Chicken Tortellini Soup Is The Comforting Fall Dish You Need

Cool weather signals the start of soup season, and recipes like pumpkin and butternut squash bisque dominate the autumn months. However, chicken soup still reigns supreme when it comes to comfort dishes — and there are easy ways to level up this beloved classic. For many, chicken soup brings up feelings of nostalgia, especially when it's homemade. Putting a spin on this favorite allows you to enjoy that sentimentality while also trying something new. And for anyone experimenting with different recipes, chicken tortellini soup is a must-try.

Adding pasta to chicken soup is nothing new, as noodles often accompany this dish. A traditional chicken soup recipe consists of chicken broth, grilled chicken, veggies, and noodles. The latter is a welcome addition, as a carbohydrate ramps up the comfort element and makes the soup more filling. Tortellini takes that a step further, bringing extra cheese and meat into the dish. These flavors complement chicken soup nicely, and infusing them via tortellini doesn't require much extra effort.

Making chicken tortellini soup is a fairly straightforward endeavor, especially for those who already know how to make chicken soup at home. Adding the tortellini is the final step of the process, so those with a go-to recipe won't have much to learn. You can go for a quickly made broth, mixing in veggies, seasonings, and cooked rotisserie chicken, then keep it on the stove for 30 to 40 minutes. You can also make your soup from scratch, allowing the raw chicken to cook within the broth. The latter will take longer, but it will boast a strong flavor.

If you're using cooked chicken, you can mix your tortellini into the broth at the same time. The pasta can cook in the soup as well, and you'll know it's ready to serve once your tortellini is soft and expanded. Anyone using raw chicken should wait until it's cooked before adding the tortellini. Otherwise, the process of boiling it in the broth is essentially the same. Once it's ready, all that's left to do is pour it into bowls and top it with cheese and other seasonings.

You can also cook tortellini ahead of time and add it to one of the many canned chicken noodle soups out there. It may not taste as authentic as a homemade recipe, but it will put a fresh and comforting spin on any store-bought offering.