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Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken tortellini soup with a golden herb broth and cheese tortellini cooked until just tender. Shredded chicken and baby spinach are added at the end so the spinach wilts but stays bright.
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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 breast, cooked and shredded
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast
Cheese tortellini
  • 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
Baby spinach
  • 3 cup baby spinach
Carrots
  • 3 carrots
Onion
  • 1 onion
Garlic
  • 4 garlic cloves
Chicken broth
  • 6 cup chicken broth
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
Parmesan and fresh basil for serving
  • 1 parmesan and fresh basil for serving
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the aromatics
  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté onion and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened and fragrant.
Build the herb broth
  1. Add garlic, Italian seasoning, and dried basil and cook for 1 minute until fragrant and bubbling lightly.
  2. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil over high heat, with steady bubbles rolling across the surface.
Cook tortellini and finish
  1. Add cheese tortellini and cook for 4-5 minutes until just tender, pausing to stir so they don’t stick.
  2. Stir in shredded chicken and baby spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until the chicken is heated through and the spinach wilts.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then ladle into bowls and top with generous parmesan shavings and fresh basil.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the broth at a gentle boil after adding the tortellini and stir occasionally for even cooking. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove. Freezing is not recommended because tortellini and spinach can soften and lose texture. For a lighter option, use whole-wheat or gluten-free tortellini and low-sodium chicken broth.