Instant Pot Creamy Tortellini Soup (Printable)

Rich, cheesy tortellini simmered with vegetables in a velvety broth, all made quickly in your pressure cooker.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
04 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
05 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped

→ Broth & Seasoning

07 - 4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
08 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
10 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
11 - 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

→ Pasta & Dairy

12 - 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
13 - 1 cup heavy cream
14 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

# How To Make It:

01 - Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add diced onion, sliced carrots, and sliced celery. Sauté for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften and onion becomes translucent.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to brown the garlic.
03 - Pour in vegetable broth, dried Italian herbs, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir thoroughly to combine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
04 - Add refrigerated cheese tortellini to the pot. Secure the lid and ensure the steam release valve is set to Sealing position. Cook on Manual or Pressure Cook mode for 2 minutes at high pressure.
05 - Perform a quick release by carefully turning the steam release valve to Venting position. Wait until the floating pin drops completely before opening the lid.
06 - Stir in heavy cream, chopped spinach, and grated Parmesan cheese until well combined. The spinach will begin to wilt immediately from the residual heat.
07 - Let the soup rest on Keep Warm mode for 2–3 minutes until spinach is completely wilted and soup reaches desired creamy consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed before serving hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • This soup comes together in under 30 minutes but tastes like it simmered all day
  • The Instant Pot infuses so much flavor into the broth that people will think youve been cooking for hours
  • Its incredibly forgiving and adaptable based on what you have in your kitchen
02 -
  • I once forgot to quick release and let it natural release for 20 minutes, and the tortellini turned into complete mush
  • The soup will thicken up considerably as it sits because the pasta absorbs the creamy broth
  • Adding the cream and spinach after pressure cooking prevents the dairy from separating or curdling
03 -
  • Buy the refrigerated tortellini from the dairy section instead of the frozen kind, the texture is noticeably better
  • Let the pressure release completely before opening, steam burns are no joke and ruin the whole cooking experience

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