It’s officially soup season! I love summer but I also really love making soup once a week on our meal plan. That’s why I have so many soup recipes on the blog! This creamy tomato basil soup with tortellini is hearty and filling, but also vegetarian and the perfect transition meal between summer and fall. It’s cozy and comforting, perfect for dunking grilled cheese in, but the bright tomato and basil flavor makes me think of summer. I buy huge bags of fresh basil at a farm stand near our house. I make this soup, caprese salads, and a big batch of pesto for the freezer.
One thing that I love about this soup is that it uses canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes, that makes it a soup that you can make year round! While I love fresh summer tomatoes in so many things, soup isn’t one of them. I find that canned tomatoes that already have the peels removed make soup making as easy as possible and still give you a lot of delicious tomato flavor. But while canned tomatoes fit the bill in this easy tomato soup recipe, you definitely want to use fresh basil. Fresh basil gives you a much sweeter, fresher flavor than dried basil will. Dried basil may do the trick in pasta sauce and pizza, but for a soup that has basil as one of its stars, you want it to be fresh.
The tortellini that you use here is up to you. I like a pre-made tortellini from the refrigerator and have used both cheese tortellini and cheese and spinach tortellini in this recipe. Trader Joe’s also has a great selection of different flavors if you’re interested in that! It’s important to boil the tortellini separately from the soup, and if you have any leftovers it’s important to store them separately. If you store them together, the pasta will soak up a lot of the liquid from the soup and it will be less of a soup consistency and more of a pasta dish. It would still be delicious! I just prefer to store them separately.
This is a soup that will be on repeat in our house this year, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
- 1 lb. fresh tortellini (I use cheese or cheese + spinach)
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
- 28 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp. granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese for serving, optional
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook tortellini according to package directions. When cooked, drain using a colander. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and stir to prevent sticking.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the soup base. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and add onions and garlic, cooking until tender. Add whole tomatoes, diced tomatoes, salt, black pepper, sugar, and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer, then add basil and simmer a few more minutes.
- Transfer to a high-speed blender or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Return mixture to pot over low heat.
- Add the cream and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Put some tortellini in each bowl and ladle soup over the pasta.
- Serve topped with parmesan cheese, enjoy!
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I made this last night and it’s a keeper! Simple, easy and yummy! Thanks!