Immersion blenders, or hand blenders as they’re sometimes called, are key to making super-smooth soups, smoothies, pesto, and even homemade baby food. Or, with a quick pulse, to roughly chop ingredients for salsa, guac, and other dips. They’re much mor…
Immersion blenders, or hand blenders as they’re sometimes called, are key to making super-smooth soups, smoothies, pesto, and even homemade baby food. Or, with a quick pulse, to roughly chop ingredients for salsa, guac, and other dips. They’re much more compact and easy to use than traditional blenders or food processors—literally a handheld stick that you swirl around a pot or container.
But in a world of kitchen gadgets and tools, it can be hard to find the right one—and the range you’d find on Amazon is enough to make your own head swirl. So with that in mind, we’ve done the work for you and curated the 9 best immersion blenders on Amazon—so you can start making your favorite summer soups or dips in no time. You’re welcome.
Say hello to perfect roasted cauliflower soup with plenty of garlic, nutmeg, and white beans. Buttery cashews help create the ultimate velvety texture while also keeping it dairy-free. Just 10 ingredients required. Let us show you how it’s done!
How to…
Say hello to perfect roasted cauliflower soup with plenty of garlic, nutmeg, and white beans. Buttery cashews help create the ultimate velvety texture while also keeping it dairy-free. Just 10 ingredients required. Let us show you how it’s done!
How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Soup
This cauliflower soup starts with roasting the onions, garlic, and cauliflower to lightly caramelize them and add natural sweetness. Roasting the garlic also tames its bitterness and allows for adding more of its savory, immune-supportive goodness.
This vegan mushroom soup is delightfully creamy and hearty, featuring loads of veggies and hearty whole grains! Here’s a soup that’s ultra cozy and deliciously hearty: Vegan Mushroom Soup! You won’t believe how creamy this is…without the use of dairy! Just like our fan favorite Wild Rice Soup, we’ve harnessed the magic of cashews to make a delightfully creamy base. Add to that spices, lots of veggies and whole grains, and it’s the perfect canvas to highlight deliciously savory mushrooms. Ready to get cooking? Tricks to the best vegan mushroom soup This vegan mushroom soup is modeled after our fan favorite Wild Rice Soup: but it’s even quicker to make! Both soups use the same trick: soaked cashews. Soaking and blending these powerhouse nuts makes them into a delightfully creamy sauce that works just like dairy (try our Cashew Cream). Here you can blend them right into a soup for a rich, creamy body. Here’s what to know: Soak the cashews while you make the soup. You don’t have to think ahead at all! The time to make the soup is just enough…unless you don’t have a great blender. A powerful blender is helpful. We have a high speed blender […]
This vegan mushroom soup is delightfully creamy and hearty, featuring loads of veggies and hearty whole grains!
Here’s a soup that’s ultra cozy and deliciously hearty: Vegan Mushroom Soup! You won’t believe how creamy this is…without the use of dairy! Just like our fan favorite Wild Rice Soup, we’ve harnessed the magic of cashews to make a delightfully creamy base. Add to that spices, lots of veggies and whole grains, and it’s the perfect canvas to highlight deliciously savory mushrooms. Ready to get cooking?
Tricks to the best vegan mushroom soup
This vegan mushroom soup is modeled after our fan favorite Wild Rice Soup: but it’s even quicker to make! Both soups use the same trick: soaked cashews. Soaking and blending these powerhouse nuts makes them into a delightfully creamy sauce that works just like dairy (try our Cashew Cream). Here you can blend them right into a soup for a rich, creamy body. Here’s what to know:
Soak the cashews while you make the soup. You don’t have to think ahead at all! The time to make the soup is just enough…unless you don’t have a great blender.
A powerful blender is helpful. We have a high speed blender and it works magic with cashews. If you don’t have a good blender, you may want to soak your cashews overnight to make sure they’re soft enough to blend.
Make the soup, then blend the cashews with 2 cups of it. Yep that’s right: take the veggies, broth and everything in your pot! Blend it with the cashews and it becomes beautifully creamy…like magic!
Make sure to find pearled barley, not hulled!
Here’s a tip for when you make this vegan mushroom soup: look for pearled barley at the store, not hulled barley. Many packages don’t actually have this marked: so how can you tell the difference? And what’s the difference, anyway?
Hulled barley has just the hull removed. It’s darker in color than pearled barley and has a chewier texture when cooked. It takes about 50 to 55 minutes to cook hulled barley.
Pearled barley is lighter in color; it has the outer husk and bran layer removed. This makes it much quicker to cook, though it loses some of the nutritional value of those components. It takes 15 to 30 minutes to cook pearled barley, depending on the brand.
Bottom line: Essentially, the difference between pearled barley vs hulled barley is like white rice vs brown rice.
How to tell if the package doesn’t indicate? Review the color: pearled is light and hulled is medium brown. Then check the cooking instructions on the back: the cook time should indicate which type it is.
Or, you can use farro!
If you prefer, you can use farro instead! Farro is an ancient whole grain with a chewy texture very similar to barley. It cooks quicker than hulled barley, making it a favorite in our household. It’s also not gluten free because it’s made from wheat. But it’s very delicious and one of our favorite whole grains to cook.
Want to make this vegan mushroom soup into a gluten-free soup as well? The grains in this soup are not gluten free, but it’s easy to make with the following options:
White rice: Substitute it for the barley and cook until tender, about 15 minutes
Brown rice: Cook it in advance! It will soak up too much liquid to cook in the soup. Add it in Step 4 below and simmer 15 minutes.
Are there any substitutes for cashews?
Got a nut allergy? Unfortunately cashews are really magical when it comes to making a creamy body in vegan soups. We don’t have any great substitutes here (unless you want to try dairy!). However, one option to consider is canned white beans. There’s no need to soak: just substitute them in for the nuts in the final blending step. It won’t have nearly the richness and sweetness of the cashews, but beans do have thickening power.
What to serve with vegan mushroom soup
Want to make this vegan soup into a full meal? Throw together one of these vegan side dishes while the meal cooks:
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or smoked shoyu), or more salt to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with water. Leave them to soak while you make the recipe.
Dice the onion. Thinly slice the celery. Peel and dice the carrots. Clean the mushrooms and slice them (if you’re using shiitake, make sure to remove the tough stems). Mince the garlic.
Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven or soup pot. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add mushrooms, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth, barley, spices, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes until the barley or farro is tender, stirring occasionally.
Using a liquid cup measure, carefully remove 2 cups of the hot soup (including broth, veggies and barley) to a blender. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender, along with the cornstarch and soy sauce. Blend on high for about 1 minute until creamy. Then pour the creamy mixture back into the soup and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes until thickened.
Enjoy warm. Stores refrigerated for 3 days.
Notes
*Pearled barley cooks in about 20 minutes, whereas hulled barley cooks in about 50 to 55 minutes. The hulled barley has just the outer hull removed, whereas pearled also has the outer husk and bran layer removed, similar to the difference between white rice and brown rice. Check the package cook time to determine the difference if the package is not marked.
**For gluten free, substitute white rice for the barley. You can also substitute brown rice, but cook it separately and add to the soup. In both cases, you can reduce the cook time in Step 4 to about 15 minutes.
This Spring Pea Soup with Fresh Herbs finished with a lemony yogurt topping is pretty effortless, but it tastes like a million bucks! Spring Pea Soup with Fresh Herbs The bright green color of this Spring Pea and Fresh Herbs Soup is lovely. It will fade a little if you save the soup for the […]
This Spring Pea Soup with Fresh Herbs finished with a lemony yogurt topping is pretty effortless, but it tastes like a million bucks!
Spring Pea Soup with Fresh Herbs
The bright green color of this Spring Pea and Fresh Herbs Soup is lovely. It will fade a little if you save the soup for the next day, but what you trade off in color, you gain in even deeper flavor that comes from the ingredients melding together. The lemony yogurt topping is cool and creamy and brightens up the dish. For more of my favorite pureed soups, try this Cream of Asparagus Leek Soup with Crème Fraiche and Cream of Zucchini Soup.
Low Carb Zuppa Toscana is packed with sausage, cauliflower, and kale for a lower-carb version of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup. This twist on the classic is one you’ll want to make over and over! There are quite a few recipes that I love, but I only make for myself because Eric & Elle aren’t …
Low Carb Zuppa Toscana is packed with sausage, cauliflower, and kale for a lower-carb version of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana soup. This twist on the classic is one you’ll want to make over and over!
There are quite a few recipes that I love, but I only make for myself because Eric & Elle aren’t really the biggest fans, and this Low Carb Zuppa Toscana is one of those recipes. Neither of them are cauliflower lovers, but it just so happens to be one of my faves.
I’ve been super into Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana for years and back when I taught school, I’d eat it for lunch multiple times a week because Olive Garden is just around the corner.
The great thing about this Low Carb Zuppa Toscana is that it is super versatile. You can use hot sausage instead of sweet, baby spinach instead of kale and cauliflower instead of potatoes.
I love making a batch of this on the weekend, so I can eat it for lunch all week long.
Everyone loves this easy taco soup recipe! It’s full of flavor and quick to whip up, topped with all your favorite taco toppings. If you love tacos and you love soup…well, taco soup is a no brainer! It’s a Tex Mex invention like taco salad, basically a mashup between a Mexican tortilla soup and American chili. Each bowl is warming, savory and smoky, and a cozy canvas for toppings like sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. The best part: it’s done in 30 minutes and customizable for eaters of any diet! This makes it endlessly versatile and an ideal weeknight meal. This easy taco soup recipe was a hit in our house: and we hope it will be in yours, too! Let’s get cooking. Ingredients in this easy taco soup There’s nothing traditionally Mexican about taco soup: in fact, it’s a Tex Mex invention: chili meets tortilla soup. In fact, it’s closer to chili than anything: it’s just more aggressively taco-spiced. For this recipe, we put a spin on our tortilla soup to add “taco meat” and more taco seasonings. Here are the basic building blocks of this easy taco soup recipe: Taco meat: You can use either plant-based veggie crumbles […]
Everyone loves this easy taco soup recipe! It’s full of flavor and quick to whip up, topped with all your favorite taco toppings.
If you love tacos and you love soup…well, taco soup is a no brainer! It’s a Tex Mex invention like taco salad, basically a mashup between a Mexican tortilla soup and American chili. Each bowl is warming, savory and smoky, and a cozy canvas for toppings like sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. The best part: it’s done in 30 minutes and customizable for eaters of any diet! This makes it endlessly versatile and an ideal weeknight meal. This easy taco soup recipe was a hit in our house: and we hope it will be in yours, too! Let’s get cooking.
Ingredients in this easy taco soup
There’s nothing traditionally Mexican about taco soup: in fact, it’s a Tex Mex invention: chili meets tortilla soup. In fact, it’s closer to chili than anything: it’s just more aggressively taco-spiced. For this recipe, we put a spin on our tortilla soup to add “taco meat” and more taco seasonings. Here are the basic building blocks of this easy taco soup recipe:
Taco meat: You can use either plant-based veggie crumbles or ground beef for meat lovers. This makes it work for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, or meat-eating diets (see below).
Onion, bell pepper and garlic: This mix of fresh veggies hits the spot
Beans and corn: We like a mix of black beans and pinto beans
Canned tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes have the best flavor, but use whatever you can find
Taco seasonings: Use a mix of cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and cumin
Adobo sauce: This smoky sauce from inside a can of chipotle peppers is the magic ingredient (see below).
Taco soup for any diet: use veggie crumbles or beef!
These days, families are balancing lots of different eating styles at a single table. So we’ve started to make our recipes versatile for many different diets. This easy taco soup recipe works with meat or for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets. Here’s how you can do it:
Use plant-based crumbles. These days there are lots of vegan meat substitutes at the grocery store: and many are less processed than in the past. But be picky when you’re at the store: look for veggie crumbles with a short ingredient list and whole food ingredients. Also, experiment with brands to find a texture you like. So far, we’ve liked Beyond Meat crumbles best: they’re made of pea protein and have a meat-like texture.
Or, use ground beef. You can simply swap in 1pound ground beef in this recipe. Cook it before you start and drain it.
The flavor secret to this taco soup recipe? Adobo sauce! This magic ingredient brings nuance, body and a lightly smoky flavor to the broth. We use this trick all the time, and it’s especially helpful in adding flavor to vegan and vegetarian recipes. Here are a few notes on what to look for at the store if you haven’t worked with this ingredient:
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are easy to find at most grocery stores near the Mexican products. The can includes chipotle chiles: smoked and dried jalapeños that are rehydrated and canned, and adobo sauce, a purée of tomato, vinegar, garlic, and other spices.
You’ll use the sauce, not the chipotle peppers. Use a spoon to remove the adobo sauce from the can, working around the hot peppers.
The quantity below adds a moderate level of spice to the soup. It’s not ultra spicy. You can add more to taste!
What to do with the leftovers? Refrigerate or freeze the remainder, and use it for more adobo sauce recipes, like vegetarian fajitas or enchilada sauce.
Taco soup toppings
Just like chili, the best part of taco soup is the toppings! It tastes great as is, but even better dressed up with garnishes. The taco soup is plant-based and vegan without the garnishes, so for a vegan meal simply add plant-based toppings. The first four are required toppings in our mind, then we’ve got some optional ideas:
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and green pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Stir in the veggie crumbles (or ground beef) for 1 minute. Then add the tomatoes, beans, corn, adobo sauce, broth, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, then simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and add additional adobo sauce or kosher salt if desired.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and allow to cool to warm. Top with cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, and crushed tortilla chips.
Cheeseburger Soup is creamy, cheesy, and a comforting weeknight dinner! Top with pickle relish, diced tomato, and easy hamburger bun croutons to round out all the cheeseburger flavors. I go in serious phases with cheeseburgers. Some months I crave them constantly and then I won’t consume one for ages. While I love a juicy homemade …
Cheeseburger Soup is creamy, cheesy, and a comforting weeknight dinner! Top with pickle relish, diced tomato, and easy hamburger bun croutons to round out all the cheeseburger flavors.
I go in serious phases with cheeseburgers. Some months I crave them constantly and then I won’t consume one for ages.
While I love a juicy homemade burger on the grill, your girl also loves a Whopper with cheese from Burger King with a side of onion rings. It’s a fast food guilty pleasure of mine that’s right up there with a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish and fries.
I’ve been on a bit of burger kick, but also a soup kick, so I thought why not combine both of those into a delicious Cheeseburger Soup recipe complete with hamburger bun croutons!
MY FAVORITE CHEESEBURGER SOUP RECIPE
I’ve seen and made a number of cheeseburger soup recipes, but I didn’t love any of them. So I took matters into my own hands and came up with my own.
Like most of the recipes out there, my version still has potatoes and carrots in the base, along with the ground beef.
To up the cheeseburger factor, I added some seasoned salt while cooking the beef, which is something I often do when making burgers. I also added some cooked bacon (who doesn’t love a bacon cheeseburger?) and dill for some of that pickle flavor.
Another thing I didn’t love about most of the versions I’ve seen is that they require you to make a separate cheese sauce that you stir into the soup at the end.
If I’m going to make soup, I want to make it all in one pot. So I tweaked the method so you can make it all in one pot, no separate cheese sauce needed!
The final version of my Cheeseburger Soup is thick and creamy, super cheesy, and when topped with pickle relish, diced tomatoes (if you like them), and hamburger bun croutons, is a fun take on a cheeseburger.
HOW TO MAKE CHEESEBURGER SOUP
To make this soup, start by browning ground beef with the seasonings in a large dutch oven, adding diced onion and garlic halfway through cooking. If your beef has a high fat content, you may need to strain off the fat after cooking.
Sprinkle in the flour and stir to combine. This in place of making a traditional roux like you’d make for making baked macaroni and cheese. Whisk in ½ cup of milk and whisk until thickened.
Whisk in beef or chicken stock – whichever you prefer or have on hand – and bring the soup to a simmer. Add the carrots and potato and cook until the vegetables are softened but still hold their shape.
Tip:If you want to skip peeling and dicing or grating the vegetables, you can purchase grated carrots and use a few cups of diced or shredded hash brown potatoes.
A few minutes before serving, stir in the bacon and dill. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes before serving.
HOW TO MAKE HAMBURGER BUN CROUTONS
If you ask me, the hamburger bun croutons are what really make this soup. It’s delicious without them, but it’s REALLY good with them.
I like to use the seasoned salt on the croutons because it’s what we used in the soup itself. Toss the cubed buns with the oil or butter and a heavy pinch of the salt.
Spread the buns into an even layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, stirring them halfway through.
The croutons are done when they’re nice and golden. As they cool, they’ll get even more crisp.
If you love pickles on your burgers, make sure to pair the croutons with sweet or dill pickle relish on top of the soup. You can also top it with some diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, or additional crumbled bacon.
CAN YOU FREEZE THIS SOUP?
Soups that have a lot of milk in them don’t always freeze well because they can separate after thawing.
Because I tweaked this recipe to use mostly stock as the liquid and it uses Velveeta as the cheese, it should freeze pretty well. Make sure to put the cooled soup in an airtight freezer-safe container and thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Cheeseburger Soup
Yield: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Cheeseburger Soup is creamy, cheesy, and a comforting weeknight dinner! Top with pickle relish, diced tomato, and easy hamburger bun croutons to round out all the cheeseburger flavors.
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1 large clove of garlic, minced or grated
¼ cup flour
½ cup milk
16 ounces Velveeta, cubed into 1-inch pieces
1 (32-ounce) carton beef or chicken stock
1 large carrot, grated
3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 ounces of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh minced dill or 2 tablespoons dried dill
For the croutons:
2 sesame-topped hamburger buns, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil or melted butter
Heavy pinch of seasoned salt
For garnish:
Hamburger bun croutons
Sweet or dill pickle relish
Fresh diced tomatoes
Shredded cheese
Cooked and crumbled bacon
Instructions
In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown ground beef with the seasoned salt and black pepper. Add onion and garlic to beef halfway through cooking.
If needed, strain fat from the meat. Return meat to the pot, then sprinkle in flour and stir to combine.
Whisk in the milk and continue to whisk until thickened.
Add the Velveeta in batches and whisk into meat, milk and flour mixture until melted and combined.
Once all the cheese is melted and combined, add the beef or chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add the carrots and potato and simmer until the vegetables are soft but still hold their shape, about 15-20 minutes.
5-10 minutes before serving, add the bacon and fresh or dried dill. Stir to combine and continue to let simmer.
To make the hamburger bun croutons: Preheat oven to 375℉. Toss cubed hamburger buns with the olive oil or melted butter and a heavy pinch of seasoned salt. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, until croutons are golden brown.
Serve the soup with hamburger bun croutons, relish, and diced tomato as desired.
This 5-star tortellini soup is lusciously creamy! It’s easy and under 30 minutes, with big flavor from tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan. Here’s a soup that will make people come flocking and might result in a few marriage proposals: this creamy tortellini soup! This is one for the books. You can make it in under 30 minutes, and the flavor that results is simply killer. Tomatoes, basil, Parmesan and cream make a lusciously flavored broth that floats with doughy orbs of tortellini. In fact, we put down our spoons in amazement at first bite. Then I made a mental note to put it on the regular rotation…stat. Ingredients in tortellini soup There are many ways to make a tortellini soup. A traditional Italian way to serve it is called tortellini en brodo, where the filled pasta floats in a simple broth. For our spin, we went for a tomato-basil-meets-tortellini vibe, where a creamy tomato broth provides the backdrop for the delightful doughy pasta. Here’s what you’ll need for this Italian soup: Tortellini Onion and garlic Crushed fire roasted tomatoes: Fire roasted is key! See the section below. Tomato paste Vegetable broth Olive oil and salt Dried oregano and dried basil Spinach […]
This 5-star tortellini soup is lusciously creamy! It’s easy and under 30 minutes, with big flavor from tomatoes, spinach, and Parmesan.
Here’s a soup that will make people come flocking and might result in a few marriage proposals: this creamy tortellini soup! This is one for the books. You can make it in under 30 minutes, and the flavor that results is simply killer. Tomatoes, basil, Parmesan and cream make a lusciously flavored broth that floats with doughy orbs of tortellini. In fact, we put down our spoons in amazement at first bite. Then I made a mental note to put it on the regular rotation…stat.
Ingredients in tortellini soup
There are many ways to make a tortellini soup. A traditional Italian way to serve it is called tortellini en brodo, where the filled pasta floats in a simple broth. For our spin, we went for a tomato-basil-meets-tortellini vibe, where a creamy tomato broth provides the backdrop for the delightful doughy pasta. Here’s what you’ll need for this Italian soup:
Tortellini
Onion and garlic
Crushed fire roasted tomatoes: Fire roasted is key! See the section below.
Tomato paste
Vegetable broth
Olive oil and salt
Dried oregano and dried basil
Spinach
Fresh basil
Heavy cream or substitute whole milk
Parmesan cheese, grated
Find fire roasted tomatoes if you can!
Fire roasted tomatoes are key to getting just the right flavor in this tortellini soup. If you’ve been around for a while, you know we cook with them often. What are they and why are they so special?
Fire roasted tomatoes are a type of canned tomato that’s cooked over an open flame before canning. It makes the flavor beautifully sweet out of the can, instead of acidic like many canned tomato varieties. It’s a cooking method, not a brand!
Where to get them? This type of tomatoes are becoming pretty easy to find in grocery stores in the US; they’re sold by several brands. Look in the canned tomatoes section.
What if you can’t find them? Substitute the best quality canned tomatoes you can find.
What makes it a creamy tortellini soup…and a substitute
Our recipes are generally on the healthy side, so you won’t often see us cooking with heavy cream. But there are always exceptions, right? And this creamy tortellini soup is one of them. Why cook with cream here? It adds an intense richness, depth, and body of the soup that just can’t be replicated by 2% milk. Worried about using cream, though?
You can use whole milk or half and half instead as a substitute! How do they compare? Well, heavy cream is 36% milkfat, whereas half and half is 10% and whole milk is 3%. So these types of dairy have significantly less fat than heavy cream. Pick whatever seems right for you!
Tortellini soup variations for any diet: vegetarian, vegan & more
This recipe is a vegetarian tortellini soup: assuming you use tortellini with no meat! It’s one of those recipes you wouldn’t think of being vegetarian…because it’s so packed with flavor. People of any diet love this one (promise!). You can also make it vegan, or add Italian sausage for meat eaters. Here are a few options:
Vegetarian tortellini soup: This is already vegetarian: just use a cheese or spinach ravioli!
Vegan tortellini soup: Buy vegan tortellini: there are some great brands out there these days! Then substitute Cashew Cream for the heavy cream and Parmesan.
Gluten free tortellini soup: Use gluten free tortellini. Again, there are some great options out there these days.
Sausage tortellini soup: Cook 1 pound Italian sausage in the pan until browned, about 3 minutes, draining the fat as necessary. Then make the remaining soup, using slightly less salt.
Let us know your favorite gluten free or vegan tortellini brands in the comments below! We’d love to know your recommendations.
Make it a meal: side ideas!
This tortellini soup is delicious and satisfying, but not quite filling enough on its own to be a meal. We’d suggest pairing it with a salad or grilled cheese to make a full meal. Here are some ideas:
Crusty bread. Buy an artisan style bread or make your own no knead bread.
Storage, reheating and make ahead tips
This tortellini soup is best hot from the stove! But if you have leftovers or want to make it ahead, we’ve got some tips.
Store leftovers refrigerated, noting that the pasta soaks up the broth. The pasta soaks up even more of the broth when you refrigerate, so it can become very thick. You may want to add a splash of water when reheating.
Make the soup ahead without the tortellini. If you make it ahead, make it without the tortellini and refrigerate. Then heat it up and cook the tortellini right before serving.
This tortellini soup recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free or vegan, see variations above.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 to 6 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté 30 seconds more.
Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, herbs and kosher salt. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 8 minutes.
Stir in the spinach, basil leaves, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Bring to simmer and add the tortellini. Cook according to the package instructions: about 2 to 3 minutes for refrigerated and 3 to 5 minutes for frozen. Taste and add additional salt as desired (we added another 1/4 teaspoon). Serve immediately.
Make ahead and storage: Store leftovers refrigerated. The pasta does soak up quite a bit of the broth, so you may want to add a splash of water when reheating. If you make it ahead, we recommend making the soup without the tortellini; then heat it up and cook the pasta right before serving.
Notes
*Vegan variation: use vegan tortellini and substitute 1/2 cup Cashew Cream for the heavy cream and Parmesan, adding more to taste as desired.
When it comes to weeknight meals, it doesn’t get any better than Lasagna Soup. It has all the same ingredients and flavors of classic lasagna without the layering and baking! This one pot meal is favorite at our house and I think you will love it…
When it comes to weeknight meals, it doesn’t get any better than Lasagna Soup. It has all the same ingredients and flavors of classic lasagna without the layering and baking! This one pot meal is favorite at our house and I think you will love it too. I really enjoy one-pot recipes. It not only…
This creamy chicken and orzo soup will warm your soul! With so many of you under snow right now, this is the perfect hug in a bowl. The most comforting chicken orzo soup bowl that will keep you warm, that will bring happiness to a friend or family and all while tasting delicious! Oh and […]
This creamy chicken and orzo soup will warm your soul!
With so many of you under snow right now, this is the perfect hug in a bowl. The most comforting chicken orzo soup bowl that will keep you warm, that will bring happiness to a friend or family and all while tasting delicious!
Oh and it’s extra satisfying too.
We have had a ton of snow this week – and more snow the last few weeks that we’ve had in years. As a kid, I remember us having TONS of snow, the entire winter. Or at least it seemed the way. We haven’t had anything like this recently, so we’ve enjoyed lots of comfort food on repeat. No one is complaining about that.
Enter, this creamy chicken and orzo soup!
This isn’t my first foray into creamy chicken noodle soup. I have a recipe for it in my book Seriously Delish – like the classic kind with egg noodles. When I make a creamy chicken soup, I prefer it to thicken it with a slurry instead of cream or starting with a roux. My mom uses this method for certain dishes and I love it! There are just some recipes that call for it, and this is it. The slurry adds a creaminess without making it feel overly heavy. It’s perfect!
And yes, why this might be one of the onnnnly recipes you’ll see here with celery. I can handle it in a chicken soup, but as you know, the remaining options are few and far between. Celery is usually a no go over here.
One of the reasons that I love this dish so much for our family? It kind of gives me chopped salad vibes. I know that sounds absolutely insane – I mean, this is soup, not salad.
BUT!
The orzo is such a lovely little cut of pasta that you can get a bit of everything in each bite. There isn’t a big noodle taking up your whole spoon with just a touch of broth. For this reason alone, my kids LOVE this.
Since making this, Emilia asks for “soup” constantly – she’s had other soups and likes them, but when she says soup, she means this one. She loves that she can eat it with her spoon and get a full spoonful of flavor, chicken and pasta is one bite! It’s seriously perfect for little ones.
I like to use some of the classic tricks to make chicken noodle soup come to life here. Definitely add a parmesan cheese rind if you have one. It adds a wonderful richness to the soup that you can’t find elsewhere. The flavor is divine.
Also, spritz some lemon in before serving! This brightens things up and while I love my classic lemon chicken soup, adding just a spritz here really enhances the flavor too.
I highly suggest using a rotisserie chicken (or leftover shredded chicken) for ease here. When you do that, this soup comes together SO fast – like we are talking 30 minutes fast. Making it an ideal weeknight meal! I have some tips listed below in the recipe card if you want to meal prep this or use it for leftovers (i.e. cook the orzo separately) and it really makes a lovely meal to enjoy all times of year.
This creamy chicken and orzo soup is like a hug in a bowl. Creamy chicken soup with orzo pasta and parmesan. Delicious and comforting!
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20minutes
Cook Time 25minutes
Total Time 45minutes
Servings 4people
Author How Sweet Eats
Ingredients
3tablespoonsunsalted butter
1sweet onion,diced
3carrots,peeled and diced
2celery sticks,diced
3garlic cloves,minced
kosher salt and pepper
½teaspoonpoultry seasoning
1 ½cupscooked, shredded chicken
6cupschicken stock
1parmesan cheese rind
1cupuncooked orzo pasta
½cupmilk
1teaspoonall-purpose flour
3tablespoonsfresh parsley,plus more for topping
parmesan cheese,for topping
lemon wedges,for spritzing
Instructions
Heat the butter in a large stock pot over medium-low heat. Add in the onion, carrots, celery and garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper - I’d say at least ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to start. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften. Stir in the garlic cloves and poultry seasoning. Stir in the shredded chicken.
Add in the chicken stock and the parmesan rind. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Stir in the orzo pasta. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is al dente, about 8 minutes.
In a shaker bottle even a bowl, shake (or whisk) together the milk and flour to form a slurry. Pour this into the soup and simmer for another 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed. If the parmesan rind didn’t melt entirely, you can scoop it out at this point. Stir in the fresh parsley.
Serve immediately with a lemon wedge for sprinkling, parmesan cheese for topping and parsley sprinkled on top.
Note: if you want to prep this for meals ahead of time, or want to have it for leftovers, I suggest cooking the orzo separately as it will soak up most of the broth as it sits overnight. Combine the soup and orzo and reheat to enjoy!
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(12 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)
