Crockpot Tomato Soup plus Cheese Tortellini

Is there anything better than a bowl of creamy crockpot tomato soup? Add cheese tortellini and you just got your answer! This recipe is warm, comforting, and hearty, which makes it the reliable meal for chilly days.

At a glance

What stands out: The addition of cheese-filled tortellini takes this crockpot tomato soup from light dish to satisfying meal.

How long it takes: 15 minutes of hands-on time; 5 hours on High or 8 hours on Low.
Equipment you’ll need: Slow cooker
Servings: 9 servings

While just about every soup benefits from the low-and-slow cooking of a crockpot, whether it’s crockpot pumpkin soup or slow cooker green enchilada soup , we think tomato soup is especially well-suited for the slow cooker.

Let’s be honest: tomato soup has a tendency to be a little one-note. But crockpot tomato soup has ample time for the flavor to develop, adding depth and nuance (yes, soup can have nuance!) that you just don’t get from a few minutes on the stove.

This soup would be cozy and rich on its own, but adding tortellini nudges it squarely into crowd-pleaser territory. Yes, crockpot tomato soup is a recipe your kids will love—and you won’t even need to sweeten the deal by serving a grilled cheese sandwich on the side!

About this Crockpot Tomato Soup

• satisfying. Or soup-er satisfying, if you’ll indulge us in a corny joke. If you like your soup thick, you’re going to love this straightforward crockpot tomato soup, which is almost more of a stew than a soup. (Rather your soup have more broth? No problem! Add extra water, broth, or milk.)
• A cozy recipe for fall and winter. Crockpot tomato soup with tortellini is the reliable soup for those snowy days when you just don’t want to leave the house.
• The slow cooker does (most of) the work. Yes, you’ll have to throw everything into the pot and then give it all a good purée with an immersion blender at the end of the cooking time, but other than that, this slow cooker tomato soup is hands off. You won’t have a bunch of pans to wash either.

Cooking Tip

If you use fresh Parmesan, you can toss the rind into the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients. It will infuse your tomato soup with umami flavor while it cooks. Remove what is left of it before serving the soup.

Ingredients You’ll need

• Aromatics: Aromatics is a term used to describe the ingredients that build the foundation of your soup’s flavor—in this case, carrot, onion, and celery. The trio adds depth and aroma, which is why you’ll find it in so many soup recipes.
• Canned Tomatoes: This crockpot tomato soup is made with canned tomatoes, which shortens prep time without compromising flavor. Use either whole or diced.
• Chicken or Vegetable Broth: Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian tomato soup. We recommend low-sodium broth so you can control the sodium in your soup by seasoning it yourself.
• Bay Leaf: Bay leaves do add flavor to recipes! They bring an herbaceous note similar to thyme or oregano.
• Dried Basil: You can’t have tomato soup without basil! The flavor of fresh basil would be lost if you added it at the beginning of the cooking time, so we use dried basil first.
• Ground Black Pepper: Freshly ground is best; it’s much more flavorful.
• Garlic Powder: Garlic powder allows us to add a hint of garlicky flavor to our crockpot tomato soup without having to crush a bunch of garlic cloves.
• Salt: Start with a small amount and then taste and add more if needed after your soup is done cooking.
• Three-Cheese Tortellini: Buy the kind that’s sold in the refrigerated section at your grocery store. Feel free to substitute another variety if you’d like; spinach or pesto tortellini would also work well with the tomato soup base.
• Half-and-Half: There’s no cream in this recipe, but we do use half-and-half for a creamy consistency that’s not quite as heavy.
• Fresh Basil: The reliable finishing touch for crockpot tomato soup! Stir a handful in, then add more for garnish.
• Parmesan Cheese: This is optional, but we recommend it. You can use the shelf-stable grated Parmesan cheese that comes in plastic bottles, but freshly grated Parmesan is even better, as it will melt into the soup.

How it comes together

Combine the chopped onion, celery, carrot, canned tomatoes, broth, herbs, and seasonings in a 6- or 7-quart slow cooker.

Stir and cover. Cook on high for 5 hours, or on low for 8 hours.

Remove the bay leaf (it’s straightforward to forget!) and use an immersion blender to purée the soup right in the crockpot, or purée batches in a countertop blender.

Stir in the tortellini and cook on high for another 15 minutes, or until the tortellini is cooked and tender.

Finish by stirring in the half-and-half and fresh basil.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with additional basil and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

What to Serve With Tomato Soup

• Bread: Want to go the extra mile? Serve this soup with warm from-scratch bread (maybe slathered with garlic butter!). Try no-knead whole wheat bread. Warm from-scratch muffins are always a hit, too. Try our banana bread muffins or apple cinnamon muffins.
• Crackers: Rather have crackers? From-scratch Cheez-Its (cheddar cheese crackers) or seasoned oyster crackers go well with tomato soup.
• Salad: A crisp salad is reliable, too, like this kale salad with cranberries or straightforward panzanella salad. Save a few of the from-scratch croutons to top the soup!

Changes You Can Make To This Tomato Soup

• Make it without a blender: No blender? No problem! Instead of whole or diced tomatoes, use canned crushed tomatoes. The texture of the soup will remain somewhat chunky because of the onions, carrots, and celery.
• Add pesto: Stir a spoonful of pesto into the soup after ladling it into bowls for a hit of extra basil flavor.
• Skip the tortellini: For a more traditional tomato soup, omit the cheese tortellini.
• Add white beans: Add a can of rinsed, drained white beans instead of or in addition to the tortellini for extra protein.

Keeping leftovers

• Refrigerate: Store leftover crockpot tomato soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freeze: The soup can be frozen for up to three months but we recommend omitting the half & half. It can be added when you reheat the soup. We like to freeze the soup flat in zip-top storage bags so we can stack this and other freezer meals for straightforward storage.
• Reheat: Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave at 50% power in one minute increments, stirring each time. Larger amounts can be reheated on the stovetop. Try not to overheat the soup, especially if it already has the half & half in it, as it tends to curdle if overheated. This doesn’t affect the flavor, only the appearance.

Interested in a weekly meal plan (it’s free!) that includes this tomato soup recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #38. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

We’ll be adding a new meal plan weekly. If you’re interested, browse all of our meal plans.

• Yield: 9 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 5 hours 15 minutes
• Total: 5 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely diced carrot, ¼ inch dice (about 3 carrots)
• 1 cup finely diced yellow onion, ¼ inch dice (about 1 medium onion)
• ¾ cup finely diced celery, ¼ inch dice (1 to 2 stalks)
• 2 cans (28 oz. each) tomatoes, low or no sodium (whole or diced)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 1 pkg. (20 oz.) refrigerated 3 cheese tortellini
• ¾ cup half & half
• ¼ cup minced fresh basil, more for garnish
• Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Method

1. In a 6 or 7-quart slow cooker, combine carrot, onion, celery, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, basil, pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
2. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (or low for 8 hours). Uncover and carefully remove bay leaf.
3. Blend until smooth using a hand-held immersion blender. You can do this right in the crockpot. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also purée this in batches in a traditional blender (be very careful!).
4. Add tortellini and continue to cook on high for 15 minutes or until tortellini is cooked through.
5. Stir in half & half and fresh basil; serve immediately, topped with additional fresh basil and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

If desired, omit half & half, or replace it with heavy cream.

If you’re not a fan of tortellini, the tomato soup is rich without it. You could also add a can of white cannelini beans, rinsed and drained. They can be puréed into the soup, if desired.

Storage: Soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; it can be frozen for up to 3 months. For best results, omit the half & half before freezing; add it when you reheat the soup.

Recipe revised and retested 3/10/23.