Slow Cooker Tomato and Tortellini Soup has tender cooked cheese tortellini and spinach in a super flavorful tomato soup. It’s so easy and so good!
Slow Cooker Tomato and Tortellini Soup
On the weekends, it’s not uncommon to find my husband Jack making soup. He will start the day off by filling up a big pot with all of the ingredients to make a fantastic stock or broth (like this one, or this or this) and the house is full of wonderful smells for hours while it cooks!
But lately, we’ve been very busy on the weekend, so staying home while a pot of stock cooks down on the stove for hours hasn’t been possible. That’s where recipes like this Slow Cooker Tomato and Tortellini Soup come in.
This is a simple and creamy soup full of tomatoes and other vegetables – and it gets wonderful flavor by adding a few leftover Parmesan cheese rinds as the soup cooks in the slow cooker!
Helpful Hint: Anytime you use up a wedge of Parmesan cheese – save that rind in the freezer so you can add it later to soups and sauces!
To make it, you’ll quickly sauté some diced vegetables in a skillet along with some tomato paste which serves as a thickener. (If you have a multi-cooker, like ours, you can do this step right in the pot.) Then the tomato soup is cooked the rest of the way using the slow cooker.
The base of this tomato soup is fantastic on its own – but we like to add fresh cheese tortellini, as well as fresh baby spinach just before serving to make this a complete and delicious meal.
Reader Review
“Absolutely amazing!!! My husband and I have been looking for a recipe to mimic this amazing tomato basil soup we had at a restaurant once, and this is the closest we have come yet! But the Parmesan cheese and tortellini make it even better and oh so filling! Thanks for sharing!!!!” -Becca
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Vegetable Broth – Homemade or store-bought.
- Tomatoes – We use canned ground or peeled San Marzano tomatoes for this soup, as well as tomato paste.
- Parmesan Cheese Rinds – See tips below.
- Herbs, Spices & Seasonings – Including bay leaf, fresh basil, fresh thyme, salt, black pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes.
- Vegetables – Including celery, yellow onion, carrots, and garlic.
- White Wine – Such as chardonnay. This is used to deglaze the skillet. You can also use more broth for this step if you prefer.
- Cheese – Romano cheese, or Parmesan if that’s all you have on hand. (If you use Parmesan, use less salt.)
- Heavy Cream
- Unsalted Butter
- Fresh Cheese-Filled Tortellini – Frozen tortellini can be swapped in place of the fresh, but the cooking time once you’ve added the tortellini will be longer. If you use dried tortellini, you will need to pre-cook and drain before adding to this soup recipe.
- Fresh Baby Spinach
Cooking Tips & Tricks
Here are a few helpful tips when making this recipe:
- This recipe is meant for a four quart or larger slow cooker. If you have a smaller slow cooker, cut the recipe in half.
- Keep in mind that the tomato soup is pureed at the end of the cooking time (before the tortellini and spinach are added) so the dice size of the recipe really doesn’t matter.
- If you don’t have any Parmesan rinds on hand, you can add some grated Parmesan at the for additional flavor.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the recipe card to watch a video showing how we make this delicious soup!
Slow Cooker Tomato and Tortellini Soup
Slow Cooker Tomato and Tortellini Soup has tender cooked cheese tortellini and spinach in a super flavorful tomato soup. It’s so easy and so good!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 4 hours 30 mins
- Total Time: 5 hours
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: soup
- Method: slow cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
- In a four quart slow cooker, place stock, tomatoes, cheese rinds, bay leaf, basil and thyme. Turn your slow cooker on, setting the timer on high for four and one half hours or low for seven hours, and cover the mixture (this will allow your slow cooker to start heating up).
- While the slow cooker starts to heat up, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add celery, onions and carrots and cook for three to four minutes until almost soft. Add garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and pepper flakes and cook for one more minute. Add tomato paste and cook for about two minutes (being careful not to burn), then add wine to deglaze the skillet. Pour this mixture into slow cooker and stir to mix. Cover again and continue to cook for the 4 1/2 or 7 hours.
- After the cooking time is up, remove cheese rinds and bay leaf and discard. With an immersion blender puree mixture until very smooth. Add Romano cheese, cream and butter and stir with a spoon to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper only if needed.
- Turn the slow cooker to high (if it isn’t already), then add fresh tortellini. Cook until they are fully cooked (approximately 10 minutes), then add spinach. Continue cooking just until spinach has wilted into the soup (only a minute or two). If soup is too thick, dilute with more cream or more vegetable stock.
Notes
Before you begin, you will need a four quart or larger slow cooker. If you have a smaller slow cooker, cut the recipe in half. Secondly, the soup will be pureed at the end, so the dice size of the vegetables in this recipe really doesn’t matter. Lastly, a simple trick is to freeze cheese rinds as you finish a wedge of Parmesan and then use in soups that call for Parmesan. If you don’t have any, you may want to add some grated Parmesan at the end.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Slow Cooker Tomato and Tortellini Soup ahead of time? Yes, you can. You can make the slow-cooked tomato soup the day before and chill overnight. Then, reheat and add the tortellini and spinach before serving.
- How do I store any leftovers? Cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to four days. Just note that (like any pasta) the tortellini may absorb some of the tomato soup as it cools down.
- How do I reheat the leftovers? Reheat individual servings in the microwave. If the soup has thickened and/or the tortellini has absorbed a lot of the soup, feel free to add a little vegetable stock or water to loosen the soup.
- Can I freeze this soup? You can, but the tortellini will soften as it thaws. If you know ahead of time that you won’t be able to eat the entire recipe, we suggest freezing just the tomato soup. Then thaw, reheat, and add the tortellini and spinach before serving.
Slow Cooker Tomato and Tortellini Soup originally appeared on A Family Feast in January 2014. We’ve updated the post and photos, plus some minor edits to the recipe.
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Last updated: October 7, 2026
