Easy Tortellini Soup

Many years ago, I encountered a very basic recipe for tortellini en brodo and was intrigued by its simplicity. It soon became a favorite quick go-to meal. After a long lapse, I’ve recently rediscovered the soup and have been making it again. This recipe arrived right on time for a quick meal during the busy winter holidays. Except for an occasional parsley garnish, I typically don’t add any vegetables to the soup (beyond any that happen to be in the pasta filling), but eating extra vegetables is always a good thing. The peas and baby spinach in this cook very quickly and finish up along with the pasta so require no extra time and very little effort. This was warm and comforting and substantial enough that a salad rounded out the meal. (I used the remainder of the little bag of baby spinach, along with some baby arugula I had in the refrigerator.)

I was eager to try this easy tortellini soup recipe as I have a recipe for a tomato-based tortellini soup that was one of my late mother’s favorites. This soup did not become my new favorite, but it nonetheless made for a quick and appetizing dinner and will definitely earn a spot among my “keepers.” The total prep time was about 10 minutes, something I’m always happy to hear on a work day when the world is freezing and I just want something hot and filling.

Easy tortellini soup with peas and spinach? Yes, please! This simple soup (similar to a classic Italian tortellini en brodo) is basically warm chicken stock studded with cheese tortellini. That said, the quality of both the stock and tortellini both have to be top shelf; more specifically, homemade chicken stock is a must and so is the best fresh tortellini you can find. The bright green additions of chopped baby spinach and frozen peas add a freshness to the soup, grated cheese on top adds a touch of umami flavor and a touch of creamy texture, and the squeeze of lemon juice lends a bright finish. Elegant enough for company, but easy enough for any night of the week, I highly recommend this simple Italian soup! As for the recipe itself, if you’re going to make it, I recommend doubling it; as written, it would serve 2 very generously, but why not have a big pot of soup ready that will be wonderful reheated the next day for lunch. Or if doubled, it would serve 4 to 6 well, depending on your bowl size and which course you were serving it for. This would be lovely in the spring with asparagus tips added in as well or anytime of year with wilted kale or any of your favorite greens subbed in for spinach.

This is a win-win-win recipe. It scores for taste and ease of preparation and cost. For under $10, you can have enough delicious soup for 3 to 4 people, especially if you serve a salad alongside. We had enough for dinner for the 2 of us one evening as well as a generous bowl of soup that we shared for lunch the next day. I loved that the tortellini cooked in the broth. We finished making the soup in under 10 minutes. I bought fabulous, fresh tortellini at a place that sells it in bulk. They get it from a wonderful local pasta shop. There were no package instructions as to how long to cook them. I just let them simmer at a decent rate until they were a bit al dente. For me, that was 5 minutes. I then added the peas and the spinach. By the time the vegetables were warm, the tortellini were done. We sprinkled grated Parm on top of the soup, which is always a plus. We weren’t sure about the lemon wedges but leaving that up to each individual’s taste is the way to go. This is a great recipe to have in one’s repertoire so that a fresh bowl of soup is just a few minutes away. If it’s cold and damp, if you’re not feeling great, pull this one out. I am actually going to buy more tortellini and freeze them so that if I need this in my bowl, I can pull it out of my bag of tricks.

What a fab recipe this is—so easy to pull together even on a weeknight and makes for a filling, flavorful meal in less than 30 minutes using ingredients that you may already have on hand. It’s easy to customize, too, by changing up the vegetables or the type of pasta. I doubled the baby spinach and didn’t chop it as the leaves were fairly small. This made 2 hearty servings or perhaps enough for 4 kids.

You may think this soup is too easy to be delicious. Think again. It’s quick and filling and quite comforting! I used canned stock beefed up with a Parmesan rind for extra oomph. We didn’t love the addition of the spinach—I should have chopped it a little finer so it wasn’t so unwieldy to eat. The tortellini came in 9-ounce packages, which wasn’t too big of a concern. A few extra pieces isn’t a deal breaker. We had a hearty and warming dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes. With all the flavors of stuffed pastas available, it’s a shame to stick to just cheese. Makes a perfect lunch!

This is the PERFECT work night recipe! From the time you walk into the kitchen, until you are gleefully seated in your favorite chair for dinner, will be no more than 15 to 20 minutes. I used a prepackaged tortellini which I cooked for 5 minutes before the addition of the spinach and peas. Under normal conditions this would be 4 servings at my house but, because this little number is so INSANELY delicious, it served 2. If no one were looking, it would serve just ME! We loved this so much we made it 2 nights in a row and considered it the following evening as well! For such a simple recipe, because of its depth of flavor, it felt as though someone had spent far more time lovingly preparing this for a special family gathering. I enjoy spending a late afternoon making tortellini from scratch and will certainly use this recipe with my own in the future!

This is a simple and satisfying soup that you can have on the table in 15 minutes. If you generally have these ingredients in your pantry, you’ll be grateful to have this method at your fingertips for a quick meal. The lemon is the finishing touch that takes the soup from “just fine” to “Yum!” Next time we will double it so we can have lunch made for the next day.

I made this simple and satisfying soup twice. It’s so quick, it’s almost TOO quick! The tortellini I used only needed 3 minutes of cooking, then just throw in the spinach and peas and ladle it into bowls. Sounded good, but I took some time adding lemon and cheese and pepper and by the time I was ready for a bite the spinach was dark green and slippery. The second time I was smarter—I skipped adding the spinach to the pot and instead filled my empty bowl with it, ladling the hot soup on top. Perfect!