Slow-cooker chicken tortellini soup
345 min · 36 g protein · 349 cals / serving
A slow-cooker soup favorite, kept bright and brothy: tender shredded chicken, carrots and celery in a garlicky Italian tomato broth, with plump cheese tortellini dropped in for the last half hour and a big handful of spinach wilted in at the end. Parmesan and basil on top, and it tastes like a hug.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
- 6 1/4 cups chicken broth, low-sodium
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini cheese tortellini, about 330 g once cooked
- 5 packed cups baby spinach
To serve
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan
- a handful fresh basil, torn
Steps
- Put the chicken in the slow cooker with the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomatoes, broth, oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. If you have a parmesan rind, drop it in too for extra savoriness (fish it out before serving).
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5–6 hours or HIGH for 3, until the chicken reads at least 165°F and the vegetables are tender. Lift the chicken out, shred it and return it to the pot.
- Turn the slow cooker to HIGH, stir in the tortellini, cover and cook 15–30 minutes, until they are plump and tender (fresh ones are quick; check after 15).
- Stir in the spinach until it wilts, about 2 minutes. Taste for salt.
- Ladle into bowls and top with parmesan and torn basil.
Good to know
Pressure cooker instead?
Load everything except the tortellini and spinach, HIGH pressure 10 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. Shred the chicken, then simmer the tortellini on SAUTÉ for 3–5 minutes and wilt in the spinach.
How does it keep?
Pasta keeps soaking up broth, so if you are cooking ahead, cook the tortellini separately and add them to each bowl. The soup base keeps 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer; reheat until it simmers and add the tortellini for the last few minutes.
Want it creamy?
Many versions add cream cheese. For the same velvety feel, stir 1/2 cup evaporated milk into the pot with the tortellini; keep it below a boil after that.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 62
- Protein
- (42%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (23%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (35%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 279 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 2094 kcal goes into the pot and 3591 g of ingredients comes out as about 3400 g of food: 62 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.