Creamy Instant Pot Tortellini Soup
This Creamy Instant Pot Tortellini Soup is the ultimate cold-weather comfort food. It’s made with savory veggies, fresh cheese tortellini, and fall-apart tender chicken in a warming, flavorful, and irresistibly creamy broth. Stovetop instructions included.
If you love soups with rustic Italian flavors like Zuppa di Carciofi and Italian Sausage White Bean Soup, you’re going to ADORE this creamy tortellini soup. With the help of store-bought fresh tortellini, the soup comes together in a pressure cooker or on the stove in under 30 minutes.
Onion, carrots, garlic, simple seasonings, and heavy whipping cream transform your simple chicken broth into a luscious, full-flavored broth, making the creamiest cheesy tortellini soup -but the creamy broth is only the beginning.
This creamy tortellini soup is jam-packed with tender chicken, corn, spinach, and the star of the soup, cheesy tortellini! However, this soup is incredibly flexible. You can make it with Italian sausage instead of chicken, kale instead of spinach, and any flavor of fresh tortellini -or even ravioli!
This Instant Pot creamy tortellini soup is what homemade soup dreams are made of, but you’ll have to see it to believe it, so let’s get started.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You can make it in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop in 30 minutes.
- Packed with protein with 41 grams per serving!
- The ingredients are mainly kitchen staples you might already have.
- It’s a hearty and satisfying family favorite.
- Perfect for cozy Sunday dinners and busy weeknights.
- This soup is a complete meal on its own, but it’s even better with plenty of crusty bread to soak up every drop of the silky broth.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Aromatics – The first layer of mouthwatering, savory flavors comes from sweating onion, carrots, and garlic in rich olive oil. At this point, your kitchen will smell divine.
- Chicken broth – Homemade or use a quality, full-flavored store-bought broth.
- Frozen corn – The crisp-tender kernels add a pop of texture to every bite. Frozen green beans, lima beans, and peas also pair well.
- Chicken breast – If you like the deeper flavor, you can use chicken thighs -what’s most important is that you cook the breasts or thighs whole.
- Thyme – Adds deep, herbaceous flavor. Feel free to add some oregano here.
- Adobo seasoning – This dynamic seasoning adds a complex blend of classic savory herbs and garlic.
- Salt & pepper – Refines the delicious flavors.
- Fresh cheese tortellini – If you want to make your homemade cheese tortellini, by all means, go for it! Otherwise, a package from the refrigerated section at your local store is perfectly fine.
- Heavy whipping cream – This is where the creamy element comes in. For the creamiest tortellini soup, no substitutions!
- Baby spinach leaves – We can’t forget the greens. Feel free to use chopped kale instead of spinach.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano – Freshly grated over the top for garnish and flavor.
How To Make Tortellini Soup In The Instant Pot
Step 1: Sauté aromatics. Add olive oil to the inner pot, and select the sauté function. Add the onion and sauté until softened, then add the carrots and garlic, and sauté a few minutes more.
Step 2: Combine and cook. Add the broth, corn, chicken, herbs, and spices. Seal the lid and cook small breasts on HIGH for 8 minutes or larger breasts for 10 minutes. When finished, let the steam naturally release for 5 minutes, then manually release the rest. Remove the lid.
Step 3: Shred chicken. Carefully shred the chicken (it will be hot!), and stir the soup well.
Step 4: Add tortellini and cream. Again, select the sauté function. Add the tortellini and cook for 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and simmer for a few minutes more.
Step 5: Add spinach. Finally, add the baby spinach, cover, and cook until just wilted.
Step 6: Serve. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top and serve hot.
Stovetop Instructions
No Instant Pot? That’s okay! Here’s how to make creamy tortellini soup in a dutch oven on the stove.
- Heat olive in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, then add the carrots and garlic and cook a few minutes more.
- Next, add the chicken breasts, broth, and seasoning and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pot, chop it into bite-size pieces, and set it aside.
- Add the corn and tortellini and cook on medium heat until the pasta is al dente.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the spinach and heavy cream. When the spinach has wilted, you’re ready to serve.
Recipe Tips
- The safe internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165F. If it’s cooked further, it quickly begins to dry out, so I recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked perfectly.
- Fresh pasta only takes a couple of minutes to reach al dente, so be careful not to overcook the tortellini.
Variations & Serving
Protein options – You aren’t limited to making this tortellini soup with chicken breasts. You can also make it with Italian ground sausage, lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
Add more veggies – The onion, carrot, and garlic add most of the flavor to the broth. For even more flavorful veggies, add diced sweet potato, butternut squash, pumpkin, or zucchini when adding carrots and garlic.
Make it spicy – Give your creamy tortellini soup a kick with smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, or a pinch of cayenne.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Let the soup cool to room temperature before keeping it in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Remember that the tortellini will absorb broth as the soup sits in the refrigerator, so it’s best to enjoy your leftovers ASAP. If you need to thin it out, add extra broth before reheating.
Freezing: Tortellini tends to get mushy as it thaws, so I don’t recommend freezing this one.
Recipe FAQ
What goes with tortellini soup?
Instant pot tortellini soup is a meal on its own, but having a side of crusty bread is always a good idea. It’s also delicious served with:
- Croutons
- Old-Fashioned Corn Bread
- Parmesan Crisps
- Salads
- Kale Crunch Salad with Dates
- Healthier Copycat Olive Garden Salad
- Grilled Cheese
Can you substitute ravioli for tortellini in soup?
Sure! Tortellini and small ravioli are interchangeable in this instant pot soup recipe. Use fresh ravioli filled with cheese, butternut squash, spinach, or pumpkin -the options are endless!
More Hearty Soups You’ll Love
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Creamy Instant Pot Tortellini Soup
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 large carrots peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 64 oz chicken broth (2 cartons)
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 24 oz chicken breasts whole, boneless, skinless
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp Adobo seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 16 oz fresh cheese tortellini
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach leaves
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish
Instructions
- For the Instant Pot:
- Select the sauté function and add the olive oil to the pot
- Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the carrots and garlic and sauté a few minutes more. Make sure to continue to stir so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add the chicken broth, corn, chicken breasts (make sure to leave them whole), and spices.
- Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook on HIGH for 8 minutes (for small chicken breasts) or 10 minutes (for larger breasts).
- When the cooking time is up, allow the steam to naturally release for 5 minutes, then manually release any remaining steam before carefully removing the lid. Shred the chicken with 2 forks and stir well.
- Select the Sauté setting and stir in the fresh tortellini and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the heavy cream and simmer for 3 minutes more.
- Stir in the baby spinach, cover, and cook until just wilted, about 2-3 minutes more.
- Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
Notes
- Dice the chicken breast into bite-size pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the carrots and garlic and cook another 3 minutes.
- Next, add the chicken breasts, broth, and seasonings. Bring to a low boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches a safe internal temp of 165 degrees F with a meat thermometer. Remove the chicken from the pot, chop it into bite-size pieces, and set it aside.
- Raise the burner temp back to medium heat and add the corn and tortellini to the pot. Cook for about 3 minutes (until the pasta is al dente).
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the spinach and heavy cream. When spinach has wilted, you’re ready to serve.
- The safe internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165F. If it’s cooked further, it quickly begins to dry out, so I recommend using a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked perfectly.
- Fresh pasta only takes a couple of minutes to reach al dente, so be careful not to overcook the tortellini.
Nutrition
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I am going to do this one!
Oh yum! This looks so good for a cold, rainy day! Thanks for sharing at Church Supper 🙂 Have a blessed week.
Everyday Mom’s Meals