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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!
I just made this last night and loved it, I also paired it up with your beer bread recipe and made for a great fall meal!
Hey Kathleen,
Happy Sunday!🎃 Thanks for giving this recipe a whirl, so glad it turned out nicely for you!
My daughter is dairy free. For any of these recipes with cream do you have a good substitute? Thanks!
Hi Jessica,
Yes, coconut cream or milk is a great option. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Could you use coconut milk instead of dairy?
Hi Donna,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
The flavor was really good and it was definitely easy to make! I would have preferred a more creamy consistency, however. It was a bit too liquid for my taste. However, I will definitely make it again but with less broth and then thicken it up a bit. Overall a great flavor. My husband and I have recipe ratings…DA (do again) & NA ( never again) This is a DA but with a creamier broth! I’m glad I found your site! Actually, my daughter did…I made the spiced pumpkin latte cake with coffee frosting! YUM!!
Hey Susan,
Amazing! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed!
Hello! This recipe is a family favorite! I’m making it as a freezer meal for baby prep for a friend. If freezing, should I wait to add heavy cream and tortellini when have her add when she reheats it or should I make it as recipe calls and then freeze?
Thanks so much, Ashley! Yes, I would recommend exactly that! Congrats to your friend!
The whole fam loved this recipe – babies, toddlers, husband. We skipped the wine and stuck with vegetable broth, and added Italian sausage. Also, I would keep the tortellini separate to prevent it from getting too soggy.
Hey Leslie,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad it was a winner!
super excited to try! making tomorrow & planning to add ground turkey!
Thanks so much, Kelcy! I hope you love this recipe!
Really good! Added Italian sausage and it was super filling. Thank you!
Hey Megan,
So kind of you to try this and leave feedback, glad to hear it was a hit! Have the best day!
This is one of my all-time favorite soups!! Based on other people’s recommendations in the comment section, I also add northern beans, sweet potato, and ground beef to this recipe. And listen, I am a HORRIBLE cook, but can pull this one off without any issues. <3
Hey Sara,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your feedback, I’m so glad it was a hit! xx
Can you use baby spinach instead of kale?
Hi Lucie,
Totally, that will wok nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I’ve made this recipe every winter since it was posted, and I love it! I’ve tried it with both milk and cream, and I probably prefer the cream. I serve it with bread and have also made it with mini tortellini, though I prefer the larger ones. It’s always delicious!
Hi Kali,
I appreciate you making this recipe so often and your comment, love to hear it always turns out well for you! XxT
this was so good! i am going to make it again! I am planning to use this broth as a base and experiment with different types of soups. going to add sausage and potatoes next. after that, i might try a chicken noodle variation. thank you for the recipe!
Hey Maria,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out nicely for you! Happy Sunday! XxT
Loved it!
Thanks so much!!
Hi ! Is it possible that you made a mistake on the number of calories? Should we read 1349 cal divided by 6 portions?
Hi Ginette,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Recipe is so good but it needs adjustments. Six carrots is way too many, two large carrots finely chopped is great. Also, 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds is plenty and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme is plenty. Soup needs more than 30 minutes to tenderize carrots. Do not leave tortellini in the soup lot as it will soak up all the liquid. Remove the uneaten tortellini and save in a separate container
Hi Leigh,
Happy New Year!!🎆 Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Thanks for sharing your feedback. XxT