This Roasted Tomato Tortellini Soup is an easy to prepare meal that is made with simple wholesome ingredients. It’s just thing to serve in winter.

It’s hibernation season in Chicago, and I am craving comfort food. This Roasted Tomato Tortellini Soup is a modern take on comfort food that combines a flavorful roasted tomato and basil soup with cheese tortellini. This meal happens to be healthier than most comfort food. It’s a win – it’s meal that you can feel good about, and it will warm you up on a cold winter night.

Most roasted tomato soups are made with canned fire roasted tomatoes. I think that canned tomatoes can be useful if you are in a crunch, but freshly roasted tomatoes have a much better taste. Plus, roasting tomatoes is so simple, I just slice grape tomatoes in half, top with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, and let roast for about 45 minutes.

I have an obsession with grape tomatoes. They are naturally sweet, and the sweetness balances out the slightly bitter flavor from the tomato seeds. The grape tomatoes are a perfect base for this soup. (Cherry tomatoes would work well too). A handful of freshly chopped basil gives the soup a fresh flavor.

It might be hard to tell by looking at the soup, but I didn’t add any cream. The base of the soup is just pureed roasted tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, and a touch of parmesan. It’s so simple and healthy. Then I added some quartered roasted tomatoes to add some texture, and the tortellini.

The tomatoes will take just about 45 minutes to roast, but once that is done the soup comes together in just 10 minutes. It is easy. The active preparation time is just about 20 minutes. If you are up for some extra chopping, you could make a double batch and freeze some for later.

One of my favorite parts of this recipe is that you can add any garnishes that you like. I added a touch of parmesan, some crumbled bacon, and some fresh basil. The bacon added a bit of crunch to the meal. If you wanted to add a hint of spice you could add some red pepper flakes.

The one thing to know about this soup is that if you don’t eat it right away the tortellini will soak up the liquid. So when you eat any leftovers you will want to add some more broth to the soup before heating it up. Oh, and you definitely want to use fresh tortellini because they cook much faster, taste better, and absorb less liquid. My favorite brand is Rana.

* You definitely want to line your baking sheet with parchment paper when you roast the tomatoes. They roast more evenly this way and don’t need to be flipped.

How to make Roasted Tomato Tortellini Soup:

Roasted Tomato Tortellini Soup

This Roasted Tomato Tortellini Soup is an easy to prepare meal that is made with simple wholesome ingredients. It's just thing to serve in winter.

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds of Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
about 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2-3 cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth
1-2 tablespoons Freshly Chopped Basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
10 ounces of Fresh Cheese Ravioli
Optional garnish: Crumbled Bacon

Instructions

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Slice 1 1/2 cups of the tomatoes into quarters. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Set aside. Slice all of the remaining tomatoes in half and place on a separate parchment lined baking sheet. (The reasoning behind this is that the quartered tomatoes will go into the soup, and the halved tomatoes will be puréed). Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and then generally top with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-45 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated from the tomatoes.
Place the halved tomatoes in a blender, and purée until smooth. Then pour into a pot and heat over medium heat. Whisk in 2 cups of the broth. Once the soup base comes to a simmer, add the cheese, basil, and roasted tomato. Let return to a simmer, and taste test adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
Add the tortelinni and cook until they float, this will take about 3 minutes. If the soup becomes too thick, stir in additional broth.
Serve topped with fresh basil, cheese, and maybe some crumbled bacon.

Recipe Notes

The one thing to know about this soup is that if you don't eat it right away the tortellini will soak up the liquid. So when you eat any leftovers you will want to add some more broth to the soup before heating it up. Oh, and you definitely want to use fresh tortellini because they cook much faster, taste better, and absorb less liquid. My favorite brand is Rana. * You definitely want to line your baking sheet with parchment paper when you roast the tomatoes. They roast more evenly this way and don't need to be flipped.