Sausage Tortellini Soup combines Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, veggies, and herbs in a creamy broth. Top with Parmesan and serve with crusty bread for a satisfying meal.
Why This Sausage Tortellini Soup Is the Best
- Hearty: Filled with tortellini, sausage, and veggies for a complete meal.
- Flavorful: Creamy broth enriched with Italian sausage and herbs.
- Adaptable: Options for mild or spicy sausage and different tortellini.
- Simple: Easy to make with practical tips for added taste.
- Leftover-friendly: Tips for storing and reheating maintain quality.
Ingredients In Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Olive Oil: Used to sauté the sausage and veggies, adding flavor and preventing sticking.
- Italian Sausage: Blot excess grease for a less oily soup.
- Yellow Onion and Carrots: Sauté until soft for the best flavor development.
- Garlic: Sauté for just a minute to avoid burning.
- Unsalted Butter and Flour: Create a roux, which thickens the soup. Whisk constantly to prevent lumps.
- Chicken Broth/Stock: Serves as the soup’s base, adding a savory depth. Use a quality stock for richer flavor.
- Three Cheese Tortellini: Provides a hearty, cheesy texture and flavor. Cook separately to prevent bloating in leftovers.
- Italian Seasoning: Adjust to your taste preference.
- Baby Spinach: Coarsely chop for even distribution.
- Half and Half or Heavy Cream: Makes the soup creamy and rich. Use heavy cream for a thicker, richer soup.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grate fresh for the best flavor.
How To Make Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Boil tortellini as directed, drain.
- Brown sausage in olive oil, remove, and drain.
- Sauté onions, carrots, and garlic in pot.
- Add butter and flour, then slowly whisk in chicken broth and simmer.
- Mix in sausage, seasoning, spinach, and cream; simmer until spinach wilts.
- Serve with tortellini in bowls, topped with Parmesan.
Tips For Success
- Salt Water: Season tortellini water well; adjust Sausage Tortellini Soup seasoning as needed.
- Sauté Veggies Well: Ensure onions and carrots are fully softened to avoid crunchiness.
- Quality Stock: Use high-quality chicken stock for better flavor.
- Prevent Flour Sticking: Stir flour well to avoid it settling and ensure proper thickening.
- Adjust Heat: Use spicy sausage or add red pepper flakes for more heat if desired.
Storage
- Refrigerate: Store soup and tortellini separately in airtight containers for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Avoid freezing the Sausage Tortellini Soup due to dairy and tortellini, which can separate and become mushy upon thawing.
- Reheat: Warm the soup gently on the stove, adding tortellini last to prevent over-swelling. Do not boil.
More Soup Recipes
Sausage Tortellini Soup
Sausage Tortellini Soup mixes Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, veggies, and herbs in a creamy broth. Perfect with Parmesan and hearty bread for a cozy meal!
Equipment
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 19 ounces Italian sausage hot or mild
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion 1 small onion
- 1 cup peeled and finely diced large carrots about 2 to 3 carrots
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic about 3 to 4 cloves
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 cups chicken broth or stock, I recommend Swanson’s chicken stock
- 1 (12-ounce) package three-cheese tortellini see note 1
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 3 ounces fresh baby spinach stems removed and coarsely chopped, 4 cups lightly packed
- 2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to preference
- Hearty baguette for serving, optional
Instructions
- See note 2. If you’d prefer to cook the tortellini separately, start it now. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Generously season the water with salt (I add 1 teaspoon to every 4 cups). Add tortellini and cook according to package directions, minus 1 minute. Remove, drain, and run under cold water for 30 seconds.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the sausage. Cook and crumble sausage until browned. Transfer cooked sausage to a paper-towel-lined plate and dab grease with another paper towel. Set aside.
- Keeping the pot at medium-high heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil along with the diced onion and carrots. Season with salt and pepper (I add 1/4 teaspoon each). Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Add garlic and sauté 1 more minute, stirring occasionally. Add the butter and allow to melt.
- Once butter is melted, whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly add in chicken broth, whisking to combine. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer and thicken for about 5–8 minutes.
- Return cooked sausage to the pan, along with Italian seasoning, (if using frozen tortellini, add it here), and salt and pepper to taste (I add about 1 and 1/4 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper). Add coarsely chopped spinach and half-and-half to the pot. Stir, then simmer on medium heat for about 3–5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted (and the tortellini is cooked through, if using frozen).
- Serve immediately with lots of freshly grated Parmesan and a hearty baguette, if desired. If tortellini was cooked separately, add spoonfuls of cooked tortellini to individual bowls. Store tortellini and leftover soup separately to avoid pasta bloating.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: While any tortellini works, my favorite readily available shelf-stable tortellini is Barilla® Artisanal Collection Three-Cheese Tortellini. As for fresh-made tortellini, I love Giovanni Rana’s® Classic Cheese Mini Tortellini. It’s a little more tricky to find, but it’s fresh, delicious, and small so they incorporate better into the soup. If you’d like to cook the tortellini in the soup (instead of separately), you’ll want to get frozen tortellini that cooks in about 3–5 minutes.
Note 2: I like to cook tortellini separately to keep it from getting bloated and in case there are leftovers. (The tortellini continues to absorb liquid and becomes an unpleasant texture when stored.) If you’d like to cook it separately, bring a pot of water to boil and cook it in a separate pot. Ignore instructions for adding the tortellini into the soup to cook and simply add cooked tortellini when serving.
Storage: Keep soup and tortellini in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3–4 days. Sausage Tortellini Soup isn’t a good candidate for freezing due to dairy and tortellini, which can separate and become mushy when thawed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 621kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 1547mg | Potassium: 767mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 8414IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 205mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make this all the time its sooo good but I use mini pierogies instead.
I forgot…. and hot italian sausage. Lol.
This was delicious! Made it exactly as written. My 4, 2 and 1 year old gobbled it up and my husband said it was one of his favorites!
So happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment Chasey! 🙂
QUESTION:
I’ll be making it this weekend so I’m wondering if I could replace the spinach with kale and get the same 5 star result you’ve been getting?
Hey!! Absolutely! It’s more about taste preference so if you prefer kale over spinach than I think you will love this recipe even more if you sub in the kale! 🙂 Let me know what you think!
I just want you to know that this is hands down my most favorite soup EVER! It is absolutely perfection! My whole family LOVES it and eats it all up (except my one picky child whom we will not further speak about). 😉 I substituted evaporated milk for the half and half because it’s all I had the first time I made it. It was still SO delicious, and I make it that way every time now! I actually made it tonight and added a 6th cup of broth, and it was still amazing! Don’t forget the baguette and parmesan! They are perfect additions to this yummy soup! <3
Ahh I’m sooo happy you all enjoy this!! Thank you so much for your comment Jenny! 🙂
Do you have any suggestions how to adapt for an Instant Pot?
Made this recipe I use spicy Italian sausage. Makes it a little hotter if you like spice. Great Recipe. Cheers!
SO happy you enjoyed this soup; thanks for the comment Aaron! 🙂
Wow! This soup is so flavourful! My picky husband even loved it. The only change I made was to cut down on the amount of tortellini, just a personal preference. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly as written. I will be making this soup often. It’s so easy and fast to make, and yet elegant. I can see making this for unexpected company!
YAYY!! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed this! Thanks Sandra! 🙂
Doubled the recipe for a church potluck tonight and it was a hit! Everyone was asking for the recipe. Sending them to your site. Looking forward to trying your other recipes. Thanks!
Thank you Joy! 🙂 So happy this was a hit!!
Super creamy and filling! Really good. I paired it with a buttery Chardonnay from Monterey, CA.
We’ve made this twice and both times it’s a hit!! I make it exactally to the recipe, but add 20 ounces of tortellini ( because I’m too lazy to find a smaller package or use the extra in another dish). It’s delicious and even more so the next day – it almost turns into a creamy pasta dish instead of a soup. We cook the tortellini in the soup, refrigerate with the tortellini in the soup, and reheat all together on the stove or microwave. It’s great for lunch the next day at work or for dinner, too! Thank you for this delicious recipe!!
So happy to hear this soup is a hit! 🙂 Thank you so much for the comment 🙂
hey girl- this looks so yummy! Y’all have a great weekend!