this vegetarian soup comes together in less than 30 minutes and is hearty, satisfying and packs a load of nutrients and vegetarian-protein.
The temperatures dropped into the high 60s here the past few days and I immediately jumped on the opportunity to whip up a batch of soup.
I love soups, stews and chilis in the cooler weather because they’re so simple to make, you can pack a ton of whole grains & vegetables into them and they’re perfect for an easy packed lunch or weeknight meal.
Tortellini soup is typically made with a sausage, but I wanted to swap that out for a plant-based protein to make it more affordable.
If you’re a big meat eater, feel free to brown up some sausage or ground beef (or turkey!) to throw into the soup!
This meal took me all of 30 minutes to make and made enough for family dinner + a packed lunch for both Chad and myself. Not too bad for a busy weeknight meal (especially when it makes your lunch the next day too!).
It’s also a great opportunity to use up some veggies that you have lying around. (Am I the only one that basically always has a bag of carrots and celery in her fridge??). I used spinach in addition to my mirepoix (carrots, celery and onion) but you could also throw zucchini, peppers or mushrooms in here and it would be excellent.
That’s the other great thing about this soup. It’s pretty much impossible to mess up. It’s truly an anything-goes type of dish (which makes it even more perfect for weeknights when you just can’t figure out what to make!).
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tortellini & chickpea italian soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: soup
Description
this vegetarian soup comes together in less than 30 minutes and is hearty, satisfying and packs a load of nutrients and vegetarian-protein.
Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, peeled & diced small
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 (10-ounce) package refrigerated spinach & cheese tortellini
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach, stems removed
- 2 medium celery stalks, chopped (~1 cup)
- 1 medium carrot, chopped (~1/2 cup)
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1/3 cup whole milk or heavy cream (can also sub non-dairy)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- For topping: freshly shredded parmesan cheese, chopped fresh basil, crusty bread
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds – 1 minute (until just fragrant).
- Add onion, carrots & celery followed by Italian seasoning, salt & pepper. Cover, lower heat to medium-low and cook for ~10 minutes until veggies are fork tender.
- Add vegetable stock and tomato sauce then bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for ~10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in tortellini, then cover and cook for ~5-7 minutes (until tortellini is tender).
- Add in spinach, stirring gently until it begins to wilt (~1-2 minutes) then add in chickpeas and whole milk (a non-dairy option will also work).
- Season once more with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Ladle into bowls, then top with freshly shredded parmesan and basil. Serve with a slice of crusty bread.
Notes
- Soup will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
Keywords: soup, lunch, dinner, vegetarian
Loved this! Seriously so yummy! I love that this is a hearty soup that is still vegetarian! And seriously stupid simple to make. So easy and honestly probably took 30 minutes from start to finish. Definitely a keeper for me!
★★★★★
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear!! I totally agree about everything you said – those are the exact reasons I loved it so much too! Thanks so much for the note letting me know how it went for you 🙂
For the 1 cup of tomato sauce, do you think canned stewed tomatoes would be just as tasty or do you think you should stick to the 1 cup tomato sauce for the overall flavor? 🙂
Hi! You could definitely sub in stewed tomatoes – you may just also want to add a little more Italian seasoning (or some garlic, onion powder & oregano) since you’ll be missing a little of that from the sauce 🙂
My new favorite soup! Recipe makes enough for dinner + next-day leftovers for my boyfriend and I. He begged me to make this again. We are trying to reduce our meat intake and this was the perfect recipe for that. Cheap, easy, quick! I think next time I will add some zucchini
★★★★★
Oh yay! I’m so happy to hear that – it’s just the best right?? I’m so glad you both enjoyed!
So yummy and so easy! Tortellini is amazing.
★★★★★
Agreed! So glad you liked it! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Delicious. Easy. Healthy. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed 🙂
This is my go to for soup! I love all of your meatless recipes and make a lot of them often but this soup is always on my rotation for soup season! It’s so good and hearty. I hope one day you release a cook book! I’d buy copies for everyone I know.
Delicious!
★★★★★
yay!! that makes me so happy to hear! thank you for sharing and for the review! 🙂