Easy Chicken Tortellini Soup
Craving cozy comfort? This Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup is easy to make, packed with flavor, and on the table in under 30 minutes—perfect for busy weeknights.
Here’s our latest entry in our shredded cooked chicken series: comfort food via creamy tortellini soup.
This is a great recipe because it is packed with flavor and relatively quick. This means I can whip it up for a weeknight meal.
The pressure cooker works well for this soup because you don’t have to cook the tortellini before putting it in the soup—everything cooks in the same pot.
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, Cosori, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Ingredient Notes
There are a lot of different types of tortellini soup recipes out there—some are more tomato sauce-y, others are more spicy sausage-y.
Our easy tortellini soup recipe is pure comfort food, like a mild chicken noodle soup, but creamy and more filling.
Tortellini
This recipe calls for a package of *frozen* tortellini, since the frozen version holds up well to pressure cooking.
In a pinch, you can substitute fresh or refrigerated tortellini. However, if you do that, I recommend pressure cooking the soup without the tortellini and add them and select Sauté to cook tortellini until done.
Chicken
We prefer to use pre-cooked shredded chicken in this recipe since the tortellini cooks so quickly.
If you wanted to use a chicken or turkey sausage, you could—just saute it until it’s brown and mostly cooked through, then pressure cook as directed.
Or, you can always use rotisserie chicken as well.
I haven’t tested it with other protein. If you try it, please leave a comment and let me know how it goes.
Creamy Broth
We preferred the taste and texture of the broth with half-and-half. However, you can substitute heavy cream or whole milk in a pinch. This gives you a creamy tortellini soup without being too rich.
You can also substitute vegetable stock with no changes to the recipe.
Serving Suggestions
This is a simple soup that I like to serve with just a side of buttered crusty bread.
To garnish, I’ll add extra red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then place in an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
This soup also freezes well. We like to put it in 1-cup portions in the freezer, up to 4-6 months. For best results, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat it in the microwave for a 2-3 minutes on medium heat, checking ever 30 seconds.
Note: Reheated ravioli will be a different texture than cooked fresh. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid, so we recommend adding a little extra broth when you reheat your leftovers.
Want more in-depth information about making this recipe? You can now find it below the recipe card.
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Chicken Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 carrots peeled and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken we used our shredded chicken method
- 5 cups chicken broth divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 package frozen cheese tortellini 19 ounces
- 1 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
- 2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup half and half
- Dash of red pepper flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Select Sauté and add the butter to the pressure cooking pot. When the butter is melted, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes.
- Add 1 cup chicken broth and scrape the pan well to remove any browning. Then add the chicken, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper. Layer the tortellini on top.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 2 minutes cook time.
- When the cook time ends, finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Select Saute. Add the remaining 4 cups broth and spinach. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the parmesan cheese in small handfuls, and stir until incorporated. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the spinach has wilted and the broth is heated through.
- Turn off the pressure cooker and, stirring constantly, add the half and half. Serve immediately, topped with additional fresh parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, to taste.
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
We opted for the traditional mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery), plus fresh spinach for classic fresh taste.
However, this recipe is really easy to expand with other vegetables to stretch the soup. Here are some ideas:
Adding bell peppers would add some cajun vibes, and garlic is always a lovely flavor. You can also sub shallots or leeks for onion. (I’d use about twice as many shalots or leeks to replace the onion.)
If you like it, kale can be used in place of spinach (just use the leafy parts and not the stems in the soup to avoid bitterness). You can also sub bok choy or arugula, if you’d like.
Garden veggies like zucchini or squash or frozen diced veggies can be added after pressure cooking. (However, I prefer the flavor of the soup when the onion, carrots, and celery are added before the pressure cook time—the broth is more flavorful that way.)
Add a small can of petite diced tomatoes before cooking or diced fresh tomatoes after cooking. (Note that this will change the flavor, so the broth will be less chicken-noodle-y.)
You could also add a drained and rinsed can of cannellini beans or navy beans.
You can also mix up the herbs and spices: Fresh parsley always makes a lovely and flavorful garnish. Basil and oregano would make it more Italian style.
Ideas for Using Shredded Chicken in Recipes
This is another post in our Shredded Chicken series where you make a Big Batch of Shredded Chicken and then use that chicken to make easy weeknight dinners during the week.
Other recipes in the series include:
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