Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

Tonight, we’re making my latest high-protein Trader Joe’s recipe, a cozy Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup! This one is SUPER simple and comes together in less than 30 minutes. And by “high-protein” I don’t mean, like, 100 grams, but I do mean that it’s balanced, filling, and contains 20-30 grams of protein per serving. This soup also leans on some of the best staple ingredients I always stock up on when I go to TJ’s. Enjoy!

Watch Me Make Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup

Table of Contents

Ingredients and Substitutions
Health Benefits
How to Make Tortellini Soup
Kitchen Favorites
Storing and Reheating

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Ingredients and Substitutions

Italian Sausage

I use Trader Joe’s raw Italian chicken sausage links, but pork works great, too. Make sure to buy the raw sausage and not their pre-cooked sausage. To remove the casings, simply slice the casing along the link and peel it off. It should come away easily. 

Substitutions: If you’re not shopping at Trader Joe’s for this recipe, ground Italian sausage works great and saves you the casing removal step. You could even use ground turkey, chicken, pork, or beef and add more seasonings to the meat when you add it to the pan.

Vegetarians can, of course, omit the meat altogether. If you want to add some extra protein, stir in a can of drained white beans when you add the tortellini to the pot.

Cheese Tortellini

The refrigerated cheese tortellini at Trader Joe’s is such a life saver for quick, easy weeknight meals like this tortellini soup. You could also use their gnocchi for a little more of a dumpling soup vibe. Dried pasta also works in this soup, you’ll just have to boil it separately until it’s a few minutes undercooked, then finish it off in the soup by adding it when the recipe says to add the fresh tortellini. 

Marinara Sauce

The Trader Joe’s marinara sauce makes such a great tomato-y base for way more than just pasta dishes. I love using it in this soup because it’s the perfect consistency and is already seasoned for me. In a pinch, you could use canned tomato puree or whole tomatoes that you blitz yourself instead. If you go the canned tomato route, add more Italian seasoning and any other basic seasonings you want, like salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder. You also might need to simmer it a little longer to cook off some of the extra liquid.

Chicken Bone Broth

Using bone broth instead of regular broth adds more depth of flavor and even a decent amount of protein to the soup. I’ve also sometimes seen turkey bone broth at Trader Joe’s which works, too. If you can’t find bone broth, just use regular chicken broth instead. Whether you get the low sodium version or not, make sure to taste for seasoning along the way so it’s well-balanced. Vegetarians can easily swap in vegetable broth instead.

Heavy Cream

I recommend using heavy cream for the richest and creamiest texture, but half and half also works. You could sub in canned coconut milk, but it will definitely give the soup a coconut-y flavor that can also be delicious. Just make sure to shake it up really well before adding it to the soup.

Spinach

Adding greens is definitely optional but gives the soup a little more color, nutrients, and texture, so I say go for it! I just add a couple handfuls of spinach, but chopped Tuscan kale is also really nice. If you use kale, you might need to let the soup simmer a few minutes longer until the kale wilts a little so it’s not tough.

Parmesan Cheese

I love freshly grated parmesan cheese on top of a warm tomato soup and watching it slowly melt over everything. Freshly grated pecorino or another hard, salty cheese works great too. Shelf-stable parmesan works in a pinch.

Onion and Garlic

Onion and garlic form the base of, like, everything I cook and this soup is no different. In a really tight pinch, you could use garlic powder instead of fresh.

Italian Seasoning

Adding Italian seasoning is definitely optional and totally up to you depending on your preference. As you taste the soup toward the end, a little extra seasoning can perk it up if it feels like it’s missing something. I often use my Harmony Mediterranean Blend instead!

Health Benefits

I’ve been coming up with high-protein Trader Joe’s meals for a lot longer than the “high protein” craze has been around. So, no, this tortellini soup doesn’t have 100 grams of protein per serving. (Since I started this series, the high protein thing has really gotten out of hand, am I right?!) I started this series because a lot of the easy Trader Joe’s recipes I was seeing had zero protein and were usually not balanced meals.

I don’t provide macros for my recipes because some people don’t like seeing that information, but you can easily enter it into a tracking app like MyFitnessPal if that’s something you’re into. I try to make sure all of my high-protein Trader Joe’s recipes have 20-30 grams of protein per serving which is a great goal for each meal of the day!

Kitchen Favorites

While any large skillet will work for this sauce, I love using my cast-iron braiser because it’s so easy to clean and I never have to season it like other cast irons.

Storing and Reheating

To store your tortellini soup for later, let it cool to room temperature first. Transfer it to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. 

You can reheat your soup in the microwave by starting with 1 minute, then stirring, and repeating with 30-second intervals until it’s heated throughout. You may need to add a little more broth if the tortellini has soaked up a lot of the liquid.

If you want to reheat more than one portion, simply add the soup back to a pot on the stovetop and gently warm on a medium low heat for several minutes, stirring occasionally until it’s warmed through.

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