Half Baked Harvest's Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup

How to make this tortellini soup:

Cook the onions with a mix of my favorite Italian spices…the dried herbs, fennel, and smoked paprika. They are all KEY here. They add so much flavor, almost like Italian sausage, but minus any of the meat.

Once the onions have been seared, add everything to the bowl of your slow cooker. Then add tomato paste, a good splash of dry white wine, and plenty of vegetable broth. Cover and cook low and slow.

I like to just let my soup cook all day long. The house smells incredible as this simmers away in the slow cooker. But, as I mentioned, I've also included directions for the Instant Pot and stove-top variations, in case you're in a crunch.

Once the soup has finished cooking, before serving, stir in a few large handfuls of kale, cream or milk, parmesan cheese, and the cheese tortellini. Cook another few minutes and then that's it.

Easy. EASY. But yet so delicious.

I'd highly recommend serving this soup with a side of crusty bread. If you own the HBH Super Simple cookbook, there's a really good, really easy, no-knead bread recipe that's perfect to pair with this soup.

If you're planning to enjoy this soup leftover, be sure to first remove the tortellini from the broth before refrigerating. That way the tortellini won't soak up all the broth. Then just add them back in before serving.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1-2 teaspoons fennel seeds use to your taste
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 carrots, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
• 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 4-6 cups roughly chopped kale
• 1/2 cup whole milk or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 pound fresh cheese tortellini

INSTRUCTIONS

SLOW COOKER

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, fennel, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Remove from the heat and add to the bowl of your crockpot. Stir in the tomato paste, carrots, and celery.
2. To the crockpot, add the wine, broth, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5.
3. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in the kale, cream, parmesan, and the tortellini.
4. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh oregano, if desired.

INSTANT POT

1. Set Instant Pot to sauté. Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, fennel, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste. Turn the Instant Pot off.
2. To the instant pot, add the wine, broth, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.
3. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function. Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Stir in the kale, cream, parmesan, and the tortellini. Cook until the kale is wilted, about 10 minutes. Turn the Instant Pot off.
4. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh oregano, if desired.

STOVE-TOP

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion and cook 5 minutes, until golden. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, fennel, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the wine, broth, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Simmer over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
2. About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the kale, cream, parmesan, and the tortellini.
3. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh oregano, if desired.