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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!
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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.
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Tieghan – This soup was a HUGE hit! I subbed coconut milk for cream tomato puree for paste and spinach for kale (Covid = less trips to the store). It was sooooo tasty! Thank you for the work you do to make me look like a great cook! 🙂
Thank you so much for trying this one, Lori! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
The perfect fall soup!! Simple but flavorful, I subbed coconut milk and it was still super yummy. A new fave!
Thank you so much Eliza! xTieghan
Can this dish be frozen?
Hey Sheridan,
Sure, I would not freeze with the tortellini though. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Delicious! I have been eating on this soup for days now. I am a big fan of kale in soup. The soup is light in comparison to the go-to tortellini soup I make for my boyfriend, which is packed with cream, meat and cheese. I much prefer this version as a pescatarian and one who can NOT just eat one bowl of soup. I was short a couple spices, but compensated with a spice blend from the pantry. I would recommend and also make again – very easy, filling and comforting.
Thank you so much Jordan! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hi when do you add in the milk?
Hey Cayla,
The milk is added in step 3. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This came out really tasy. I would use less tortellini next time as a pound was wayyyy too much.
Thank you Danielle! xTieghan
This soup was so flavorful and comforting! Definitely an easy weeknight family meal to keep on hand for the fall and winter!
Love to hear that! Thank you so much for trying this one Anne! xTieghan
I love the majority of the half baked harvest recipes I have made and was excited for this soup on a cold rainy day. While it is not inedible as written, it is also not very tasty. The flavors of the broth, and the overall soup do not seem balanced.
Hi Brittany! I am really sorry this did not turn out as expected. Please let me know if there is anything I can help with to make this better! xTieghan
This soup was great! I didn’t add any dairy (forgot) and it was still fantastic!
Love to hear that! Thank you Maggie! xTieghan
Hi! Making this soup today! How do you recommend cooking chicken if I am going to add it to the soup?
Thanks!
Hey Clare,
I would use ground chicken and brown that with the onions. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Making this today!! Can’t wait. Adding ground chicken – do you think I should cook the chicken prior to adding it to the crockpot, or would it cook in the crockpot? Thanks so much!
Hey Hannah,
I would brown the chicken with the onions. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
So delicious! Minimal prep and cleanup – made it stovetop and start to finish took less than 45 minutes, including doing the dishes. I added baked Parmesan crisps for garnish to act like crackers. Perfect way to kick off soup season!
Thank you so much Tara! I am really glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
Made the stove top version, was easy and flavorful. Too much on the celery for my taste.
I am glad you enjoyed this Jenn! I hope it turns out better with less celery next time! xTieghan
This recipe was awesome! I subbed canned coconut milk and spinach. I also added a little Italian sausage. It was delicious and smelled great in the crockpot!
Thank you so much Emily! xTieghan
I made this today and wowowwwww so good. My boyfriend barely eats his greens and loved the kale in it! My mom asked for the recipe as well ??
YES! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you all, Brianna! Thank you! xTieghan