A Deliciously Tasty Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe
This chicken tortellini soup recipe is a family favorite that elevates traditional chicken noodle soup into one of the most desirable soups of the season. This soup can be made in just 45 minutes and is a great way to bring together cheese and chicken in a hearty way. These stuffed shells balance out the flavor and elevate the soup. You can make this dish on your stovetop, in your slow cooker, or even in the instant pot. Healthy and easy together make this soup ideal for your next soup night.
Benefits of Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe
If you have loved ones who aren’t feeling the best or want something filling without being too heavy, this chicken tortellini soup recipe is right for you. It touches on all the basic food groups, giving you a well-rounded meal in a single bowl. This soup is ideal for meal prepping and can be doubled or reduced to fit your serving needs.
Affordable
With just a handful of ingredients, you can bring this soup together with affordable items from the market. Many of these ingredients may already be in your cabinets and refrigerator. They are available at markets everywhere, so you do not have to wait for a certain season to make this soup. Veggies may be a better option for you, and if you need to go with dried pasta instead of the expensive deli brands, you can still make a delicious soup recipe with these items.
Customizable
As you build this soup, you will find that most ingredients can be customized to fit your preferences. You have that option if you need to use canned instead of ersh or frozen. You can also decide if you want this soup to be creamy or more of thin and broth-based soup. You can also add as much cheese and other veggies to the soup as you want.
Gather Your Ingredients
Check your pantry first, then head to the market for the rest of the ingredients to start building your soup below.
- One pound of sliced chicken breast
- One package of tortellini shells
- Four cups of chicken broth
- Four cups of heavy whipping cream
- One cup of Parmesan cheese
- One tablespoon of minced garlic
- Two carrots diced or sliced
- Three celery ribs sliced
- Diced large onion
- Two tablespoons of olive oil
- 1/2 cup of Spinach
- Two bay leaves
- One teaspoon of dried thyme
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Substitutions
Looking at this soup recipe, you can if you want to sub out a different broth, but it could change the flavor slightly. The best substitution for broth is veggie if you can’t do chicken or use water with a chicken bouillon cube. The beef broth will not properly mix with the cream and the cooked chicken.
Speaking of chicken, if you prefer dark meat, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of soup. You can use bone-in, but you must take another step to remove the bones and cartilage.
The veggies you choose are optional, and if spinach is not your preferred leafy green, consider adding kale, turnip greens, or even finely chopped cabbage. Some prefer more carrots than what is listed, and that is fine. Just make sure that all the veggies are sliced about the same size so that they will cook down to the appropriate consistency.
When it comes to tortellini, you can choose dried shells or visit your deli for chilled pasta. Some markets also have this as a frozen shell but may only have one shell type. When selecting your tortellini pasta, you want options full of cheese to add to the soup’s creaminess.
Begin Building Your Soup
Now that you have your ingredients, it is time to start building your soup.
1. Cook Your Pasta
In one large pot, please turn the burner to high heat, fill it with water, and toss in your pasta once it starts boiling. It must be cooked when you throw all the ingredients into the soup. You will cook them at a boil for about seven minutes before draining them and then removing them from the heat. If you went with frozen or chilled pasta, it may take a couple of minutes less to cook than the dried tortellini pasta.
2. Prepare Your Veggies
While your pasta is cooking, you need to get your vegetables ready. Ensure you wash them first and remove any excess dirt they may have had. Once they are dry, you can start slicing the carrots and celery into similar pieces. You also want to dice your onion because it will cook down to a translucent consistency.
3. Saute Your Chicken
Turn the burner to medium heat in your large soup pot and pour in the olive oil. Once that warms up, lay in your chicken breasts and cook on each side for about five minutes. You want to get the chicken browned, but it doesn’t have to cook all the way through at this time.
4. Remove Chicken and Saute Veggies
Take some tongs, remove the chicken breasts from the large soup pot, and place on another plate to cook. Add in more olive oil and mix up the chicken drippings with it. You want to add in your minced garlic and onion then, letting them cook for about three minutes. Please stir them well, then add the carrots and celery.
5. Bring it All Together
Once the veggies have started softening and cooking, it is time to bring them back into the pot. Add in your chicken, pasta, and the remaining liquid ingredients. You will also need to add in your seasonings to this step and let the soup come to a rolling boil.
6. Spinach and Simmer
Once you have a rolling boil on the soup, it is time to add in the spinach and then cover the soup. Turn the burner down to a simmer and let it finish cooking for about 20 minutes. After the timer goes off, toss in some additional Parmesan cheese and stir it.
7. Serve and Store Your Soup
Now that your soup is ready, you can begin ladling it into soup bowls. Have some extra choices available for diners who want to make their soup a bit creamier. You may also want some red pepper flakes readily available for those who want more heat in their soup.
Should you have any leftovers of your soup, let it cool completely from the stove and then store it in a container in the fridge for three days. When it is time to reheat, add it back to a pot and gradually heat it on the stove to serve for dinner the next night.
