If you want a soul-satisfying meal but have no time or energy to make one, this tortellini tomato soup is the answer. In this creamy soup, fresh tomatoes combine with onions, garlic, basil and tortellini for a delicious meal that is sure to please. It’s really easy to make, and comes together pretty quick.
As a plus, make this soup during peak tomato season and it super affordable, or perhaps you have your own home-grown bounty to work through.
Pair the soup with a delicious melted grilled cheese sandwich or a generous piece of crusty, warm bread and you’ll have a meal you won’t soon forget.
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 Medium Onion, diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- ½ cup White Wine
- 2½ pounds Ripe Tomatoes – cut into roughly 2 inch pieces
- 5 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 tablespoon Shredded Basil, plus whole leaves for garnish, optional
- 8-9 ounces Tortellini (refrigerated variety) we used a chicken and prosciutto stuffed tortellini
- ¼ cup Half and Half or Heavy Cream
- Pinch Black Pepper
- Salt, if needed at the end
- Parmesan Cheese for serving, optional
You will also need
Immersion blender or blender
Prep Work
The prep work for this soup is pretty easy. Everything except the tortellini is going to be processed so the dicing and chopping don’t need to be perfect. Just keep the size of the ingredients roughly the same so they cook at the same rate.
- Diced the onions and roughly chop the garlic. A large dice will do for the onions.
- Chop the tomatoes by cutting them into quarters. Then trim off the small end piece. Next, cut each quarter into roughly 2 inch pieces. Place them in a bowl and continue with the rest.
- Measure out the white wine.
Here’s a tip: If you’re not a big wine drinker and hate opening a whole bottle to use ½ cup ( I know I do), here’s a good solution for you. Large, mainstream wine companies, make little plastic bottles of wine, like for picnics. They usually come in four packs. They’re the perfect size and leftovers keep really well in the refrigerator.
- Measure out the olive oil, butter, tomato paste and the chicken broth.
- Hold off on shredding the basil until the end. Basil is delicate and tends to wilt and brown as soon as it’s cut. Cut it right before processing the soup.
- Hold off on the half and half too. Keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use at the end.
We keep all of our prepped ingredients in glass nesting bowls. They keep all our ingredients organized and help keep cooking stress free. Alright, now we’re ready to cook!
Start the Tomato Soup
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot and the butter is melted, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften and become translucent. Stir them frequently so they don’t burn.
Add the garlic and tomato paste; cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the white wine to the pot. Cook for about 3 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated, stirring frequently.
Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot. Stir to combine all the ingredients well. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. It will take about 4-5 minutes to come to a boil.
As soon as the soup starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and half cover (partially cover) the pot. To half cover, balance the lid using the rim of the pot for support. The lid should cover part of the pot and the other part should be left uncovered so that steam can escape.
Cook the soup at a simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Finish the tortellini tomato soup
Remove the pot from the heat and add in the shredded basil. Process the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.
Immersion blenders are a fantastic tool for blending hot liquids right in the pot they were cooked in. If you’re a fan of creamy pureed soups, then you should definitely invest in an immersion blender.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a blender. Do not fill the blender to the top with hot liquid, process in small batches. Remove the center piece (feeder cap) of the blender lid. Replace the lid (without the feeder cap) and cover with a clean, folded kitchen towel. Hold the towel down while blending. Start at a very low speed and increase gradually if necessary.
Return the pot with the processed soup to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and stir. Lower the heat to medium and cook the tortellini for 8 minutes, or follow the package cooking time (if it’s not the same). Keep the soup boiling gently so that the tortellini cook through. Raise or lower the heat as needed.
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the half and half and a pinch of black pepper. Stir and place the pot over low heat until warmed through – do not let the soup come to a boil.
Taste the tomato soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we added a pinch of salt to ours. Finally, garnish with a little chopped basil, if desired and enjoy.
Substitutions
- If you prefer not to use wine, add an equal amount of chicken broth instead.
- If you would like to keep the dish vegetarian, substitute the chicken broth with a vegetable broth and use a meatless tortellini variety.
Peeling Tomatoes
We leave the peel on the tomatoes in this recipe. Peeling tomatoes is a bit time consuming, and adds a few extra steps. I like this soup because it’s quick, easy and delicious; peeling the tomatoes will remove the quick part. However, if you prefer your tomatoes peeled, here are the steps to take:
- Score the tomatoes – make a small x on the bottom of the tomatoes using the tip of a sharp knife
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil
- Fill a large bowl with ice water, set aside
- Carefully add the tomatoes to the boiling water
- Boil the tomatoes for about 30 seconds and no more than 1 minute
- Use a slotted spoon to remove them from the boiling water and plunge them in the ice water
- Drain the water and peel back the skin off the tomatoes
You may also like these satisfying soups:
- Lasagna Soup
- Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
- Chicken Meatball Soup
- Cabbage Sausage Soup
- Chicken Egg Noodle Soup
📖 Recipe
Tortellini Tomato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 Medium Onion diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- ½ cup White Wine
- 2½ pounds Ripe Tomatoes cut into roughly 2 inch pieces
- 5 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 tablespoon Shredded Basil plus extra for garnish, optional
- 8-9 ounces Tortellini refrigerated variety we used a chicken and prosciutto stuffed tortellini
- ¼ cup Half and Half or Heavy Cream
- Pinch Black Pepper
- Salt if needed at the end
- Parmesan Cheese for serving optional
Instructions
- You will also need: Immersion blender or blender
Start the Tomato Soup
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot and the butter is melted, add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste; cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the white wine to the pot. Cook for about 3 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated, stirring frequently.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir well to combine the ingredients. Raise the heat to high, bring the soup to a boil.
- As soon as the soup starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and half cover (partially cover) the pot.
- Cook the soup at a simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Finish the Soup
- Remove the pot from the heat and add in the shredded basil. Process the soup in the pot with an immersion blender. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a blender – see notes.
- Return the pot with the processed soup to medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
- Add the tortellini and stir. Lower the heat to medium and cook the tortellini for 8 minutes, or follow the package cooking time. Keep the soup boiling gently so that the tortellini cook through. Raise or lower the heat as needed.
- Take the pot off the heat and stir in the half and half and a pinch of black pepper. Stir and place the pot over low heat until warmed through – do not let the soup come to a boil.
- Taste the tomato soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we added a pinch of salt to ours.
- Garnish with a little chopped basil, if desired.
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