Vegan Veggie Tortellini Soup

Nothing is better than cozying up on the couch with a big bowl of warm soup. Especially one filled with tortellini and hearty vegetables.

What is Tortellini Soup?

Tortellini soup has always been one of my favorite recipes to make during the colder months. It’s filling, it’s typically pretty healthy depending on what you add, and it’s a crowd pleaser which is always a plus. It’s often made with a flavorful tomato-based broth, tortellini, kale, sometimes sausage and an additional veggie, a generous pour of cream, and Parmesan.

Make it Vegan

This vegan tortellini vegetable soup uses Kite-Hill’s Dairy-Free Ricotta or Spinach Tortellini, which if you haven’t had it before, is easy to love whether you’re vegan or not. And because I adore a creamy aspect to–let’s face it, just about any recipe–I couldn’t resist adding a swirl of cashew cream at the end.

How to Make Cashew Cream

1. Place 3/4 cup raw cashews in a saucepan and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then take off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes.
2. Drain the cashews, transfer them to a blender, and add 3/4 cup water.
3. Starting on low speed and increasing the speed gradually to high, blend the cashews until very, very smooth.
4. Keep leftover cashew cream refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If the cashew cream separates as it sits, simply give it a good stir to bring it back together.

What to Serve With Vegan Tortellini Soup

Although the soup is great eaten by itself, I like to make either a side of garlic bread (using your preferred vegan butter) or a light arugula salad. If I end up with leftover kale, I also like to make kale chips to snack on on the side.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vegan butter, optional
• 1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• Fine salt, to taste
• 2 cups diced carrots, about 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 1 (9-ounce) package vegan tortellini, such as Kite Hill brand
• 4 cups coarsely chopped kale
• 3 to 4 tablespoons cashew cream, optional
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Dairy-free Parmesan cheese, optional

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Heat olive oil and vegan butter, if using, in a large pot over medium until the oil shimmers and the butter melts. Add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Add carrots, sweet potato, celery, garlic, thyme, basil, rosemary, and dried oregano. Cook, stirring, until garlic and herbs are fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add wine and tomato paste, and cook, stirring frequently, until the wine is mostly evaporated and tomato paste looks dark red, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the broth, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until the sweet potato and carrots are fork- tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
6. Stir in the tortellini. Cover and cook until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
7. Stir in kale and cashew cream, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve garnished with dairy-free parmesan, if desired.

Recipe Tip

Although boiling the broth for a long period of time might be tempting to help deepen the flavors even more, the sweet potato and carrots will overcook and become mushy if cooked for too long. It’s better to start with a flavorful vegetable broth.