Creamy, hearty, and comforting Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup is an easy, cozy meal that requires minimal prep. This crockpot soup is filled with seasoned ground chicken (or sausage), tender cheese tortellini, tomatoes, and spinach in an irresistibly creamy tomato broth.
I’m Embracing Soup Season!
Are you? Once the weather starts to get even a little chilly, I start pulling out my Crock-Pot and Dutch Oven to get all types of soups simmering.
I’ve honestly never met a soup that I didn’t like, and I’m thrilled to add this easy tortellini soup to my soup season rotation because it’s so easy to make and completely delicious! You only need to sauté the onions, brown the meat, and then combine everything. The slow cooker will do most of the work for you!
While this soup could be tasty with plain pasta, adding cheese tortellini makes it super filling and extra fancy. Serve this to your family on a busy weeknight, or bring it to a potluck to impress all of your friends!
Ingredient Notes
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground Chicken, Ground Turkey, or Sausage: You can choose what type of ground meat you’d like to use here. Pork or chicken Italian sausage adds tons of flavor, but also adds extra sodium and fat. Ground chicken will keep things lighter, and that’s what I’m using today.
- Seasonings: Italian Seasoning is one of my favorite herb blends. I mix my own and keep a big jar of it in the cupboard next to the stove. You’ll also need salt and ground black pepper. If you’re using sausage, skip the salt, and season the soup to taste at the end.
- Garlic and Onion: Sautéed with the ground meat, these aromatics add a savory base flavor to the soup.
- Tomato Sauce and Chicken Broth: To create the delicious broth for this soup. In the UK, I generally use passata, which is an uncooked tomato puree. Otherwise, plain, canned tomato sauce is perfect, or you can use tomato puree.
- Diced Tomatoes: To add even more tomato flavor and texture.
- Baby Spinach: These tender leaves will cook down quickly in the broth, so wait to add them until the very end.
- Tortellini: I’m using dried tortellini, found near the other dried pastas in the store. I like dried tortellini because it has a long shelf life, and I can keep it on hand for recipes. Barilla makes a cheese and spinach tortellini that I really enjoy. Fresh tortellini could also be used in this recipe. Adjust the cooking time as needed.
- Heavy Cream: This is a key ingredient for any rich and creamy soup. I always warm the cream a bit in the microwave or on the stove before adding it to a hot dish in the slow cooker. This way, I don’t need to worry about it curdling.
- Parmesan Cheese: This is the perfect finishing touch! Grate fresh cheese from a wedge for the best flavor and texture. Pre-grated cheeses have fillers and starches added, and none of those things are tasty!
Tip!
Try crockpot tortellini soup with different tortellini flavors too! I think it would be lovely with mushroom filled tortellini or sausage tortellini.
Tortellini Soup Recipe Tips
- Avoid over-salting this soup. The ingredients, specifically sausage, tortellini, tomato sauce, and chicken broth, will already be salty, so you may not need to add any extra salt. You also might want to use low-sodium versions of these ingredients if you need to keep the sodium level down.
- Brown the meat first. It might be tempting to just throw everything in the slow cooker, but browning the meat with onion and garlic first creates flavor that you won’t get otherwise.
- Tortellini won’t take long to cook, so be sure to keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t turn to mush. Dried tortellini usually takes about 25 minutes, while fresh tortellini might be done in 10 minutes.
More Creamy, Cozy Soup Recipes
Creamy Chicken Florentine Soup
Creamy Chicken And Mushroom Soup
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Creamy Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup
Equipment
- wooden spoon
- 6-quart slow cooker
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium (150 g) yellow onion diced
- 1 pound (450 g) ground chicken or Italian sausage
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 28 oz can (794 g) diced tomatoes
- 1 14 oz can (400 g) tomato sauce tomato sauce or passata
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 5 cups (1.2 liters) chicken stock
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream warmed
- 18 ounces (510 g) dried cheese tortellini
- 2 cups (60 g) baby spinach leaves
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes.
- Add the ground chicken or sausage, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Cook, breaking the meat apart, until browned.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce or passata, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, and chicken stock. Stir well.
- Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 6 hours.
- Warm the heavy cream until just heated through (do not boil). Stir the cream, tortellini, and spinach into the soup, making sure the pasta is submerged in broth.
- Cover and cook on high for 20–30 minutes, until the tortellini is tender.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve warm, garnished with grated Parmesan.
Notes:
- Italian sausage can be used instead of ground chicken to add flavor. The nutrition values given here are for a soup made with ground chicken.
- If you’re watching sodium, choose no-salt-added tomato products, low-sodium chicken stock, and use plain ground chicken or turkey rather than sausage. Because the salt level will vary based on the ingredients used, taste the soup and season it at the end.
- Warming the cream before adding it to the slow cooker prevents curdling.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The tortellini will soften as it sits.
- The soup can be frozen and will be best if it’s frozen without the cream and tortellini added. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove. Add fresh tortellini and cream for serving.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Tortellini Soup – Stovetop Instructions
To get this tasty soup on the table more quickly, convert this slow cooker recipe into a stovetop one. It’s super simple and can be ready in about half an hour!
- In a Dutch oven, saute the onions, then add the ground meat and garlic and cook until browned and no longer pink.
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors combine.
- Add warm heavy cream, tortellini, and spinach to the soup. Continue simmering until the tortellini is done.
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