Spinach Tortellini Soup – The Stingy Vegan

This quick and easy spinach tortellini soup is comforting and packed with flavor and nutrients. A great warm bowl for a cool evening.

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Packaged tortellini is such a versatile ingredient and ever since I finally found vegan tortellini in a new German shop that opened up, I’ve made a ton of recipes.

Creamy vegan tortellini pasta, vegetarian tortellini soup, and vegan tortellini soup have all been in constant rotation lately.

These plant-based tortellini recipes are all ready in 30 minutes or less and are great for a quick weeknight dinner or weekend lunch.

Today’s recipe is packed with healthy spinach, rich tomato flavor and hearty vegan tortellini.

You can easily add your favorite veggies, plant-based sausage or make it creamy with oat or cashew cream. Feel free to make it your own!

Ingredients

Tortellini: If you’re in North America, the most common vegan tortellini product is Kite Hill. You can find this in large supermarkets or some Whole Foods. If you can’t find plant-based tortellini, you can use ravioli or try making your own tortellini. There are lots of recipes online.

Spinach: I use fresh spinach for this recipe but it can also be made with frozen spinach.

Tomato: A can of crushed tomatoes or tomato passata make the base of this tomato soup.

Tomato paste: Tomato paste adds sweetness to balance the acidity of the crushed tomatoes as well as deep umami flavor. It also helps to thicken the broth a bit. I like to add quite a bit.

Stock: A good quality vegetable stock for the soup base.

Vegetables: I start every soup with one medium diced onion and two cloves of garlic. I dice them as finely as I can so that they blend into the soup and add a lot of flavor. For this soup the only other vegetable I added was a couple of diced carrots. I like the sweetness that they add. Some people like to add celery too.

Herbs and seasonings: I usually add just one herb so that the flavor stands out and doesn’t get muddied with other herbs. This time I chose dried basil. You could use thyme or Italian seasoning instead if you prefer. Finally, add some salt and pepper to taste.

Oil: A couple tablespoons of olive oil is needed to fry the vegetables.

How to make spinach tortellini soup

Prep: Start by prepping your vegetables.

Finely dice one medium onion and mince two cloves of garlic.

Peel and dice two medium carrots. I like to dice them rather small so that they blend in to the soup.

If necessary, wash and roughly chop the spinach and measure out two packed cups.

Tortellini: I almost always cook the pasta separate from the soup. This makes it better to store leftovers so that the pasta doesn’t absorb the broth and get soggy.

Place a large pot of water on to boil. 

Once boiling, add a generous pinch of salt and the tortellini.

Cook the tortellini for the length of time indicated on the package directions. For mine, it says to boil for 8 – 10 minutes.

Continue cooking the soup while the pasta boils. When it’s ready, drain it.

Fry: Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a medium-large pot. 

Add the diced onion and carrot and fry until soft and transparent – about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for another minute or so until soft and fragrant.

Add the tomato paste and dried basil. Stir it well and fry for 30 seconds to a minute until it darkens in color.

Combine: Pour in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock and season with salt.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes or until nice and hot.

Turn off the heat and add the spinach. Stir it in until it’s all wilted.

Serve: Divide the tortellini between 4 bowls and ladle over the spinach soup. 

Garnish with fresh basil, parsley or croutons, if desired.

Substitutions and variations

Veggies: This is a basic tomato soup so any vegetable can be added to your taste: celery, chopped broccoli, green beans, kale instead of spinach, etc.

Tortellini: If you can’t find vegan tortellini you can use vegan ravioli or any other stuffed or not stuffed pasta shape.

Sausage and cream: Creamy tortellini soup with sausage and spinach is a popular alternative recipe. You can add some sliced vegan sausage and a plant-based cream alternative such as oat cream, cashew cream, coconut milk or coconut cream to replicate that type of recipe. 

Seasonings: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a bit of spice. I tend to use just one dried herb at a time in my soups. You can substitute thyme or oregano for the basil, Italian seasoning if you like a mix of herbs, or substitute the dried herb for fresh basil or parsley. 

FAQs

Make ahead and storage tips

Spinach tortellini soup can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

This recipe calls for cooking the tortellini in a separate pot to make it better for storing.

You can either prepare and store the tomato soup base and cook the pasta fresh when you’re ready to serve, or cook the pasta at the same time and store it in a separate container from the soup.

If storing the tortellini, drizzle a bit of olive oil over it to prevent it from sticking together.

I don’t recommend freezing pasta but you can freeze the soup base for up to 3 months. Add freshly cooked tortellini when serving.

How to serve spinach tortellini soup

Spinach tortellini soup goes well with a side salad and some crusty bread or garlic bread.

Grate over some vegan Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with some fresh basil or parsley.