Spring Vegetable Tortellini Soup with Pesto
Building a pot of soup around two guaranteed crowd-pleasers—tortellini and pesto—makes this an excellent way for home cooks to get everyone to eat their veggies. Plus, it’s a fabulous way to enjoy the tender vegetables that come around every spring. It all starts with a brothy brew in which you cook vegetables and tortellini just until tender. Ladle it into bowls and top with a dollop of fresh pesto, which brightens the flavor as soon as it hits the hot liquid.
Soup With Fresh or Frozen Tortellini
The best part is this recipe is endlessly flexible. You can use fresh tortellini, which is available in the refrigerated section of the market where pasta sauces are sold, or frozen. Virtually any flavor variety will do, from cheese to spinach to mushroom.
If you can’t find tortellini, feel free to use fresh ravioli instead. Be sure to read the instructions, since the cooking time may differ.
Pesto Is a Flavor Bomb
This soup gets its oomph from the herb pesto, which gets stirred in at the last second. You can pick up basil pesto at the market or make this basil mint pesto or this basil pistachio pesto.
The upside of homemade pesto is that the flavors are particularly bright and herbaceous when spooned straight from the food processor. Plus, the recipes all make more than you’ll need, so you can store leftover pesto in the fridge or freezer for another day.
Alternatively, give yourself a break and pick up store-bought pesto instead (there’s no shame in short cuts for the home cook!).
Soup Swaps, Suggestions, and Substitutions
Like so many soups, this one lends itself to lots of substitutions and variations. Here are a few ideas:
- Add cooked Italian white beans or chickpeas for added fiber, protein, and heft.
- Play around with the vegetables. Add a handful of leafy greens at the very end, use a large sliced leek in place of the onion, or add a cup of halved cherry tomatoes.
- Got a Parmesan rind in your fridge? Add it when you pour in the broth. It will season the soup nicely as it simmers. Remove the rind just before serving.
How To Store and Freeze This Soup
Store leftover soup in a covered container in the fridge, where it will keep for a couple of days. The tortellini will soften and absorb more liquid as it sits, so you may want to add more broth the next day.
If you’re making this soup to freeze, I recommend you under-cook the tortellini a bit. It will continue to cook as you cool and reheat the soup. To freeze, let the soup cool, then transfer it to a covered container. Defrost it on the counter for up to two hours or in the fridge overnight.
If you like Spring Vegetable Tortellini Soup, check out these other spring favorites
Asparagus Tart with Goat Cheese & Smoked Salmon
Pasta with Asparagus, Peas, and Crème Fraîche
Oven Farro Risotto with Spring Vegetables
Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Roasted Almonds & Parmesan
Spinach Salad with Pesto and Peas
Spring Vegetable Tortellini Soup with Pesto
This recipe has two back-pocket ingredients that make quick work of dinner: store-bought tortellini and pesto. I sometimes make my own pesto, but if I'm short on time, a supermarket one does the job. If you plan to make this soup well ahead of when you'll serve it, follow the instructions in the Recipe Notes below.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion or 3-4 spring onions, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 1/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 8 ounces fresh or frozen tortellini (any variety)
- 1 1/4 cup snap peas, cut into thirds
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas
- 1 1/4 cup 3/4-inch pieces asparagus, woody ends removed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/3 cup herb pesto, either store-bought or homemade
Instructions
-
Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until tender, being sure not to brown them, about 5 minutes.
-
Add the carrots and broth and turn the heat to high. When the broth boils, add the tortellini, snap peas, English peas, and asparagus. Continue to boil until the tortellini is just barely al dente. The time will vary depending on the brand, so read the package instructions.
-
Add the lemon juice, several cracks of black pepper, and 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, as needed (some broth is saltier than others, so adjust according to taste).
-
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with a spoonful of pesto. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
If you plan to make this soup well ahead of time, cook the tortellini separately in a pot of generously salted boiling water (as you would pasta). When it’s al dente, drain and set aside. When ready to eat, add the tortellini to the hot soup followed by the pesto.
Comments