Six days after confirming he will be leaving his boyhood club at the end of the season, Torres rolled back the years with a volleyed finish the 34-year-old would have been proud of in his prime, bringing up his 100th goal in La Liga.
"Fernando is an icon here," Atletico coach Diego Simeone said. "Whether he is scoring goals or not, winning titles or not, he has a place in the club that has been earned by respect, hard work and having an identity with the club. That will not change because of one more goal."
Torres' grievance this term has been a lack of playing time and he was a substitute again at the Wanda Metropolitano, replacing Antoine Griezmann, who was also on target. Angel Correa opened the scoring in the first half.
A comfortable victory cuts the gap to leaders Barcelona back to 11 points and restores some momentum for Atletico, with their Europa League semi-final against Arsenal less than a fortnight away.
The result also guarantees Atletico a place in the Champions League for a sixth consecutive season whilst Sunday's game was something of a free hit for Levante, who stay 17th, five points clear of the relegation zone.
Simeone's side now face Real Sociedad on Thursday and Real Betis on Sunday before the first leg at Emirates Stadium but they arrived here with only two wins from their last five matches.