Beef tortellini soup is hearty and flavorful - perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Chunky tomato soup is filled with ground beef, cheese tortellini, and savory herbs.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Savory tomato and herb soup base is filled with browned ground beef and cheese tortellini.
It's easy: Made in a single pot on the stovetop and ready in 30 minutes.
Serves: 5 people
Similar to: Sausage Tortellini Soup and Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Beef broth - Can be substituted with chicken broth or vegetable broth. I recommend using a normal broth, not a low sodium variety.
- Refrigerated cheese tortellini - Can be substituted your favorite flavor of tortellini like beef or spinach. Frozen tortellini or dried pasta also work great as a substitute. Consult your pasta's cooking directions for accurate cooking times.
- Petite diced tomatoes - Can be substituted with crushed tomatoes for a less chunky soup.
How to make beef tortellini soup
- Brown your ground beef with salt and pepper. Allow an even layer to brown, then flip. Set beef aside.
- Add diced onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add tomato paste and stir to coat.
- Add broth, tomatoes, spices, tortellini, and browned beef, stirring to deglaze and combine.
- Simmer until tortellini is cooked through.
Tips and tricks
Brown your beef - Browning the ground beef adds significant flavor to the soup. When cooking your beef, let it sit in the pan undisturbed long enough to brown and caramelize on each side. Your ground beef shouldn't be grey and uniform in color.
Tips for browning ground beef - Crumble ground beef into the pan and distribute into an even layer. Allow the beef to cook for several minutes undisturbed. There's no need to poke at it and shift it around in the pan. You'll know your beef is ready when it lifts easily from the pan. If it sticks, it's not ready yet (or your heat is too high).
Cook pasta to al dente - Set a timer and cook your pasta to al dente according to the package cooking directions. Al dente pasta is firm but cooked through with a slight chew.
Stretch the recipe further - To feed more people, serve small cups of soup along with a side of Cheesy Garlic Bread and a Garden Salad.
Frequently asked questions
Leftover soup can be reheated on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through. Soup can also be reheated in the microwave.
Cooked pasta does not freeze well. If you'd like to make this soup for freezing, then prepare as directed but omit the tortellini. Remove from heat, allow to cool, then store in freezer safe bags or containers. Frozen soup will keep for 4 to 6 months in ideal conditions.
When ready to enjoy, thaw your soup overnight in the refrigerator. Over medium heat, bring your soup to a simmer, add your tortellini and cook to al dente.
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📖 Recipe
Beef Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 ounces ground beef
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth
- 28 ounces canned petite diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 9-10 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini, uncooked
Instructions
- In a stock pot over medium heat, add olive oil. Once heated, add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Distribute into an even layer and allow to brown, undisturbed, until you see brown, crisp edges. Flip over and redistribute, allowing the other side to brown.
- Remove beef from pan and set aside. Add diced onion to pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until onion begins to turn translucent. Add garlic, stir, and cook for 1 additional minute.
- Add tomato paste to onions and garlic, stirring to coat. Then add beef broth, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, tortellini, and ground beef to pan. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until tortellini are cooked to al dente (check your pasta's package directions for cooking times).
- Remove from heat, ladle into bowls, and top with fresh chopped parsley before serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Meat variations: Use half ground beef and half ground pork for additional depth of flavor.
- Pasta variations: Refrigerated cheese tortellini can be substituted with frozen tortellini or ravioli, or dried pasta. Follow your pasta's package directions for cooking times.
- Storage: Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
So yummy! This is such a heartwarming, filling soup and the spices are perfect. It was simple to make, but the flavors were so delicious. I did add 1/2 tsp of garlic powder just to give it a deeper taste, but everything was spot on. Thank you for sharing!
This was so easy to make I made it my family loved it this recipe is a keeper
I love this meal! I add fresh spinach at the end and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese. So yummy! Thanks for sharing!
This was excellent! Very flavorful with beef broth (I use Better Than Boullion) and the tomato paste. The only ingredient I did not include was the fresh parsley. I will say that this recipe makes more than 4 servings; more like 6-8 depending on the size bowls you like. Definitely going to share this recipe and make it again!