Tortellini Soup with Ground Beef is a hearty, tomatoey pot of soup that tastes like lasagna in a bowl: browned ground beef, onion, carrots and celery simmered in chicken broth with diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, then finished with tender cheese tortellini, fresh spinach and parsley. It comes together in one pot in about 50 minutes and makes about 13 cups. It serves 6.
How to make it: Brown the ground beef and set it aside, soften the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in the same pot, then add broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, the beef and Italian seasoning. Simmer 15 minutes, add the tortellini for 4 to 7 minutes, and stir in the spinach and parsley.
Why You’ll Love It
- Cheesy pasta in every bowl: the tortellini cook right in the broth, no extra pot.
- Hearty but simple: ground beef, vegetables and a tomato broth make it a full meal.
- One pot, under an hour: brown, sauté, simmer, done.
- Easy to change: swap in Italian sausage or ground turkey, or make it creamy.
Ingredient Notes
Lean ground beef: One pound, browned in chunks. Lean beef means less fat to drain off.
Cheese tortellini: One 9-ounce package, fresh or frozen. Refrigerated tortellini works best; avoid dried, which takes much longer and throws off the timing.
Broth and tomatoes: Three 14.5-ounce cans of low-sodium chicken broth, a 14.5-ounce can of petite diced tomatoes and three 8-ounce cans of tomato sauce. Low-sodium broth gives you control over the salt.
Vegetables: A cup and a half of chopped onion, a cup each of diced carrots and celery, and a tablespoon of minced garlic. Dice the carrots small and slice the celery thin so they soften in time.
Italian seasoning: A tablespoon. No Italian seasoning? Use 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried basil, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme.
Spinach and parsley: Two cups of roughly chopped spinach and 3 tablespoons of minced parsley, stirred in at the very end.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 cans (14.5 ounces each) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
- 3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 package (9 ounces) cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
- 2 cups roughly chopped spinach (about 2 ounces)
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
How to Make Tortellini Soup with Ground Beef
1. Brown the beef. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground beef in chunks and let it cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
2. Cook the beef through. Turn and break up the beef and keep cooking until it’s no longer pink and a food thermometer reads 160°F. Move the beef to a paper towel-lined plate and leave 1 1/2 tablespoons of fat in the pot, or drain the fat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3. Soften the vegetables. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until they start to soften, about 7 minutes.
4. Add the garlic. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
5. Build the broth. Pour in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Return the beef to the pot and season with the Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Simmer the soup. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are nearly soft, about 15 minutes.
7. Cook the tortellini. Add the tortellini and simmer for the time on the package, usually about 4 to 7 minutes, until tender.
8. Add the spinach and parsley. Stir in the spinach and parsley and serve warm.
Which Meat to Use and How to Keep the Tortellini Tender
Ground beef is the classic choice here, but tortellini soup works with several meats. Here’s what to know:
| Meat | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Lean ground beef (this recipe) | Brown in chunks, cook to 160°F, drain |
| Italian sausage | Use bulk or remove the casings, crumble and brown until golden with crispy edges, then drain |
| Half sausage, half beef | Brown them together, cook to 160°F |
| Ground turkey or chicken | Brown the same way, cook to 165°F |
| No meat | Use sliced baby bella or button mushrooms |
Brown, don’t stir. Let the beef sit and sear on the bottom before you break it up. Stirring it constantly turns it grey and bland.
No need to precook the tortellini. It cooks right in the simmering broth. Refrigerated tortellini usually takes 3 to 5 minutes; frozen takes about 2 minutes longer.
Keep it gentle. Once the tortellini go in, hold the soup at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, and stir gently. Too much bubbling tears the pasta. Take the pot off the heat a minute or two early, since the tortellini keep cooking in the hot broth.
Tips for Success
Taste before salting
The tomato sauce and broth bring salt of their own. Season at the end, after tasting.
Add the spinach last
It wilts in about 30 seconds. Frozen spinach works in a pinch; thaw it and squeeze out all the water first.
Planning on leftovers?
Tortellini keep soaking up broth and softening as they sit. If you know you’ll have leftovers, cook the tortellini in a separate pot of boiling water, toss them with a little olive oil and store them apart from the soup.
Variations
- Italian sausage: use 1 pound of Italian sausage, mild or hot, in place of the beef.
- Creamy tortellini soup: turn the heat to low and stir in about 1/3 cup of heavy cream at the end, or half-and-half for a lighter version.
- More vegetables: add diced zucchini, kale or green beans.
- More flavor: cook a spoonful of tomato paste with the meat, simmer a Parmesan rind in the broth, or add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Chunkier: use a whole 20-ounce package of tortellini.
- Vegetarian: skip the beef, add mushrooms and use vegetable broth.
Storage & Reheating
Divide leftover soup into shallow covered containers and refrigerate it within 2 hours. USDA FSIS says to eat it within 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for 3 to 4 months. It freezes best as a base, without the tortellini; add fresh tortellini after reheating. Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator.
Reheat the soup on the stove until it comes to a rolling boil, as FSIS advises for soups. If you stored the tortellini separately, add them near the end of reheating. Add a splash of broth if the soup has thickened.
What to Serve With It
Something to dunk is a must: homemade cheesy garlic breadsticks or cheesy Texas toast. Top each bowl with grated Parmesan and fresh basil. For more hearty soup nights, try slow cooker lasagna soup, million dollar soup, slow cooker Amish tomato noodle soup or slow cooker unstuffed cabbage roll soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What meat goes well in tortellini soup?
Ground beef and Italian sausage are the most common. Half of each works too, and so does ground turkey or chicken cooked to 165°F.
Do you need to cook tortellini before putting it in soup?
No. Add it straight to the simmering broth and cook it for the time on the package, usually 4 to 7 minutes.
What’s the best broth for tortellini soup?
This one uses low-sodium chicken broth, which is lighter and lets you control the salt. Beef broth makes a richer soup, and vegetable broth works for a meatless pot.
How do I keep the tortellini from getting mushy?
Add them last, keep the soup at a gentle simmer, and pull the pot off the heat a minute early. For leftovers, store the tortellini separately.
Can I freeze tortellini soup?
Yes. Freeze the soup base without the tortellini for up to 3 to 4 months, then add fresh tortellini after reheating.
Final Notes
Chop the vegetables while the beef browns, and the soup is simmering in about 15 minutes. If you make it, tell me in the comments which meat you used.
Tortellini Soup with Ground Beef
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 cups yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 3 cans low-sodium chicken broth 14.5 ounces each
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes 14.5 ounces
- 3 cans tomato sauce 8 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 package cheese tortellini 9 ounces, fresh or frozen
- 2 cups spinach roughly chopped, about 2 ounces
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Crumble in the ground beef in chunks and let it cook until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
- Turn and break up the beef and keep cooking until it's no longer pink and a food thermometer reads 160°F. Move the beef to a paper towel-lined plate and leave 1 1/2 tablespoons of fat in the pot, or drain the fat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until they start to soften, about 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer.
- Pour in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Return the beef to the pot and season with the Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are nearly soft, about 15 minutes.
- Add the tortellini and simmer for the time on the package, usually about 4 to 7 minutes, until tender.
- Stir in the spinach and parsley and serve warm.
