This vegetarian tortellini soup is incredibly flavourful, with harissa, lemon and fresh herbs. Best of all, it all comes together in one pot!
This easy tortellini soup is the dream dinner!
With just one pot and a few simple ingredients, you end up with a delicious, cozy soup that's high in protein and packed full of flavor. Cheesy tortellini, savory broth and lots of veggies . . . what more could you want?
Trust us when we say the whole family will love this easy soup.
Flavour Profile
🔥 Spicy
⚡ Vibrant
🍅 Rich
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Meet the Recipe Developer
Brogan is a Midwest gal sharing practical yet fun recipes from her Maryland kitchen. Follow along at broganeats.substack.com!
Why we Love It
- This is a great recipe for those nights when you don't feel like cooking but still want something homemade and substantial.
- Adding harissa is the perfect way to take this dish to the next level. While most tortellini soups take cues from classic minestrone soup, this version is vibrant, fresh and savory all at once.
Test Kitchen Notes
- The addition of white beans adds extra protein and fibre tuning this into a filling and satisfying take on vegetable soup.
- Harissa is an aromatic chilli paste, often used in North African and Middle Eastern cooking. By using harissa instead of tomato paste — which may have been the more obvious choice in a recipe like this — this soup gains extra layers of spice, warmth, and depth that make it feel more dynamic and well-seasoned from the first bite. It transforms the broth from a simple tomato base into something rich, smoky, and complex— no extra effort required!
- Many tortellini soups rely on a splash of cream or a roux for richness, but this version benefits from a lighter, broth-based approach. The harissa and lemon juice keep the flavors bright and balanced, allowing the tortellini to shine without the richness of heavy cream, making it a satisfying yet refreshing alternative to a creamy soup.
What You Need
- Olive oil: We recommend using a high-quality extra virgin olive oil. If you don't have olive oil, you could also use avocado oil.
- Onion: We recommend a brown or yellow onion, but you can also substitute with any other colour onion or 2-3 shallots.
- Carrot: A regular carrot is perfect in this recipe. If you don't like carrot, leave it out.
- Serrano pepper: A serrano pepper is a small green pepper that's originally from Mexico. You can also substitue jalapeno instead. If you don't have fresh peppers available, use a small amount of red pepper flakes instead.
- Garlic: Garlic adds a great amount flavour to this recipe. If you don't eat garlic, simply leave it out.
- Crushed tomatoes: A large can of tomatoes makes up the tomato base of this soup. For more texture, swap diced tomatoes instead. For less texture, use tomato puree.
- Vegetable broth: As with most soup recipes, broth is an essential ingredient. If you're not vegetarian, you can also use chicken or beef broth. If you don't have broth, substitute with water, adding extra spices as needed.
- Cheese tortellini: We recommend using fresh tortellini (like you find in the refrigerated section of the grocery store) rather than dried tortellini in this recipe.
- White beans: Any variety of white bean works here. Choose canellini if you want smaller beans or butter beans for larger beans.
- Spinach: We used baby spinach to make this delicious soup, but regular or English spinach would also work. You could also substitute kale or swiss chard, but they may take longer to wilt.
- Lemon: Lemon juice brightens the dish. You can substitute with an equal amount of white vinegar or red wine vinegar instead.
- Parmesan: Parmesan cheese is a great topping for this soup. You could also use feta here, which would be delicious but not as melty.
- Coriander: Coriander (AKA cilantro) adds another layer of flavour to this dish. If you don't like coriander, leave it out or use a different type of fresh herbs instead.
📖 Recipe
Easy One Pot Vegetarian Tortellini Soup Recipe
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This vegetarian tortellini soup is incredibly flavourful, with harissa, lemon and fresh herbs. Best of all, it all comes together in one pot!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or enough to coat the bottom of your soup pot
- ½ a large onion, chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
- 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 to 4 tablespoons harissa paste (start with 3 and add more to taste)
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 package cheese tortellini (20 ounces)
- 1 can of white beans, drained (15.5 ounces)
- 1 package spinach (6 ounces)
- Juice of half a lemon (about a tablespoon)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
- Chopped cilantro, for serving
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Over medium to medium-high heat, add the oil to a large soup pot. Heat the oil for a minute or so until it's shimmering, then add the onion, carrot, serrano, and garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté, stirring often, until everything is softened and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the harissa and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the harissa has deepened in colour and there are some dark bits stuck to the pot.
- Add the broth to deglaze, scraping up the dark bits to incorporate them into the broth. These bits add flavour!
- Add the crushed tomato and stir. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the tortellini and white beans, stirring gently to incorporate. Simmer for about 3 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked through. This may vary depending on what type of tortellini you’re using. Use the package instructions as a guide!
- Once the pasta is cooked, add the spinach, stirring gently until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Serve with grated Parmesan, chopped cilantro, and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Harissa can often be found in the international aisle in your grocery store. If you can’t find it at the store, you can find it easily online. Brogan's favourite brands are NY Shuk and Mina. You can also make your own! Brogan developed this recipe using NY Shuk’s preserved lemon harissa for this recipe. Any harissa would be delicious!
- If you don’t like spice, omit the serrano.
- Any white bean would be delicious! Brogan used cannellini beans, but butter beans, navy beans, or truly any white bean would work.
- Brogan used Parmesan for garnish, but this would be great with feta.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Soup
- Method: One-Pot
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
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Kiki says
I love this recipe! It's so simple but packed full of flavour. Yum!