Vegetarian Cheese Tortellini Soup (Rustic & Creamy)

This creamy vegetarian tortellini soup is the ultimate cozy meal for a cold night. Packed with fresh veggies, cheese tortellini, and a flavorful broth, it's a great recipe that will warm you up from the inside out. It’s rich, creamy, and loaded with lots of flavor and veggies, making it a perfect way to enjoy a comforting bowl of goodness during soup weather!

Why You'll Love It

This vegetarian cheese tortellini soup is an easy tortellini soup recipe made with simple ingredients while delivering lots of flavor. 

The soup base starts with a mix of olive oil, red pepper flakes and lots of veggies which bring so much flavor. 

The body of the soup is made of vegetable broth (or low-sodium chicken broth) flavored with parmigiano cheese which ensures a savory broth that’s perfect for soaking up the flavors. 

Fresh tortellini and heavy cream create that signature creamy soup texture, while kale adds a hearty, nutritious boost.

It's one of those hearty soups that comes together in minimal effort, making it a great choice for an easy weeknight meal. 

Serve it with a grilled cheese, crusty bread or garlic bread for dipping, and you’ve got a delicious soup that the whole family will love!

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here are the ingredients that you'll need to make this creamy vegetarian tortellini soup along with substitutions and additions. Feel free to replace things with what you prefer or with what you have in your fridge already. 

• Olive Oil: Enhances the savory broth and helps sauté the veggies.
• Medium Onion: A staple for depth and sweetness.
• Carrots: If you don't like carrots, swap them for other fresh veggies of your choice. 
• Celery: Celery is a classic used for the giving the base of your soup flavor and texture. If you hate it, you can leave it out or add more onion. 
• Red Pepper Flakes: These add more depth than heat but if you don't have any, feel free to swap for italian seasoning.
• Diced Tomatoes: A can of diced tomatoes brings acidity, richness, and texture. You could also use 2 tablespoon of tomato paste or even a half jar of leftover marinara sauce. 
• Vegetable Broth: Veggie stock is great option for a vegetarian soup, but chicken broth, chicken stock or bone broth also work if you don't mind using it. 
• Parmigiano Cheese & Rind: Adds umami and richness—don’t skip it! You could sub it for pecorino or another hard aged italian cheese if you have some. 
• Kale: Fresh Kale is my green of choice for this recipe. Fresh spinach (whether it's baby spinach or full grown) or Swiss chard is another option.
• Cheese Tortellini: Honestly any cheese-filled pasta is what I recommend for this easy soup recipe. You could also use spinach tortellini, cheese or even sausage tortellini if you want. When it comes to how it's prepared, it doesn't matter if you use fresh tortellini, frozen, or even dried tortellini - they all work.. You could also use dairy-free tortellini (aka vegan cheese tortellini) for this brothy soup to make this a creamy vegan tortellini soup. Or gluten-free tortellini if you can find it at your grocery store. 
• Heavy Cream: I can't recommend heavy creamy enough in this vegetarian tortellini soup recipe. You could swap wb
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper: Essential seasonings to enhance the flavors.
• Optional Additions: Feel free to add extra veggies to the base of the soup if you wish. Some of my favorite additions that result in the best flavor include green beans, canned white beans, cabbage, and fresh herbs like basil. Even italian sausage or leftover rotisserie chicken with italian seasoning would be great additions to this cheese tortellini soup recipe. 

How to Make It

Here are the detailed instructions for making this vegetarian tortellini soup. If you have any questions, feel free to message me on Instagram!

• CHOOSE YOUR POT: Dutch Oven or an ordinary large pot work best for making this vegetarian tortellini recipe. I love this one from Our Place.
• SAUTÉ ONION & VEGGIES: In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring often until slightly browned.
• BUILD THE BROTH: Add diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and the parmigiano rind. Let it simmer on a gentle boil for 20 minutes to reduce and develop a flavorful broth.
• ADD TORTELLINI & GREENS: Stir in kale, cheese tortellini, and heavy cream. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes until the tortellini are tender. If you're using fresh tortellini, add them at the last 3 minutes so they don't overcook. 
• SEASON & SERVE: Taste and adjust seasoning with kosher salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with parmigiano cheese and fresh basil for extra flavor. Enjoy with crusty bread!

What to Pair with Vegetarian Cheesy Tortellini Soup

Here are some of my favorite easy recipes to serve with this creamy cheese tortellini soup:

• Gruyere Grilled Cheese
• Easy Classic Southern Deviled Eggs with Relish
• Hot Honey Whipped Feta with Pickled Beets
• 30 Minute Sheet Pan Sausage with Veggies and Gnocchi
• Bruschetti - Easy Bruschetta Pasta Salad Recipe

For more tortellini recipes, check out my Slow Cooker Tortellini Casserole with Cheesy Chicken & Pesto, Creamy Chicken Tortellini Alfredo Recipe (Easy & One Pot!),  or my most viral Marry Me Tortellini.

Recipe

Vegetarian Cheese Tortellini Soup (Rustic & Creamy)

This rustic tortellini soup is what dreams are made of! Creamy tomato broth is loaded carrots, celery, onion, kale, red pepper flakes, parmigiano and cheese tortellini. And although the soup itself is vegetarian, you could definitely bulk it up with some italian sausage or even some diced chicken.

5 from 18 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• Large Pot
• Chef's Knife
• Cutting Board
• Cheese Grater

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 medium Sweet Onion roughly chopped
• 3 medium Carrots roughly chopped
• 2 stalks Celery roughly chopped
• ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
• 6 cups Vegetable Broth
• ¼ cup Parmigiano Cheese plus the rind if you have one!
• 2 cups Kale roughly chopped
• 2 cups Frozen Cheese Tortellini (see notes below if using fresh tortellini)
• ½ cup Heavy Cream
• Kosher Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

• In a large pot, add olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, red pepper flakes and salt and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
• Add canned diced tomatoes, broth (and parmigiano rind if you have one) and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add kale, tortellini, and heavy cream and simmer for another 5-10 minutes or until the tortellini is heated through. Finish with the parmigiano (saving a little for plating).
• Taste and season with more kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper as needed.
• Place soup in bowls and top with grated parmigiano and red pepper flakes if desired.

Notes

If you're using fresh tortellini, add them within the last few minutes (2-3 minutes) of cooking so they don't have overcook and get soggy. 

 

Keyword beer cheese, bone broth, broth, frozen tortellini, kale, parmigiano, soup, vegetarian

Did you make this recipe?Tag me on instagram @grilledcheesesocial so I can see it!