the size of lemon, could vary drastically. A unit of measurement for the lemon juice would help a lot)
4 cups of liquid doesn't seem nearly enough for this recipe and my experience is that it turned out more a stew than a soup.
Hi! I'm so sorry to hear that your experience with this soup wasn't the best! Please note that the instructions to add the tomatoes was in Step 2 during the same time as the tortellini, lemon juice, heavy cream, etc. Also, I do mention how to store any remaining tuscan blend in the actual post itself----my apologies if this wasn't clear. Also, I am so sorry to hear about the acidic levels and the liquid not being enough. Personally, I didn't get a stew-like consistency and haven't heard or seen that being an issue from many of my readers who have made it and/or recorded the process via Instagram in videos. I'm not sure what could have happened there, however, I would definitely add an additional 1-2 cups of liquid if you find that this is an issue. I truly appreciate your feedback on this recipe and hope that you get a chance to give it another try! 🙂
This was so good! My whole family loved this!
This is exactly the kind of thing I love to make during the fall and winter. A rustic soup like this makes your soul as happy as your tastebuds.
I made this soup for dinner last night and it was incredible. So creamy and delicious!
I love soup season for recipes just like this one! Hearty, delicious and comforting; my whole family loved it!
Drooling over this delicious soup recipe. Thanks for sharing