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Chicken Tortellini Soup for Busy Weeknights — Tortellini Added at the End for Best Texture Pinterest recipe pin

Easy Chicken Tortellini Soup

A cozy, vegetable-packed chicken tortellini soup with tender shredded chicken and pillowy tortellini; tortellini is added at the end for best texture and easy leftovers.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 380

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
  • 2 medium carrots diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes OR 2 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 cup hot stock
  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken rotisserie or poached
  • 1 cup frozen peas optional
  • 9 ounces fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
  • 4 cups packed baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan plus more for serving (optional)
Optional additions
  • 1/2 cup half-and-half optional for creamier soup - optional

Equipment

  • 1 6-quart Dutch oven or large soup pot
  • 1 2-quart saucepan or large pot for cooking tortellini
  • 1 Chef's knife and cutting board
  • 1 Slotted spoon or spider

Method
 

Prepare the chicken
  1. If using rotisserie chicken, shred to make about 3 cups and set aside; to poach, place two boneless skinless chicken breasts in a pot, cover with stock, bring to a gentle simmer and poach until 165°F, about 12–15 minutes, then shred after resting 5 minutes.
Sauté the base
  1. Heat olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat; add diced onion and carrots and cook until translucent and slightly softened, about 6 minutes, then add diced celery, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning and cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
Build the soup
  1. Pour in chicken stock and crushed tomatoes (or dissolved tomato paste), bring to a gentle simmer, add shredded chicken and frozen peas if using, and simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes so flavors meld and vegetables become tender-crisp.
Cook the tortellini
  1. While the soup simmers, cook tortellini in a separate pot according to package directions until al dente; drain and set aside to keep texture intact.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir baby spinach and chopped parsley into the simmering soup, season with salt and pepper, then either add cooked tortellini to the pot off heat or spoon soup into bowls and top each with freshly cooked tortellini; finish with grated Parmesan if desired.

Notes

For best leftovers, store the soup broth and solids separately from cooked tortellini and add pasta just before serving. Use low-sodium stock to better control salt; shredded rotisserie chicken is a great time-saver. Do not freeze tortellini in the soup—freeze broth only.