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This super simple Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup is the perfect fall dinner…great for nights when you’re craving Italian, but want something warming and healthy too. A mix of vegetables, simmered with Italian seasonings, a splash of wine, kale, and cheese tortellini. Finish each bowl off with an extra sprinkle of cheese and serve with crusty bread. It’s hearty, full of greens, and so delicious. Great for just about any night of the week. Plus the leftovers the next day make for the best lunch!
As promised…a new slow cooker recipe to start off the week. And a healthier one too. But don’t worry, it’s still creamy, cozy, and of course, delicious. I mean, it’s October, I wouldn’t share a non-cozy recipe at this point in the year. Cozy is always the way to go when the weather begins to turn cooler.
To be completely honest, I don’t love all soups. To me, a dinner soup needs to be hearty. It needs to be brothy, but it also needs texture, carbs, and preferably some cheese on top too. French onion? Yes – yum. Hearty, thick chili? Of course. Ramen with double the noodles? Yes, 100%.
But a brothy soup with just a few vegetables just doesn’t do it for me, which brings me to this soup. It’s vegetable soup, but it’s not your average vegetable soup. This one is creamy, cheesy, and made with not just vegetables, but cheese tortellini too.
It’s all the things I love in a bowl of soup, yet made on the healthier side too. Promise you guys, this one is good, and kid-friendly too!
Here is the story:
This soup just sounded good to me. I’ve never done an Italian-style tortellini soup, but oddly I’ve done a Mexican-inspired tortilla soup with tortellini. Not sure where I got that idea, but it sure is different. Nothing like this bowl of tortellini soup.
When I presented the idea of a vegetable-based tortellini soup to my sister-in-law, she gave it a double thumbs up. Granted Lynds loves a bowl of soup, but she’s also picky about her them. So instead of second-guessing my ideas, like I always do, I took her double thumbs up and I ran with it. And the verdict? I am very, very happened I listened. This is such a delicious bowl of warming soup. And I love that I was able to make it a touch healthier than the versions you might find in a restaurant.
And my favorite part…well, aside from the taste…this is actually the easiest soup to make. You can cook it low and slow in the slow cooker, or speed things up by cooking it in the instant pot, or you can even cook it on the stove-top.
To make this tortellini soup:
I love to start this off on the stove-top. I know it’s annoying, but I really think cooking your vegetables with the dried herbs and spices before slow cooking adds so much wonderful flavor. If you have an all-in-one browning slow cooker then you can do this all in the slow cooker bowl. I literally just hit purchase (before starting this post) on this all-in-one All-Clad slow cooker with a browning function. I cannot wait for it to arrive this week!
Cook the onions with a mix of my favorite Italian spices…the dried herbs, fennel, and smoked paprika. They are all KEY here. They add so much flavor, almost like Italian sausage, but minus any of the meat.
Once the onions have been seared, add everything to the bowl of your slow cooker. Then add tomato paste, a good splash of dry white wine, and plenty of vegetable broth. Cover and cook low and slow.
I like to just let my soup cook all day long. The house smells incredible as this simmers away in the slow cooker. But, as I mentioned, I’ve also included directions for the Instant-Pot and stove-top variations, in case you’re in a crunch.
Once the soup has finished cooking, before serving, stir in a few large handfuls of kale, cream or milk, parmesan cheese, and the cheese tortellini. Cook another few minutes and then that’s it.
Easy. EASY. But yet so delicious.
I’d highly recommend serving this soup with a side of crusty bread. If you own the HBH Super Simple cookbook, there’s a really good, really easy, no-knead bread recipe that’s perfect to pair with this soup.
If you’re planning to enjoy this soup leftover, be sure to first remove the tortellini from the broth before refrigerating. That way the tortellini won’t soak up all the broth. Then just add them back in before serving.
Alright, and with that, I’m going to leave you all to it. If your Monday night needs some warming soup, this should be it. I’m actually beyond excited to make this again today on Instagram stories. It’s the perfect fall soup.
Cannot wait!
Looking for other fall soup recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy Wild Rice Chicken Soup with Roasted Mushrooms
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar and Zucchini Soup
Instant Pot Pesto Zuppa Toscana
Lastly, if you make this Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Quick How-To Video:
Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1349 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1-2 teaspoons fennel seeds use to your taste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 4-6 cups roughly chopped kale
- 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 pound fresh cheese tortellini
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, fennel, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of your crockpot. Stir in the tomato paste, carrots, and celery. 2. To the crockpot, add the wine, broth, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5.3. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in the kale, cream, parmesan, and the tortellini. 4. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh oregano, if desired.
Instant Pot
- 1. Set Instant Pot to sauté. Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, fennel, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste. Turn the Instant Pot off.2. To the instant pot, add the wine, broth, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.3. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Stir in the kale, cream, parmesan, and the tortellini. Cook until the kale is wilted, about 10 minutes. Turn the Instant Pot off. 4. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh oregano, if desired.
Stove-Top
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook 5 minutes, until golden. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, fennel, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the wine, broth, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until the carrots are tender. 2. About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the kale, cream, parmesan, and the tortellini.3. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh oregano, if desired.
Delicious soup! I omitted the cheese, cut the amount of tortellinis in half, added some shredded chicken, subbed in chicken broth, and used 2% milk instead of cream — all to further cut down on the fat and calories — and we all TOTALLY enjoyed this warm, cozy soup for dinner tonight! Very tasty!
Hey Renee,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
The soup is delicious and healthier than the another version I have!
I tweaked a few things!
I added 4 tablespoons of tomato paste instead of two. I do not keep wine so I added just a couple of tablespoons of white wine vinegar, we had some leftover roasted chicken and I added that at the end, to be a little more hardy for my guys, one cup of half-and-half instead of 1/2 cup heavy cream, half a cup of chopped leaks bc I had them in freezer, one pinch of coconut sugar and 1 tablespoon of farm raised butter! So yummy!
Hey there,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have the best day:) xT
I’ve made this several times, always on the stove top. I end up putting a bit extra liquid in there because the tortellini soaks up so much of it, but that’s an easy fix. All of my friends wanted this recipe when I fixed it for them.
Hi Courtney,
Thanks again for making another recipe, so glad you liked this one as well! xT
I don’t normally make comments but I loved this soup so much I had to let everyone know! I did tweak a few things (added Parm rind to broth while simmering and using Italian seasoning bc it’s all I had) but otherwise the recipe remained the same. It’s to die for. Light but filling. So flavorful. I cannot wait to make and eat this again!
Hey Amanda,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
Hi Tieghan,
This soup is incredibly delicious. You nailed it with the spices-this soup tastes like it has italian sausage in it without having any! I prepared this exactly as written for stovetop, except used regular vegetable broth instead of low sodium. It was sooo good. Don’t change a thing, people! Hearty, rich, flavorful.
Hi Shannon,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xx
I made this last night, and it was delicious! My husband is a former carnivore turned mostly vegetarian, and he LOVED the flavors in this. Thank you for this recipe!
I ended up adding in the carrots and celery when sautéing the onion and added the tomato paste when adding in the garlic to sauté before transferring to the slow cooker. I also added in some white beans, used coconut milk instead of dairy milk, and used half the amount of tortellini.
Hi Kait,
Awesome!! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week:) xx
Absolutely delicious and so flavorful. Soups aren’t typically filling in my opinion but this one is hearty and perfect for a cold day. We replaced the dry white wine with apple cider vinegar since we realized we didn’t have any too late and it worked perfectly! We also couldn’t find cheese tortellini so we substituted with cheese and sausage tortellini and it was delicious! Such a great recipe. We’re excited to try more from your website and new book!
Hi Kaley,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
Question: could I use red wine instead?
Hi Jess,
For this recipe I probably wouldn’t, just use some broth in place of the wine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Tieghan – this is delicious. My kids love tortellini, but I don’t love how heavy it can be. This soup is the perfect balance. Hearty, warming, and oh, the flavour. The fennel seed is perfection. My six year old declared this “the best soup ever.” We live in northern Canada, and it was so cold today – this was just what we needed. I’ve made this in the slow cooker previously, but forgot to get organized this morning, and discovered it is just as good made on the stove top. Thank you!
Hey Jen,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
So yummy! Didn’t have kale so I added some broccoli. I love lemon so I finished my bowl with some lemon zest and juice. This soup is helping me diet so I can be swimsuit ready in July for our trip to Maui. Thank you Tieghan ?
Hey Kari,
Awesome!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a hit!! xxT
I made this on the stovetop and it turned out delicious! My 7-year-old even requested that I make it again, so that’s a real win. The hint of smokiness from the paprika really made this a standout!
Thanks for another excellent recipe, Tieghan!
Hey Sera,
Fantastic!! Love hearing that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it:) Have the best day! xxT
I made this tonight and my family loved it. I followed the recipe as written although for some reason my grocery store was out of tortellini so I used small frozen ravioli and it was delicious! Thank you!!
Hey Karen,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan
Made this today for dinner..
It was delicious..
if I had somewhere for lunch .. I’d want to go back!
Hey Connie,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xxTieghan
This recipe was super easy and delicious! Loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Ellie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great day:) xxT
What can I substitute for the whole milk/cream? Coconut milk?
Hey Kelly,
Any milk you like will work, coconut milk would be great! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi Kelly! Did you make the recipe with coconut milk instead of whole milk and heavy cream? Curious to know how it turned out! Have friends coming over this weekend and they are lactose intollerant