Tortellini Vegetable Soup with Spring Greens and Peas

This late March time of year is always interesting because it’s still cold enough to be full-on soup season, but there are hints of spring starting to poke through. As the seasons change, I was still craving something in the soup category, but lightened up a bit. This  Tortellini Vegetable Soup checks all the boxes!

My favorite parts of this recipe are twofold: First, it uses store-bought tortellini which I think is fine for soups like this. I used a cheese variety but you could use your favorite. It makes it really fast to make and fills out the soup nicely. Second, I love the beets in this recipe. I used golden beets to keep the soup from staining red and also used the beets AND the greens which add an extra spring green element to it.

At the end of the day, it’s my favorite kind of recipe. Not fussy at all, but it does show off some great spring veggies.

• Want to roast the beets? Check out my Roasted Golden Beet tutorial!

What kind of tortellini to use in soup

Honestly, I wouldn’t go through the trouble of making your own pasta and tortellini for this soup (although I’m normally a bit fan of homemade pasta). So, I would find a store-bought brand that looks good to you and run with it. Personally, I like a cheese tortellini which gives some richness to the soup, but you could also use a vegetable tortellini if that’s your preference. 

Ingredients in this Tortellini Vegetable Soup

The nice thing about this soup is it really doesn’t require that many ingredients and can be made pretty any night of the week. 

Obviously, you’ll need tortellini of some sort for this vegetable soup. As far as the vegetables goes, I like to use leeks, garlic, golden beets (and the greens) and sweet peas. 

You’ll also want some chicken broth or vegetable broth, salt, pepper, and oregano for spice. 

Making this Spring Tortellini Soup

Preparing the golden beets is probably the hardest part of this recipe, but it really does add some nice flavor to the finished soup so I wouldn’t skip it unless you just can’t find them. I bought one big bunch of golden beets which is usually 3-4 beets and the greens.

You can just peel and cube the beets into about 1/4-inch pieces. For the greens, rinse them really well. Beet greens tend to be really dirty and the leaves catch dirt like crazy. When they are really well washed, cut off any super-thick stems and then just roughly chop them.

To start the soup, sauté the leeks and beets in a little olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Cook them until the veggies start to soften, but don’t brown the leeks at all. A pinch of salt and pepper is a good idea right now.

Then add in the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Then add in the stock and bring to a simmer. When the soup is simmering, turn the heat down to low and add the greens and peas. Simmer that until the greens are wilted and tender, just a minute or two.

Then toss in the tortellini and cook it until it’s just floating.

Be sure to taste the finished tortellini vegetable soup. It might need an extra pinch of salt and pepper or you could add some red pepper flake if you wanted a little heat in it.

I garnished mine with a little fresh oregano, but that’s very optional.

It’s a great tortellini soup because it’s fairly light actually and filled with great veggies.

Try it out if you are ready for spring, but still need some soup in your life!

Substitution ideas for this soup

This is one of those soups that is just SO easy to customize to your liking. Here are a few ideas.

• Add meat to the soup. You could add Italian sausage or shredded chicken to the soup.
• Substitute any and all vegetables you like. Green beans, chopped zucchini, carrots, and celery would all work really well int eh soup.
• Add other greens like kale and spinach to the soup in place of the beet greens if you can’t find them.
• Add a piece of parmesan cheese rind to the soup as it simmers to boost the umami flavors. 
• Add a splash of heavy cream to the soup near the end of simmering to make it creamy and rich. 
• Make the soup a vegan version by making sure to use a vegan tortellini.

Can you freeze tortellini soup?

This soup will freeze just fine. Make sure to store it in freezer-safe bags and get out as much of the air as possible in each bag. Freeze them flat so they are in an even layer and they will keep in the freezer for up to three months without a problem. 

If you don’t want to bother freezing it, the tortellini soup will keep fine in the fridge for up to a week although I think it’s best the next day. The tortellini will soak up a lot of the liquid so you might need to add extra. 

Reheating this vegetable soup

This soup makes really good leftovers and is a wonderful lunch on a chilly spring day. Whether you are reheating from the fridge or from the freezer, I think it’s best to reheat on the stovetop over low heat until it’s warmed through. If you microwave it, it won’t heat evenly and the tortellini might end up cold on the inside. 

Spring Tortellini Soup

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Author: Nick Evans

Servings: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

This spring Tortellini Vegetable Soup is very flexible and fast to make. My version starts with spring greens and peas with store-bought tortellini.

Equipment

• 1 Dutch Oven

Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bunch golden beets, plus greens
• 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 9 oz. tortellini pasta
• 1 cup sweet peas
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh oregano, garnish

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Prep leeks by chopping them in half lengthwise and rinsing them well. Then chop into half-coins. Prep beets by peeling them and then cubing them into small cubes. Rinse the beet greens well and cut out any large stems.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, add olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped leeks, cubed beets, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 4-5 minutes until veggies soften. Make sure leeks don’t brown at all.
• Add garlic and cook for another minute or so.
• Stir in chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Turn heat down to low and add washed and chopped beet greens and peas. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Add tortellini and cook for another 4-5 minutes until pasta is floating and cooked through. Season soup well with salt and pepper.
• Serve soup garnished with a few leaves of fresh oregano.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 481kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 1034mg | Potassium: 902mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 690IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 4mg

Course: Soups

Cuisine: American

Here are a few other great recipes to bring on spring!

Looking for other awesome spring recipes? Try out this Grilled Citrus Chicken if you are lighting the grills any time soon. To start the mornings healthy in the spring, try out this Mango Turmeric Smoothie, which has been on repeat at my house. For a fast weeknight dinner, this Spaghetti with Chili Crisp Breadcrumbs is always a hit. This Vegetable Pasta with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato sauce also caught my eye from Julia’s Album!