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Plenty of fresh veggies and store-bought tortellini swimming in a bright, creamy tomato base. Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup is a delicious, easy-to-make meal in a bowl. No wonder this NYT recipe rates five-stars!
Why Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup Is a Meal in a Bowl
Most of the time, I like creating my own recipes. But when I see a recipe in the New York Times that gets a five-star rating with thousands of reviews, I definitely want to try it out.
The NYT Creamy Tomato Soup did not disappoint! It’s not often that I refer to soup as a showstopper, but this one truly is.
The creamy tomato base is a terrific soup all on its own. The combination of tomato puree and stock is made even brighter with a little lemon juice, then mellowed and enriched by the silky and satisfying addition of cream.
Adding plenty of fragrant, flavorful basil, greens, and spices makes it even better.
But the thing that takes this soup from good to great is the Italian sausage and ready-made cheese tortellini. It’s a soup that really is a meal – hearty and filling and absolutely divine!
I tried creamy tomato and tortellini soup for the first time less than three months ago, and I’ve already made it three times. That should tell you a lot about how truly terrific this soup is!
Though I discovered this wonderful recipe in the NYT, I did make a few adjustments based on my personal preference and to make ingredient sourcing a little easier.
Before we talk about ingredients; you’ll notice there are quite a few on the list. Please don’t let that intimidate you!
This soup really is easy to make. And though it has a few more ingredients than some soup recipes, remember that it truly is a meal in a bowl.
You could serve it with some nice, crusty bread if you like, and maybe a green salad. But you absolutely don’t need to. A bowl of creamy tomato tortellini soup is deliciously filling and satisfying all by itself!
Ingredients for Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
- Olive oil
- Sweet Italian bulk sausage – You could use regular sausage and remove the casings, but bulk is usually cheaper. Get a good quality sausage with plenty of herbs and spices. It adds a lot to the flavor. (If you want to make this a vegetarian soup, leave out the sausage and use vegetable stock. You could also try this creamy tomato and lentil recipe.)
- Onion – I prefer a sweet yellow onion, but white works too.
- Garlic – There is a lot of garlic in this recipe. Use all that’s recommended. It makes a difference.
- Paprika
- Red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Pepper
- Tomato paste
- Tomato Puree
- Chicken or vegetable stock – When it comes to stock, homemade is always best. But store-bought stock will do. But be sure you’re buying stock, not broth.
- Cheese tortellini – Either refrigerated or frozen.
- Half and half – I think half and half gives me a good balance – creamy but a few less calories. But you can substitute regular cream if you’d like, or whole milk if you’re keeping an eye on calories.
- Chard – I love chard. It’s got a good flavor and isn’t as fibrous as kale. But Tuscan kale can work here too, or even fresh spinach.
- Fresh basil – Don’t skimp on the basil! It adds a lot to the flavor of the soup.
- Lemon juice
- Grated Parmesan – this is optional, but a little sprinkle on the top when you serve the soup makes a nice addition.
Tips for Making the Best Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
With one exception, making this recipe is a fairly straightforward process.
You’ll start by cooking the sausage. Then you’ll add the onions, garlic, and spices and cook until the onion is soft. After that, you’ll add and cook the tomato paste, then add the tomato puree and stock. After adding the tortellini, you’ll toss in the chard and basil and cook. Simple.
But the next step can be a little tricky, or at least require a little explanation.
Tomato has quite a bit of acid. The first time I made this soup, the half-and-half curdled. It tasted fine but it didn’t look very appetizing. The solution to this is to temper the half and half before adding it to the soup.
How do you do that? Glad you asked!
Take the soup pot off the burner. Don’t just turn off the heat, you need to actually move the pot. Pour the half and half in a good-sized bowl, then add tablespoon or two of the soup and stir. You’ll keep repeating this process, adding a little more soup every time.
This will slowly raise the temperature of the mixture until it’s fairly warm. At that point, you can stir the mixture into the remaining soup without danger of curdling or separation.
The final step will be to add the lemon juice and serve. If you need to reheat the soup, do so slowly over a low heat. Like all soups that use cream or milk, this should not be frozen. Refrigerate any leftovers and eat within 2-3 days.
Creamy tomato tortellini soup really is a 5-star recipe. Give it a try soon!
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Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup (NYT 5-Star Recipe)
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil
- 1lb bulk sweet Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion, yellow or white, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
- 2 T tomato paste
- 1 (28-ounce) can tomato purée
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 10 oz package refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
- 1¼ cup half and half (can sub cream or whole milk)
- 1 bunch fresh chard, leaves stripped and chopped
- ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Grated Parmesan, optional for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium high heat in large, heavy bottomed soup pot. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon as you do, until no pink remains. Drain all but 2 T of grease from the pot.
- Lower heat to medium. Add the onions, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to the pot. Cook until onions are soft and just beginning to turn golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and cook until it darkens, about 3 minutes. Add tomato puree, and stock. Raise heat to bring soup to a boil, then lower so soup is simmering. Add tortellini and cook for 3 minutes. Add chard and basil, cook for two more minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Remove pot from the burner. Place the half and half in a medium-sized bowl. Temper it by stirring 2-3 tablespoons of the soup into half and half. Repeat this process until the mixture if fairly warm. Pour the warm mixture into the soup. (See post for information about tempering.)
- Stir lemon juice into the pot and stir. Serve immediately, with a little grated Parmesan if using.
- If you need to reheat the soup, do so slowly over a low heat. Like all soups that use cream or milk, this should not be frozen. Refrigerate any leftover and eat within 2-3 days.
