Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Bacon and Tortellini - This comforting soup is a favorite among adults and kids with the addition of bacon and cheese!

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Funny thing about this post for Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Bacon and Tortellini. I created this recipe in the fall, months ago. We loved it, I took photos and I typed up this entire blog post. I was pretty excited about it. Then I realized the pictures sucked. Pardon the language but they did. So I left this post as a draft and moved on with my life. Fast forward to December, I realize that I have served with soup to my family at least 5 times and yet never took this post out of draft jail. I finally snapped some quick photos, not great, but good enough to finally share with you this great recipe. So, as you read this post which is all about fall, I swear I'm not nutty, I actually wrote it back then. Enjoy!

This soup is exactly what I want to eat on a chilly day. The other day, we had our first taste of fall weather. There was a chill in the air and it was dreary and raining. Ugh, I'm not ready. Don't get me wrong, since then we've been back in the 80's, but it was a taste of what is to come.

I'm being dramatic.

Actually, around here fall is pretty great. I'm just not ready for the sweaters and hats yet is all.

So, leave it to me to throw together a soup at the first sign of the temps dipping. I tried to figure out a soup that the kids would maybe actually try. They are crazy picky but they do all like broccoli. It was easy to decide on broccoli soup. However, soup without a noodle just doesn't cut it around here. Only one kid likes rice. Only one likes elbows. They both love tortellini. Ding Ding. The adults here love tortellini too.

Besides this Cheesy Broccoli Soup, here are a few of my fave recipes starring tortellini:

Bacon Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo

Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad

Easy Pesto Tortellini Skewers (one of the most popular recipes of the year)

One Pot Tortellini & Ground Beef Casserole

I know it seems weird to put tortellini in a cheesy broccoli soup. I omitted potatoes which I see in broccoli soup recipes a lot. So adding in the tortellini is basically swapping out one carb for another. You with me?

Since Josh has a love of bacon, I decided to top it all of with some crispy crunchy bacon! Yum Yum!

Who in your family would most enjoy this Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Bacon & Tortellini ?

Serving Tip for Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Bacon and Tortellini:

Add bacon to serving bowls, not soup pot, to keep crisp
Top soup with a little extra shredded cheese at serving time if desired
Chives or scallions also make a great garnish

Printable Recipe Card

Cheesy Broccoli Soup with Bacon and Tortellini

3 from 4 votes

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Ingredients

6 slices bacon chopped
¼ C diced onion
2 cloves garlic minced
6 C chicken stock or broth
1 lb broccoli chopped
2 T butter
¼ C flour all purpose
2 C milk whole
3 C shredded cheddar cheese
9 oz refrigerated fresh tortellini
½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Place bacon slices in a large pot over medium heat and cook until browned and slightly crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
Wipe out most of the rendered bacon grease, reserving enough to just coat the bottom of pot. Place pot back over medium heat. Cook 2-3 minutes, add garlic. Cook 1 minute more, stirring.
Pour broth into pot and increase heat to high, just until you reach a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until onions are softened.
Add broccoli and tortellini to pot and bring back up to a boil then knock down to a simmer and continue to simmer about 8-10 minutes, until tortellini is cooked thru and broccoli is tender.
While the tortellini is simmering, create cheese sauce.
In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in the flour and let cook out about a minute or so. Whisk in milk and cook, occasionally whisking, about 5 minutes, until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Stir well until smooth. Season with black pepper. Taste for salt and add if desired.
Once broccoli and tortellini are tender, pour cheese sauce into soup mixture. Simmer 3-5 more minutes, being sure to stir well to combine cheese sauce thoroughly into soup.
Top with crispy bacon just before serving.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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