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Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken tortellini soup with golden herb broth and cheese tortellini cooked until just tender. Finished with shredded chicken, wilted spinach, and parmesan plus fresh basil for a comforting Italian-American main.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken tortellini soup
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast Cooked and shredded
  • 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
  • 3 cup baby spinach
  • 3 carrots Sliced into coins
  • 1 onion Diced
  • 4 clove garlic Minced
  • 6 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 Parmesan For serving (shavings)
  • 1 fresh basil For serving
  • 1 salt To taste
  • 1 pepper To taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the onion and carrots. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and the carrots start to brighten.
Bloom the herbs
  1. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and dried basil to the pot. Cook for 1 minute at the same medium heat, until fragrant.
Simmer the broth
  1. Pour in the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, keep it boiling briefly to confirm the broth is hot throughout (about 1 minute).
  2. Add the tortellini to the boiling broth. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until just tender and plump.
Finish with chicken and spinach
  1. Stir in the shredded chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, letting the soup return to a gentle simmer. Cook until the chicken is heated through and the broth bubbles around the tortellini.
  2. Add the baby spinach and cook until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. You’ll see the spinach turn bright green and collapse into the soup.
Season and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with generous parmesan shavings and fresh basil on top.

Notes

Pro tip: stop tortellini cooking at “just tender” so it doesn’t turn soft after serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; freeze only the broth base (without tortellini) for up to 2 months and cook fresh tortellini when reheating. For a lighter option, use low-sodium chicken broth and swap in part-skim parmesan if desired.