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Creamy Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup

Close up of tomato basil tortellini soup with pinto beans, ground chicken, and sliced black olives topped with grated cheese in a white round bowl with a silver spoon.
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This Creamy Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup is made with ground chicken, veggies, aromatics, fresh basil and mint leaves, and pillowy ricotta and spinach tortellini. Everything is simmered in a velvety and rich tomato cream broth! It’s quick and easy to make in one pot, incredibly flavorful, and ultra cozy and comforting! Perfect for busy weeknights and cold weather!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 480 grams/1 pound ground Chicken (also known as minced chicken in Asia.)
  • 1 TBLS Olive Oil
  • 2 TBLS Unsalted Butter
  • 1 medium Yellow Onion – diced
  • 1 large Carrot (350–385 grams) – diced
  • 6 Garlic cloves – minced
  • 5–8 Red Chilies, to taste and deseeded depending on your heat level preference
  • ½ cup Dry White Wine (I use sauvignon blanc, but unoaked chardonnay or pinot grigio would work too!)
  • 2 (14-ounce) cans chopped tomato (I used chopped Italian tomatoes with olive oil & garlic. But you can use any type of chopped canned tomatoes, including fire roasted for an extra bold and smoky flavor.)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can Chili Beans (I use S&W Chili Beans with pinto beans, chili peppers, onion, garlic in a zesty tomato sauce. But feel free to use any other canned beans you prefer such as pinto, butter, or cannellini beans. See notes.)*
  • 12 pitted Black Olives – sliced
  • 5–6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
  • 200ml Cooking Cream (Single Cream) – (Use half and half or milk if you want to make this lighter.)
  • 2 TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
  • 1.5 TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
  • 1 TSP ground Cayenne, to taste
  • 1 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Chili Flakes, to taste
  • 1 TSP Smoked Paprika (I use La Chinata Smoked Paprika (Hot) because it’s incredibly robust and flavorful, but you can use a sweet one if you prefer.)
  • 1 TSP Garlic Powder
  • 1 TSP Onion Powder
  • 2 TSP Mint Flakes
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or Parmesan) Cheese, plus more for serving
  • 35–40g Italian or Thai Sweet Basil Leaves (about 2 cups loosely packed) – washed, dried, and chopped
  • ½ cup fresh Mint Leaves – washed, dried, and chopped
  • 2 (250 grams/8 ounce) packs fresh refrigerated or frozen Tortellini of your choice (I used a tortellini with a ricotta and spinach filling. See notes.)*

Instructions

  1. Cook the chicken: Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the ground chicken and cook for 6-8 minutes, breaking up the lumps with a wooden spoon/spatula as you go. Once cooked through, transfer to a clean bowl and set aside.
  2. Sauté veggies & aromatics: In the same pot, melt the unsalted butter over medium-high heat. Once frothing and foamy, add the onion and carrots. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and red chilies, sauté for another minute or two until fragrant.
  3. Deglaze: Pour in the white wine and deglaze the pot, making sure to scrape up any brown crispy bits at the bottom of the pot.
  4. Simmer: Add the canned chopped tomatoes, chili beans, olives, low sodium chicken broth, cooking cream, and all of the seasonings and spices. Stir to combine and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add cheese, herbs, tortellini, and chicken: Mix in the cheese until fully melted. Then add the basil and mint leaves, tortellini, and cooked ground chicken back into the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5-7 minutes, or until the tortellini is nice and tender. Then switch off the heat.
  6. To Serve: Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with chopped basil leaves and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Serve immediately! (Or cool quickly and refrigerate in airtight sealed containers for 3-4 days. See notes.)

Equipment

Notes

  1. Chili Beans vs. regular canned beans:  If using a regular can of beans without any sauce, you may want to add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste and a bit of extra ground cayenne. Have a taste just before Step 5, and you can add it in then if you feel it needs some tomato flavor or spice.
  2. Frozen vs. fresh refrigerated vs. packaged dry tortellini: If using frozen tortellini, simply add a few minutes extra to the cook time and cook until it’s nice and tender. Same goes for packaged dry tortellini.
  3. Storing & reheating leftovers: You can store this soup in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in sealed airtight containers. So you can make for meal prep too if you like. Reheat in a pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fully heated through. Then top with extra freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and basil leaves if desired and enjoy! If the soup gets too thick after storing in the fridge, just add water or chicken broth as needed to thin it out. You can also reheat this soup in the microwave for one or two minutes until fully heated through.
  4. Making ahead & freezing: If you would like to freeze this soup, I recommend not adding the cream, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, tortellini, basil, and mint leaves. Make it without these ingredients and then cool the soup completely. Transfer it to either freezer friendly containers or freezer bags and store in the freezer for up to three months. Then when you would like to have this soup, thaw in the fridge overnight (it won’t defrost completely, but that’s no problem). Add it to a large dutch oven or stockpot, and heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes until heated through. Mix in the cream and cheese first. Once the cheese has melted, add the tortellini, basil, and mint leaves and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini is nice and tender. Top with extra grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and fresh basil leaves if desired, then serve immediately.
  5. To make it gluten-free: Use a gluten-free tortellini or other gluten-free pasta.
  6. Use a different protein: Feel free to use Italian sausage, ground pork, turkey, or beef if you prefer. If using cooked diced/shredded chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken, you can add it to the soup when adding the tortellini at the end. You’ll need about 2-2.5 cups of chicken.
  7. To make it vegetarian: Simply omit the ground chicken. Or you can swap for a plant-based ground meat product such as Beyond Beef®.
  8. To make it vegan: Ditto the above, and use a dairy-free cream product. Or you can also a dairy-free milk such as coconut or almond milk for a lighter version. Also, be sure to use a vegan unsalted butter, vegan cheese, and a vegan cheese tortellini. Alternatively, just use another type of pasta such as gnocchi (fresh refrigerated, frozen, or shelf-stable in a package), or dry pasta like large shells or penne.
  9. Use a different pasta: You’re welcome to swap the tortellini for fresh refrigerated ravioli, raviolini, or gnocchi if you like. I love using fresh gnocchi when I have it on hand, and I can vouch that both regular and sweet potato gnocchi taste delicious in this soup! Alternatively, you can use a dry pasta such as large (or small) shells, penne, cavatappi, fusilli, farfalle, etc. Just add a couple of extra minutes to the cook time to ensure that the dry pasta is fully cooked and tender.
  10. If omitting the dry white wine: If you prefer not to cook with alcohol, you can deglaze with half a cup of chicken broth instead.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thatspicychick.com/creamy-tomato-basil-tortellini-soup/