This Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup makes a fantastic lunch or dinner. It's filling and has amazing flavor from the aromatics and veggies used to build the base. If you love soup and cheese tortellini, this recipe brings them together beautifully to create an unforgettable bite of food.
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I make a lot of soup during fall and winter, and this creamy tortellini chicken soup is one of the best by far. It's well seasoned and perfectly rich, and I find that we go through it very quickly. It's not the best recipe to freeze, but it's so easy to make that it doesn't matter!
If you like creative pasta dishes, you will enjoy salmon pesto pasta and creamy shrimp pasta salad.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's made entirely in one pot: This entire creamy chicken and tortellini soup is made in a single pot. Not only does this make cooking easy, but it also helps reduce clean-up.
- Just 35 minutes to cook: It takes 35 minutes from start to finish to make this tortellini soup with chicken. This includes cooking AND prep!
- It's a family favorite: Everyone loves this recipe! It's comforting and full of chicken and cheesy flavor in each bite.
Ingredients
These are the most important components of this easy chicken tortellini soup recipe. You will find some helpful information and tips below for each of them.
- Veggies: To make a flavorful base, I use onion, celery, and carrots. Ensure they're all diced finely so they soften at the same rate. I also added some spinach. Fresh is best because it doesn't have the extra moisture that frozen spinach does.
- Flour: This is what I use to thicken the soup. I make a classic roux with the fat and veggies before pouring in the broth. All-purpose flour works just fine for this.
- Cheese tortellini: You can use any brand of cheese tortellini that you enjoy. You may even use a different-shaped stuffed pasta, like small ravioli, instead.
- Chicken: The chicken will go into the soup already shredded and cooked. You can do this yourself with some chicken breasts, or purchase a rotisserie chicken.
- Parmesan cheese: The sharpness of the cheese works well with the other ingredients. I love freshly grated because it doesn't have any anti-caking agents that could change the consistency of the broth.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Pesto: Stir in some of your favorite pesto to add more color and a fresh herb flavor.
- Add veggies: Use even more vegetables like chopped broccoli and mushrooms for more nutrition.
- Cheesy bacon: Add some cream cheese and chopped bacon to make it cheesier and add more texture.
You can use my air fryer rotisserie chicken to make this recipe. Be sure to check out my step-by-step guide on how to carve a rotisserie chicken to maximize the meat harvested.
How to Make Chicken Tortellini Soup
Here are the directions you'll need to make this chicken tortellini soup with spinach. Grab a pot, prep your ingredients, and you're ready to go.
Step 1: Saute the veggies. Saute the onions, carrots, and celery in a large pot over medium-high heat with some oil for about 10 minutes or until they are soft.
Step 2: Add garlic and flour. Add the garlic and cook it for about a minute before you stir in the flour.
Step 3: Add broth, chicken, and pasta. Gradually pour in some homemade chicken broth while mixing, and then add the chicken, tortellini, and seasonings. Let it cook for about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients. Add the cream, spinach, and cheese. Let it cook for a couple of minutes or until the soup is hot and the spinach has wilted.
Step 5: Garnish and serve. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top if you like. Take it further and add wonton crisps! Yum!!
Recipe Tips
- Use leftover chicken: Make this recipe with leftover baked chicken from another recipe. It's a great way to prevent waste and to use up extra food.
- Don't add cream too early: Ensure that you don't add the cream too early. The heat must be lowered, or it can cause it to curdle and separate.
- Try a cornstarch slurry: Skip the flour and use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the tortellini soup instead.
If you want another soup recipe with cheesy tortellini, I recommend this minestrone soup with tortellini.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: You may reheat this soup using the microwave or the stovetop. It should take the soup about 2-3 minutes to heat in a bowl in the microwave. I prefer using a pot on the stove. It should take around 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Make Ahead: Feel free to prepare this soup in advance, too! For best results, prepare the base and add the tortellini, chicken, and spinach right before serving because they are quick to heat.
Serving Suggestions
- Grilled cheese is classic, but take it up a notch with this grilled cheese and tomato.
- Use some tasty homemade bread to soak up the extra broth. I like the cheese flavor of these Brazilian cheese bread bites.
- These ham salad pinwheels with a leftover cup of tortellini soup would make the perfect quick lunch.
Recipe FAQs
Sure! Follow the same steps as above, and add the cream, chicken, tortellini, and spinach in the last 30 minutes. I also recommend using the cornstarch slurry method to thicken it. The total time would be about 3-4 hours on high or 5-6 hours on low.
Sure! Add it straight from the freezer and add a couple of minutes to the cooking time to ensure they are warmed through.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Do you like hearty soup recipes? Here are some more soups you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
Equipment
- Large deep skillet or large saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 carrots peeled and finely diced
- 2 celery sticks finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves finely diced or minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 19 oz. fresh cheese tortellini
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups packed baby spinach leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large deep skillet or saucepan and place over a low-medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the flour and stir until well combined.
- Gradually add the chicken broth while stirring. Add the tortellini, chicken, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the tortellini is just cooked through.
- Add the heavy cream, grated parmesan and baby spinach leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach has wilted and cream has heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
- Garnish the soup with the fresh parsley, if using, before serving.
Notes
- Feel free to make your chicken and cheese tortellini soup in your slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Use leftover chicken instead of rotisserie chicken for this recipe. Any cooked leftover chicken would be amazing!
Nutrition
This post was originally published in February 2021. It's been updated with new content and images.
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