Spring Tortellini Soup with Pistachio Pesto.
This spring vegetable tortellini soup is cozy, comforting and refreshing all at the same time. This light soup is made with a rich parmesan broth, loaded with spring vegetables like asparagus and leeks and finished off with pistachio pesto. Delicious!
We’re bringing a vibrant bowl of green into the first week of spring!
This spring tortellini soup is absolutely packed with vegetables, like carrots, leeks, asparagus and peas, then finished off with some cheese tortellini. The broth is rich and laced with parmesan and the kicker? A spoonful of pistachio pesto that really takes it over the top.
It’s an easy soup that is secretly special!
It’s not JUST veggies with cheese tortellini, you know? It has a little something extra that makes it satisfying, beautiful and tasty.
Just the kind of recipe we need!
If you thought I was done with soup for the season… oops, I am not. I wish that I was but we keep getting spring cold snaps, which means I keep experimenting with different varieties of warm foods. Comfort foods. Hugs in a bowl! And all that jazz.
I’ve shared a spring minestrone soup before which is fairly similar, but that one is made in a slow cooker. This one is just made on your stovetop because honestly, I can’t even be bothered to bring out my slow cooker right now unless I’m making something like pulled pork or heating up a big batch of meatballs or chili. I’m still in soup mode, but out of slow cooker mode. You get me!
I also use this soup as a way to repurpose my pistachio pesto. That pesto is so springy and delicious, and I love adding pesto in soups to give it some extra oomph. It’s such a perfect way to bring more flavor to the broth and give it a little extra something. If you use that pesto to make my salmon parchment packets and have some left over, this is exactly how you can use it up. Different, but complementary!
I usually make this when I have extra pesto, but I’m including the pesto recipe below too so if you want to make it fresh with the soup, you can.
This is how I make it!
I start by sauteing a bunch of leeks, carrots and lots of garlic. Once those are softened, I add in some chicken stock (you can use veg stock!) along with a rind of parmesan cheese.
I simmer this for a bit just to get that extra flavor of the parmesan into the broth. To bring it all together, per se.
Then, I add in the asparagus and the peas. I simmer those for 3 to 4 minutes too. I like the asparagus to retain some of its crunch, but if you prefer it to be very soft, I suggest adding it in with the carrots and the leeks.
Next, I throw in the cheese tortellini. You can use any variety of tortellini you love, so of course I choose cheese! This only needs to cook for 3 to 4 minutes, so make sure you are close to serving this once you add it.
Then it’s time to eat! Serve up a bowl of this goodness with a big dollop of pistachio pesto. It’s heaven.
This soup comes together so quickly because many of the ingredients only need a few minutes to cook. You can always simmer the first few vegetables and stock for as long as you’d like. The longer you simmer, the more flavor you get!
Its also so vibrant and fresh and has me SUPER excited for the seasonal produce to come.
Huge huge fan.
Spring Tortellini Soup with Pistachio Pesto
Spring Vegetable Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
pistachio pesto
- 1 cup shelled pistachios
- 1 ½ cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves torn
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅓ cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
soup
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- kosher salt and pepper
- 5 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 parmesan rind, about 1 to 2 inches in size
- 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed and chopped into thirds
- 10 ounces frozen peas
- 20 ounces cheese tortellini
- parmesan cheese, for topping
Instructions
pistachio pesto
- Place the pistachios, basil, garlic, lemon juice and cheese in a food processor. Pulse and blend until the nuts are coarsely chopped, then with the processor on, stream in the olive oil. Add a little more if necessary, depending on how “spreadable” you want your pesto to be. Add a big pinch of salt and pepper and pulse. Taste the pesto and add in more seasoning if needed. This will make extra pesto than needed, so store it sealed tightly in the fridge for up to a week.
soup
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, leeks, garlic and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the veggies soften.
- Add in the stock (I start with 5 cups) and the parmesan rind. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, add in the asparagus and cook for 5 minutes. Next, add in the peas and simmer for 5 minutes more. Finally, when ready to serve, add in the tortellini. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes (or use the package instructions for boiling time) and serve immediately.
- Top with parmesan cheese and a spoonful of the pistachio pesto. Stir it into the soup and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Feeling very green.
