Cheese tortellini, chicken, kale, tomatoes, garlic, onion – this soup is full of good stuff!
And it couldn’t be easier to make. Especially if you’ve got cooked chicken in the freezer ready to go.
I almost always have chicken frozen, that I’ve either cooked myself or used Costco rotisserie chicken. It’s such a time saver to have the meat ready to use. A quick minute or two in the microwave is all it takes to thaw it enough so it can be added to a soup or casserole.
Next week, I’ll have another post on using meat from a Costco rotisserie chicken (or your leftover turkey). There are so many ways to use chicken and turkey like this.
But for today, let’s talk about this soup. Here’s what you’ll need:
One of the great things about this soup is that the ingredients can all be kept on hand (with the exception of the kale), so that you’re always prepared for a good soup. If you’d rather, you can use spinach instead of kale.
Easy Chicken and Tortellini Soup with Kale
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 3 cans chicken broth 15oz - 16.9oz each
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 2-3 cups kale chopped
- 19 oz frozen cheese tortellini
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken chopped
- 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese for topping optional
Instructions
- Heat oil in large stock pot.
- Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is transparent.
- Add chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
- Add kale, tortellini and chicken.
- Reduce heat and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Add seasonings and serve.
I made almost this exact soup earlier this week, in my crockpot.
I had cooked, shredded chicken in my freezer so I tossed the frozen block in my crockpot with 4 cups of chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes, some garlic and Italian seasoning on my lunch hour (on low). At 5 p.m. I added a package of refrigerator tortellini to the crockpot and let it cook another hour or so.
The tortellini was perfect – not too soggy at all.
Great idea to use the crockpot. Thanks for sharing!
Could you do this without kale? Thinking maybe spinach or plain.
Yes, you can use spinach or skip it.
Would it be okay to used canned chicken if you’re in a hurry?
Yes that will work.
I do something similar with green beans and sausage. Always get asked for the recipe.
So Hallie, what is your recipe? I am part of everyone 🙂