Healthier Creamy Tortellini Soup
This crazy delicious Creamy Tortellini Soup is a cozy 25-minute dinner recipe that is surprisingly healthy, too. Instead of being loaded with cream (like most tortellini soup recipes), this one is made creamy with a little cashew butter. You'll never guess this is a healthy soup recipe!
If you're looking for a dreamy tortellini soup recipe that is as cozy as your favorite fluffy blanket, this is it. It has a magical ability to disappear quickly and leave nothing but smiles in its place.
And while you'll never know it, this creamy tortellini soup is made with mostly good for you ingredients. When I told my handsome man that there wasn't any cream in this recipe, he didn't believe me. It took a while to convince him and even then he was skeptical. This is healthy eats doing the best impersonation of comfort food. Truly the best of both worlds.
Reasons you'll love this creamy tortellini soup recipe
- A creamy tomato broth that is bursting with flavor.
- Start to finish, it takes only 25 minutes to make.
- If you use vegan ravioli (rather than the cheese tortellini that you see in the pictures) it's a completely dairy-free tortellini soup.
- But trust me, you'll never know it's vegan when you're eating it. It'll be our little secret.
- That rich and dreamy broth (yes, touching on that again) is addictively tasty.
- Which isn't a problem as you can eat bowl after bowl and still feel great about it.
- Any leftovers (you may want to double the recipe) are delicious for tomorrow's lunch.
How to make tortellini soup in 3 – 2 – 1
- Saute some onions and garlic in a big soup pot then add some tomato paste and let it caramelize by cooking it for a few minutes so it's extra sweet and flavorful.
- Add some diced tomatoes and stock and when the pot comes to a boil add the tortellini.
- When the tortellini is nearly cooked, mix some cashew butter and water together (aka cashew cream) and pour it into the pot. It will thicken the soup and make it super creamy.
Now all you have to do it stir in some spinach and ladle the soup into bowls. So easy!
Is this a healthy creamy tortellini soup recipe?
We think so! While tortellini may not fall into the category of health food, all the other ingredients are great for you.
Most tortellini soup recipes are loaded with cream, butter, and flour. This one uses cashew cream (just a little cashew butter mixed with water) to thicken the soup and make it creamy. It's our favorite trick for making dairy-free (healthy!) cream sauces.
More recipes that use cashew cream
- Creamy Pesto Chicken (dairy-free!)
- Cashew Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Creamy Garlic Chicken with Spinach
- Creamy Chicken Mushroom Recipe
- Cashew Coconut Salmon Curry
Can you make creamy tortellini soup ahead of time?
Yes, but only without the tortellini. While the soup is still tasty for lunch the following day, the tortellini will be a little soft. If you want this soup to last several days, or to serve to friends, cook the tortellini separately.
Can you freeze creamy tortellini soup?
Yes, but you'll need to leave out the tortellini. If you plan on freezing this soup, cook the tortellini in a separate pot.
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Healthy soup recipes
- Italian Sausage Soup with Potatoes and Kale
- Curried Chicken Cauliflower Rice Soup
- Kale Minestrone Soup with Pesto
- Cashew Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Coconut Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup
Healthier Creamy Tortellini Soup
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 4 cups stock, see notes
- 12 ounces refrigerated (fresh) tortellini, about 3 generous cups (use gluten-free or vegan ravioli, if needed)
- 4 tablespoons cashew butter + 1 cup warm water
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 5 ounces baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it's translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute.1 tablespoon avocado oil, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Push the onions to the side of the pot and add the tomato paste to the center. Let it cook for 3 minutes, or until it begins to smell sweet. Add the diced tomatoes and stock to the pot and scrape any stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pot. Season to taste with salt.4 tablespoons tomato paste, 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, 4 cups stock
- Bring the pot to a boil then add the tortellini and let it cook for 6 minutes.12 ounces refrigerated (fresh) tortellini
- Mix the cashew butter and water together then add it to the pot. Let it thicken the soup. Taste and season (if needed) with a little more salt and pepper. Stir the spinach into the soup.4 tablespoons cashew butter + 1 cup warm water, 5 ounces baby spinach
Notes
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I tried this tonight. It was tasty but it didn’t look like the picture. I couldn’t get the cashew butter to mix completely with the warm water or soup so it had separation. Is there a way to fix this for next time?
If your cashew butter is cold, it will be harder to mix. Start by mixing just a little water into the cashew butter then add a little more and mix again. Once it’s a loose paste it will be easy to mix in the rest of the water.
This is delicious. I have to avoid dairy while breastfeeding and so I used gnocchi instead. So tasty.
Hi there. This looks so great except for the cashew butter. My husband and I both dislike nuts or nutty flavors in our food. Is this really meant to have a rich nutty flavor? I assume the nut butter helps thicken it a bit. Could you recommend something else, or could that ingredient be completely omitted?
I don’t find that the flavor is overly nutty – cashew butter is pretty mild tasting. But you could substitute regular cream instead.
Hi I was thinking of making this for my husband but he has a nut allergy. Could you suggest a substitute for the cashews
Regular heavy cream works, too. 🙂
This was DELICIOUS and so easy to make. I am really glad I found the recipe on IG. Cannot wait to make it again!
Absolutely wonderful! This is the first tortellini soup I’ve made & it’s a keeper! The only thing I changed was I used 2 14.5 oz cans of basil, garlic & oregano diced tomatoes because I couldn’t find a 28 oz can. This soup screams comfort food this time of year, thank you for such a great recipe! I’ve already passed it on to a few people 😉
After so many months of cooking vegetarian meals for my newly vegetarian family this soup is such a welcome addition to the weekly lineup! It was quick and easy and except for the spinach I can keep all the ingredients in my pantry to whip this up. My family absolutely loved it! I was out of cashew butter so I just soaked about half a cup of cashews in hot water and then blended the whole thing up in my Vitamix and threw it in the pot. Creamy and delicious! And you don’t have to be vegan or vegetarian to love it!
Hi! I came across your website this week and I loved it. I took notes of four recipes to cook this week, starting with this one. I’ll share my insights.
My partner isn’t a fan of wet dishes, so I reduced the stock to 3 cups and instead of mixing Cashew paste with another cup of water, I’ve mixed it with a cup of the liquid already boiling. I used two packs of 250g pasta and we both loved the result.
Thank you a lot!
That’s so great to hear, Wes! Thank you for letting us know!
This might be my favourite soup recipe ever. I’ve made it a few times now and will be making it again cause my family keeps begging for it. Thank you for this healthier version!
Yay! That makes me really happy to hear. Thanks, Samantha!
Hi there, wondering f you could use tomato soup instead of canned tomatoes in this receipe
This is a really flexible recipe so I think that sub should work just fine. 🙂
I am allergic to cashews. Can you suggest a substitute for all these yummy looking recipes?
Thank you
Any nut butter should work, but some (like peanut butter) will change the flavor quite a bit. I would suggest opting for one with a neutral flavor. Raw almond butter might be your best best. 🙂