Easy Ravioli Soup

Ravioli soup is easy, soul-warming, and absolutely perfect for those nights when you want something comforting but don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen! This recipe combines tender ravioli with a rich tomato-based broth that’s packed with flavor from caramelized tomato paste, aromatic herbs, and a splash of sherry.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Chicken Tortellini Soup or this Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This ravioli soup hits all the right notes – it’s incredibly comforting without being heavy, uses simple pantry staples, and comes together in just 30 minutes. What makes this recipe truly special is the caramelized tomato paste technique that creates an incredibly rich, restaurant-quality broth.

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Ingredient List

For the Soup Base:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (I use whatever’s open)
• 1 small sweet onion, diced (Vidalia if I’m feeling fancy)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (or 4 if they’re tiny)
• Kosher salt & black pepper (heavy on both)
• ½ teaspoon dried basil (from my spice rack that’s older than I care to admit)
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 6 tablespoons tomato paste (the whole small can basically)
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry (bought it for this, now I use it in everything)

For the Body:

• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock (whatever’s on sale)
• 12 ounces frozen ravioli (I grab whatever looks good at Trader Joe’s)
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for the table

For Garnish:

• Chopped fresh parsley (because it makes me feel like a real cook)
• Extra Parmesan cheese (because cheese makes everything better)

Friendly Substitution Notes: My kids only eat cheese ravioli, but I’ve snuck in spinach ones before and they never noticed. Last week I used the fancy lobster ravioli from Costco for date night – same recipe, fancier vibes. Chicken stock makes it richer, but I keep vegetable stock for my vegetarian neighbor who always “stops by” around dinnertime.

Why These Ingredients Work

My mother-in-law taught me that tomato paste straight from the can tastes like metal and sadness. But cook it down until it gets jammy and dark? Pure magic happens. The sweet onion mellows everything out while that splash of sherry (which I originally thought was pretentious) adds this subtle warmth that makes people wonder what your secret is. When you stir in the Parmesan at the end, it doesn’t just melt – it creates this silky richness that coats every spoon without making anyone feel weighted down.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large stockpot (mine’s a hand-me-down from my mom)
• Wooden spoon (the one with scorch marks from learning to cook)
• Sharp knife (finally invested in a good one last year)
• Cutting board (I have three but always use the same stained one)
• Ladle for serving (or a big spoon if I can’t find it)
• Soup bowls – I throw mine in a 200-degree oven while cooking to keep soup hot longer

How To Make Ravioli Soup

Step 1: Build Your Flavor Base

I always start by heating that olive oil over medium-low heat because my husband burned the garlic once on high heat and we ordered pizza instead. Dice your onion (I cry every single time, but that’s life), mince the garlic, and toss them in with salt and pepper. Three to four minutes later, your onions should look clear and smell sweet – if they’re browning, turn the heat down.

Step 2: Caramelize the Tomato Paste

Here’s where my sister’s genius comes in – stir in the basil, oregano, and tomato paste, then let it cook until it changes color completely. I used to rush this part until I watched her stand there stirring for what felt like forever, but when that paste turns from bright red to deep burgundy, you’ll smell the difference. It takes about three minutes of constant stirring, and your kitchen will smell like an Italian grandmother’s been cooking all day.

Step 3: Deglaze with Sherry

If you bought the sherry (I keep a bottle just for cooking now), splash it in and scrape up those brown bits with your wooden spoon. My first attempt, I forgot this step and wondered why restaurant soup tasted better – those caramelized bits are flavor gold. No sherry? Skip it, the soup’s still incredible.

Step 4: Add the Stock

Pour in your four cups of stock and crank the heat up to get it boiling. This is when I usually start setting the table because once the ravioli goes in, dinner’s basically ready. The smell at this point always brings my teenagers downstairs asking “what’s for dinner?” even though they saw me cooking.

Step 5: Cook the Ravioli

Dump in the ravioli – I never defrost frozen ones, they go straight from freezer bag to pot. Five minutes for frozen, maybe three for fresh, but honestly I just watch for them to float. My daughter always steals one to “test” if they’re done, which is actually pretty smart.

Step 6: Finish with Cheese

Turn off the heat first – learned this when my cheese clumped up once – then stir in the Parmesan until it disappears into the broth. This creates the creamiest finish without actual cream, which my lactose-intolerant mom appreciates when she visits.

Step 7: Serve and Garnish

I warm the bowls in a 200-degree oven for five minutes while the soup finishes – my grandmother’s trick that keeps soup hot longer. Ladle it out, top with more cheese (be generous, life’s short), and sprinkle parsley on top. My kids skip the parsley, but it makes me feel fancy.

You Must Know

Critical Tip: I learned the hard way that leftover ravioli turns into mush if you store it in the broth. Now I cook extra ravioli separately and add it to individual bowls when reheating. My family thinks I’m organized, but really I just hate disappointing soup.

Personal Secret: My sister stood at that stove stirring tomato paste for what seemed like hours until I realized she was onto something genius. Don’t rush the caramelizing – when it shifts from bright red to this deep, jammy burgundy color, that’s when you know you’ve created something special. I burned it exactly once trying to multitask and had to start over.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

My neighbor uses the expensive bone broth from Whole Foods and swears it makes all the difference, but honestly, decent chicken broth from a carton works just fine for weeknight dinners.

The sherry was my splurge purchase after watching too many cooking shows, but a splash of white wine from whatever bottle’s open works too. Or skip it entirely – my teenage son prefers it without alcohol anyway.

When my mother-in-law visits, she always adds diced carrots and celery with the onions. Takes an extra few minutes but makes the soup feel more like a complete meal. She’s not wrong.

I buy the good Parmesan in a block and grate it myself because the pre-shredded stuff never melts right. But if that’s what you have, just add it off the heat and stir like crazy to prevent clumping.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

My husband loves spicy food, so I started adding red pepper flakes with the herbs – just a pinch transforms it completely. For my daughter’s birthday dinner, I used butternut squash ravioli and added a splash of cream at the end for something more elegant.

Last month I threw in some leftover rotisserie chicken when my son had friends over, and suddenly it became “that amazing chicken soup” they still ask about. Fresh spinach wilted in during the last minute makes my vegetarian sister happy when she visits.

The fanciest version happened by accident when I only had lobster ravioli from a dinner party – same recipe, but I felt like I was eating at a restaurant. Sometimes the best discoveries come from using what you have.

Make-Ahead Options

I make the soup base through adding the stock on Sunday afternoons when I’m meal prepping. Sits in the fridge for up to three days getting more flavorful, then I just heat it up and add fresh ravioli when we want dinner.

My sister freezes the base in quart containers, but I never remember to do that until I’m already eating the soup. The base without ravioli freezes perfectly for three months – learned this when I accidentally made a double batch.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

The soup should look brothy, not thick like marinara sauce – I learned this when my first batch came out like pasta sauce with floating ravioli. If it’s too thin, just let it bubble away uncovered for a few extra minutes.

Fresh ravioli from the refrigerated section cooks way faster than frozen, so don’t walk away or you’ll have mushy pasta. I set a timer now after overcooking it twice while helping with homework.

Serving Suggestions

This works as a starter before spaghetti night, but honestly we just eat bowls of it with crusty bread and call it dinner. My husband dips buttered sourdough right into his bowl, which drives me crazy but the kids think it’s hilarious.

For fancier occasions, I’ll drizzle good olive oil on top and add a few fresh basil leaves from my windowsill plant. Makes the same soup look restaurant-worthy when my in-laws visit.

How to Store Your Ravioli Soup

Leftover soup lives in my fridge for about three days, but I always store the broth and any leftover ravioli in separate containers now. Learned this lesson when day-two soup turned into sad, mushy pasta floating in tomato water.

Reheat the broth on the stove and add fresh ravioli, or just warm up individual portions in the microwave if I’m being lazy. The base freezes great without pasta, but I never remember to freeze soup until it’s almost gone.

Allergy Information

This has gluten from the ravioli, dairy from the Parmesan and probably the ravioli filling, and eggs in the pasta. My friend with celiac uses gluten-free ravioli and it works perfectly – just costs twice as much. For dairy-free, skip the cheese or use that nutritional yeast stuff my daughter’s vegan friend swears by.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use different types of ravioli?

Yes! I’ve tried cheese, spinach, mushroom, even those fancy truffle ones my sister brought over. Fresh cooks faster than frozen, but the recipe works with anything. Just don’t use the giant restaurant-sized ravioli – they take forever and throw off the soup-to-pasta ratio.

My soup tastes boring – what went wrong?

Usually means you rushed the tomato paste step or didn’t add enough salt. I add a pinch more salt at the end, sometimes a squeeze of lemon juice if it needs brightness. More Parmesan never hurts either.

Can I skip the sherry?

Absolutely. I didn’t buy it for the first six months of making this soup. White wine works if you have an open bottle, or just leave it out completely. My teenage son actually prefers it without alcohol.

This makes too much for my family of two – can I halve it?

Sure, but honestly the leftovers are amazing. I halved it once and regretted it when my husband kept asking for more. Now I make the full batch and eat it for lunch the next day.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear about your favorite ravioli combinations and any creative twists you added!