Slow Cooker Tortellini Minestrone Soup is so easy to make and tastes incredible!
A classic minestrone soup with a tortellini twist! Full of vegetables, protein packed beans and cheese tortellini, this soup is filling comfort food in a bowl. RECIPE INCLUDES stove top method!
Minestrone Soup
The whole entire family LOVES THIS Slow Cooker Tortellini Minestrone Soup! This is one of those recipes where I probably shouldn’t call it a certain name (Minestrone) because I’ve swapped something for something else — in this case, an even better and more delicious swap in the form of tortellini.
After publishing this insanely popular Creamy Tortellini Soup, we had a few bags of tortellini lying around that were meant to be emergency stashes for our video. Didn’t need them = lying around tortellini > wanted minestrone > made it > thought ‘what would happen if I added tortellini to my soup?’
A miracle.
HOW DO YOU MAKE TORTELLINI MINESTRONE SOUP?
Tortellini Minestrone soup can’t get any easier…especially when done in the slow cooker. All you’re going to do is throw onions, carrots, celery, green beans, tomatoes, garlic, zucchini, butternut squash (or diced pumpkin) and spinach in a slow cooker. Feel free to swap out veggies for your favourites (peas, corn, potatoes, kale, etc).
There is so much flavour here just from using fire roasted tomatoes with tomato paste, chicken stock, herbs and parmesan rind.
Tortellini is added at the end of cooking because they don’t need long at all.
Don’t have a slow cooker? NO WORRIES. I’ve included a stove top method too.
Kids and adults alike love this soup! Make a double batch of the soup without the tortellini, and freeze in serving sizes in air tight containers. When you’re ready to serve, warm up each batch in the microwave or in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the tortellini before serving.
Serve Minestrone soup with parmesan cheese and garlic bread to mop up the broth.
There’s nothing like a good, hearty soup on a cold, miserable winter night!
Try these tortellini recipes!
Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup
Tortellini with Chunky Beef Sauce
Slow Cooker Tortellini Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 1 large celery stalk diced
- 1 1/2 cups fresh green beans cut into three pieces
- 2 cups diced pumpkin or butternut squash (optional - swap for potatoes if desired)
- 6 cloves garlic chopped OR minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 32 ounces diced or crushed fire roasted tomatoes
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock (or broth)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons Italian dried herbs
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons crushed bouillon cube (or stock powder)
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional -- offsets the acidity from the tomatoes)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 parmesan rind
- 2 large zucchini diced
- 15 oz (425 g) white navy beans (Cannellini beans) drained and rinsed
- 15 oz (425 g) red kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 12 oz (340 g) three cheese tortellini (fresh or dried)
- 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach
- shredded Parmesan cheese for serving (or Romano)
Instructions
SLOW COOKER:
- To a 6qt (or litre) slow cooker bowl, add the onions, carrots, celery, green beans, butternut squash (or potatoes), garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes, broth (or stock), salt, pepper, Italian herbs, basil, parsley, stock powder, parsley, sugar (if using), and mix well to combine. Add in the bay leaves, cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
- Once cooked, add in the parmesan rind*, zucchini, white beans, red beans, and tortellini.
- Cook on high heat for an additional 25-30 minutes (for dried tortellini) or 10-15 minutes (for fresh tortellini) until pasta is tender and cooked through.
- Stir in the spinach, cover and allow to wilt in the heat for an additional 5 minutes. Add in 1-2 cups of extra water (or broth) if the soup is too thick for your liking.
- Serve warm topped with parmesan (or Romano) cheese.
STOVE TOP:
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery; sauté until onion is transparent.
- Add in the green beans and garlic, and cook until the garlic is fragrant (a further 30 seconds). Pour in the broth (stock), tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Add the dried herbs and parsley, bay leaves, stock powder, sugar, parmesan rind, and season with salt and pepper to your tastes. Bring to a boil, cover with lid and reduce heat to low-medium.
- Gently simmer while stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Add in all of the beans, zucchini and tortellini. Cover again and simmer for a further 25 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Add the spinach and allow to wilt through the heat of the pot.
- Serve warm topped with parmesan (or Romano) cheese.
Barry says
I have been described as somewhat challenged in the kitchen, but I did this one and it was a roaring success. I did add 750 grams of small diced chicken thighs, well browned, but the rest is all yours. If I can cook it anyone can
Debbie says
I know there are 38 carbs per serving and there are 10 servings, what I need to know is how much soup is in a serving? Everything I eat has to be measured because of diabetes.
Lisa Pignataro says
Have you ever used ground turkey/chicken to add protein?
BaseballMom says
This looks so yummy I have to try this….but, I’m pinched for time this week. Is there a way to do this in the instant pot? Would I just follow stove top instructions and have to bring to pressure twice – once for the soup base & 2nd for beans/pasta? What would you recommend? Thanks!
Karina says
You are always welcome to make the recipes your own. I haven’t tried it in an instant pot but I am sure it can be done!
Claudia says
I love this soup, hearty and full of flavour, I have made it a couple of times now.
Please post more slow cooker recipes, you’re blog is awesome.
nightshadow says
This recipe sounds terrific and healthy too. Any chance nutritional content will be added?
Rosangela says
On the stove top version when do I add the butternut squash?
Michelle says
Delicious & flavorful recipe! I loved all the vegetables! The fire roasted tomatoes add a lot of flavor (as well as the spices). The recipe made a LOT–plenty left for at least 2 more nights! I did have to add extra water towards the end. Thank you Karina for sharing!
John Griffith says
As good as, if not better than one Minestrone Soup I recently had in Milan, Italy.