One-Pot Tomato and Basil Tortellini Soup – Hearty, comforting, flavorful and a quick weeknight meal! So much easier than soup in the crock-pot!
Oh, hey there gorgeous tortellini! I am a tortellini loving kind of gal. If it were up to me, I would indulge in it every single day, if I could. No one’s stopping me. So I may just take myself up on the offer. Sounds delicious and comforting. Wouldn’t you say so?
If you have never added three-cheese tortellini to your soup, or even Ragu, you are truly missing out. I’m not kidding at all. The tortellini soaks up the flavor, and each bite of tortellini contains so much flavor, you would be surprised. The following day, they will soak up so much of the liquid, it almost looks like a decadent scoop of sauce scattered on top.
The addition of Ragu adds the perfect touch for a quick and easy meal. As you know, I love quick and easy one-pot meals! Who doesn’t?
Growing up, my dad would always pick up clever things while watching a walk to the local grocery store for dinner, and I always loved those trips. They always contained saucy, carb, cheesy meal! While I was making this soup, my mind started to drift into those great memories. Got to love family traditions.
Do you know how about the Ragu family store? If not, grab a cup of tea or coffee and read on to find out. Assunta Cantisano, the mastermind/creator of Ragu, came to America from Naples in 1914, started her very own garden to which the beloved Ragu came from. This was all during the great depression, so many families were struggling, including her own. She decided to start selling her homemade pasta sauces to neighbors. By the 50’s and 60’s Ragu had become a staple in American kitchens. Neat, right?
Right now there is a recipe contest going until November 30th! Enter!!
- ½ white onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 5 cups fat-free chicken stock
- ½ cup skim milk
- ¾ cup fat-free half & half
- 1 jar Ragu Traditional Pasta Sauce
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 16 ounces refrigerated three-cheese tortellini
- parmesan cheese, for garnish
- basil, for garnish
- Place the onion, carrot, and olive oil in a 6-quart dutch oven or soup pot. Simmer over medium heat until the onions are translucent.
- Add the fresh basil, chicken stock, milk, half & half, pasta sauce, and diced tomatoes to the mixture. Stir until combined.
- Add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the mixture and stir. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Place the tortellini into the mixture and allow the soup to simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Hi! I would like to make this but have some questions as I live in France. How large is this can of pasta sauce? And can I use fresh tomatoes instead of canned and if so how many (small) tomatoes would you suggest? Thanks!
Hi, Emma. The jar of pasta sauce is 14 ounces. I would recommend using two medium tomatoes off the vine. Hope that helps!
Is this freezeable ?
I haven’t tried freezing it, Ashley. I wouldn’t recommend because of the tortellini.
I froze mine and when reheated, it was perfect. Freezing pasta is not an issue – just like freezing chicken noodle or something similar.
Thanks for sharing!
I am anxious to make this crock pot recipe, it sounds sooooooo deeelish. Because it will make a large amount I will not have qualms about freezing portions of it for cold fall/winter days. I have discovered over the years of depending on my freezer that the only thing that you can’t freeze is lettuce or “in shell” eggs. LOL. Yes you can freeze eggs for later. Some use muffin trays to freeze them whole or try using an ice cube tray if you are using them later to bake with and need the whites and yolks separated, yolks on one side whites the other. Once frozen remove from trays and place in air tight freezer bags by 2’s, 4’s etc.
Thanks for sharing, Carole!
I learned something about freezing the eggs. Thanks.
I made this recipe last weekend and everyone loved it! I’d like to take it to work in a crock pot to share. Any instructions for crock pot? Other crock pot recipes similar to this use some diff ingredients and id prefer to use yours. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it, Whitney! I would recommend sauteeing the onion and carrots with the oil until the onions are translucent, then adding it to the slow cooker. I would then add the chicken stock, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and garlic powder into the slow cooker and stir until combined and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Then stir in the milk, half & half, basil, and tortellini and cook on high for another 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Thanks Chelsea, wanted to make this in the crock pot. I am trying this tonight!!
Thank you for your reply! I will be taking this recipe to work in my crockpot next week!
Can I use frozen tortellini?
Sure, Amanda!
Could I use 1% milk instead of skim?
Sure, Jamie!
What if don’t want to use half/half?
You can always omit it, Shannon. It just wouldn’t be as creamy.
I’ve made this recipe twice now. I LOVE it. I used ravioli this time instead of tortillini, added an extra carrot, added more sauce and half-and-half, spinach and it turned out great! I love food one can tinker with and still comes out a success! Thanks for this!
This is a big winner in our house of two teenage boys and my husband. It’s versatile too, some times I don’t have half and half so I sub heavy cream instead. It makes great leftovers too!
This is my kids favorite meal. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
THANK YOU!! I fixed this for the family tonight. Although I cook Italian style meals often I must embarrassingly admit this was my first experience with tortellini. It was a smash hit. The only difference was I doubled the ingredients, used 2% milk instead of skim, added some red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. It was an instant family favorite-especially my wife.
Thank you,
David L.
So glad you and the family enjoyed it, David!
I substituted the tortellini with bow tie pasta and it was amazing! Paired very well with grilled cheese
This soup was fantastic! We added some chicken andouille sausage and used full fat everything, chicken broth, milk, and half and half. Also added cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes and doubled the pasta sauce. Only I didn’t use Ragu (I can’t eemember the brand) and used roasted garlic flavor instead. Amazing. Will make again.
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Jennifer! It’s one of my staples in the colder months. 🙂