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Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken tortellini soup with a golden herb broth, tender cheese tortellini, and shredded chicken. Built by boiling tortellini until just tender, then wilting fresh spinach for a cozy, one-pot meal.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 515
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken breast, cooked and shredded
  • 1.5 lb chicken breast
Cheese tortellini
  • 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
Baby spinach
  • 3 cup baby spinach
Carrots
  • 3 carrots sliced
Onion
  • 1 onion diced
Garlic
  • 4 garlic minced
Chicken broth
  • 6 cup chicken broth
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
Parmesan and fresh basil
  • 0.5 cup parmesan for serving
  • 0.25 cup fresh basil for serving
Salt and pepper
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, then sauté the onion and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring until slightly softened and fragrant.
Build the herb broth
  1. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and dried basil, and cook for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant and the spices smell toasted.
  2. Pour in the chicken broth and bring the soup to a boil, bubbling actively across the surface.
Cook the tortellini
  1. Add the refrigerated cheese tortellini and boil gently for 4-5 minutes until just tender.
Finish with chicken and spinach
  1. Stir in the shredded chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until heated through.
  2. Add the baby spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted and bright green.
Season and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve immediately with generous parmesan and fresh basil.

Notes

For best texture, don’t overcook the tortellini—aim for “just tender” so it doesn’t get mushy. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth. Freezing is not recommended because tortellini can soften after thawing. If you want a lighter option, use part-skim or reduced-fat parmesan and choose a lower-sodium chicken broth.