Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

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Quick Summary

Hearty tortellini soup made with Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, and kale. To make it creamy, stir in heavy cream! Serve with crusty bread for a comforting and cozy meal.

Italian sausage tortellini soup in white pot.

We make soup for dinner all of the time, especially during the cold winter months. A few favorites include: Minestrone Soup, White Bean Soup, Zuppa Toscana, Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup, and this Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup.

This soup has it all…sausage, tortellini pasta, vegetables, and cheese. It is the perfect one pot meal and always a crowd pleaser. It is a family favorite and every time I make it for a party or potluck, it gets rave reviews. Everyone loves this hearty and flavorful tortellini soup!

You can make the soup with our without heavy cream, both ways are delicious, it is just personal preference. If you want a super rich and creamy soup, stir in the heavy cream at the end!

The soup is easy to make and is so good served with crusty bread for dunking. We also like to garnish every bowl with extra Parmesan cheese.

This soup will warm you up and fill you up! It is a dinner winner!

ingredients in bowls to make Italian sausage tortellini soup.

Ingredients

  • Italian sausage– use ground Italian sausage, we prefer mild, but if you want a spicy soup, you can use hot Italian sausage.
  • Veggies– sauté onion, red bell pepper, carrot, and garlic together for lots of flavor!
  • Chicken broth– use your favorite brand. Chicken stock will also work.
  • Diced tomatoes– use a 28 ounces can of diced tomatoes. Don’t drain, add the entire can into the pot!
  • Bay leaf– for flavor!
  • Italian seasoning– I love using dried Italian seasoning because I always have it in my pantry.
  • Crushed red pepper flakes– for a little heat.
  • Cheese tortellini– you need 10 ounces for the soup. Look for tortellini in the refrigerated section by the sausage and pepperoni. If you can only find frozen tortellini, it will work, just cook it for a couple of extra minutes.
  • Kale– remove the stems and chop up the kale!
  • Parmesan cheese– use freshly grated Parmesan cheese, the good stuff!
  • Basil– stir in fresh basil at the end.
  • Heavy cream– the cream is optional. The soup is good without it, but if you want a creamy tortellini soup, add it add the end. It does make the super extra creamy and delicious!
Italian sausage cooking in large white pot with wooden spoon.

How to Make Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

Scroll down to the recipe card for full recipe with ingredients and instructions.

  • In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the sausage and cook stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
veggies, broth, herbs, and spices in pot with wooden spoon to make tortellini soup.
  • Add the onion, red pepper, and carrot to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Italian sausage tortellini soup cooking in a pot with wooden spoon.
  • Bring to a boil and add the tortellini.
Italian sausage tortellini soup in pot with wooden spoon.
  • Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until tortellini is cooked through.
stirring in sausage, kale, and Parmesan cheese to tortellini soup in pot.
  • Add the sausage back to the pot and stir in the kale, Parmesan cheese, and basil.
creamy Italian sausage tortellini soup in pot with ladle.
  • If you are using the heavy cream, stir it in. If you aren’t using the cream, you might need to add 1 more cup of broth, depending on how thick you like your soup.
  • Remove the bay leaf. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Italian sausage tortellini soup in bowl with Parmesan cheese.

Variations

  • Use hot Italian sausage for a spicy soup. If you don’t want to use sausage, ground beef or ground turkey will work.
  • If you want to make a vegetarian tortellini soup, you can omit the sausage. Feel free to add in extra veggies. Celery, zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms are all good options. Also, use vegetable broth.
  • Use fire roasted tomatoes instead of regular diced tomatoes for an extra pop of flavor.
  • Instead of cheese tortellini, you can use spinach and cheese tortellini.
  • You can add extra herbs. Italian parsley, oregano, thyme, and rosemary are good options.
  • You can use spinach instead of kale.
  • Like I mentioned above, you can leave out the heavy cream for a lighter soup. It has plenty of flavor. If you want a richer soup, add in the heavy cream at the end.

Serving Suggestions

This soup is very filling and can be a complete meal on it’s own, but if you want to add a few sides, here are some ideas

How to Store & Freeze

  • To store leftover soup, place the cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top.
  • To freeze the soup, for best results, don’t add the cream. Let the soup cool completely and place in a freezer container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Place in a pot and heat over medium low on the stove. If youw ant to add the cream, stir it in at the end.
creamy Italian sausage tortellini soup in bowl with basil and Parmesan cheese.

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Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

Hearty tortellini soup made with Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, and kale. To make it creamy, stir in heavy cream! Serve with crusty bread for a comforting and cozy meal.
4.72 from 53 votes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound mild ground Italian sausage
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 small red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups chicken broth or stock*
  • 28 oz diced tomatoes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 10 ounces cheese tortellini
  • 2 cups chopped kale, stems removed
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
  • 1 cup heavy cream, optional

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot or Dutch oven, add the sausage and cook stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
  • Add the onion, red pepper, and carrot to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and add the tortellini. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until tortellini is cooked through.
  • Add the sausage back to the pot and stir in the kale, Parmesan cheese, and basil. If you are using the heavy cream, stir it in. If you aren’t using the cream, you might need to add 1 more cup of broth, depending on how thick you like your soup.
  • Remove the bay leaf. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Video

Notes

If you want a creamy tortellini soup, add the heavy cream at the end. If you aren’t using the cream, you might need to add 1 more cup of broth, depending on how thick you like your soup.
Keywords sausage, tortellini

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Maria

I'm Maria and my husband is Josh. We share a love of cooking, baking, and entertaining. We enjoy creating recipes that are simple, fresh, and family friendly. We love sitting around the table with good food, good conversation, and good friends and family! Our kitchen is always open!
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  1. 4 stars
    Husband loves this soup,  I add a 15 oz. can of tomatoe sauce to give the broth more body.  I also add smoked paprika and cumin for more ump.

    1. 5 stars
      This was even better than I anticipated! So much flavor with the addition of the heavy cream. I doubled the Italian seasoning and used tomato sauce rather than diced tomatoes.

  2. 5 stars
    This soup is DELICIOUS!! I’ve made it multiple times and get asked for the recipe! I use spinach instead of kale. I put a slice of provolone cheese in the bottom of a bowl and then add the hot soup on top!! YUMMY!!

    1. 5 stars
      Lazy cook that I am, I dont make the little meatballs but simply brown the sausage and add it to the soup. I also use frozen chopped spinach rather than the kale. It’s still yummy!

  3. 5 stars
    We LOVE this soup! I have made this several times for my family and for guests – everyone raves about it. We use kale – the only way my husband will eat it – and low-fat, low-sodium chicken broth. Topped with shaved parmesan cheese and served with crusty bread, this is just the best soup I’ve ever had (sorry, Mom).

  4. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was sooooo good!!  I used Italian sausage, spinach and frozen tortellini. Kids even ate it!!

  5. 5 stars
    Delicious! Made this for dinner tonight. So simple and quick. The hubby loved it. We will definitely make this again. 

  6. 5 stars
    After you add the red pepper and kale but before you add the tortellini do you need to bring it to a boil/or a higher temperature? Or do you add the tortellini and let it come up in temperature together?

  7. 5 stars
    Have made this delicious soup many times, everyone that has tried the soup loves it.
    The only additional ingredient that I add is a couple of small pieces of a parmesan rind, which are scooped out before serving.

  8. 4 stars
    I made this many times last winter. I use half the sausage and substitute spinach for kale. I use the Rana tortellini and cook them separately so they don;t get mushy, There’s only two of us so this soup goes a long way and is easily freezable. IT is delicious!

  9. 4 stars
    the soup was great and easy to make, I substituted spinach for the kale and served with hot agiso cheese bread. Everyone loved it! 

  10. 5 stars
    By far the best soup I have ever made.  My husband is a meat and potatoes type of guy (definitely not a soup guy) but even HE enjoys this soup when I make it which is saying a lot!  

  11. 5 stars
    Made this soup tonight. It was delish. I added extra kale, cuz I omitted the meat. Thanks for this recipe, Maria.

  12. 5 stars
    I love this soup! I used Costco tortellini, vegetable broth, Italian sausage. I only used 5 cups of vegetable broth. This was fun and easy.

  13. I know it’s been years since this recipe was posted but I still make it several times a year! My favorite soup!

  14. Have you ever frozen this? I want to put together some freezer meals and wondered if it would work. Looks yummy!

  15. I make this soup all the time! One of my absolute favorite recipes! I add extra red pepper flakes, about two cups extra broth (because I end up with too much stuff and not enough broth at the end), and spicy Italian sausage in place or regular!

  16. Love this recipe. I’ve made it several times, but have put a bit of a wild spin on it. Each time I’ve made this, I’ve used a different wild game that I’ve hunted i.e. venison, wild board and elk!

    Also, I sub the kale for Italian Parsley!

    @CRIS I’ve always let it stew.

  17. I make a soup very similar that is a family favourite my main addition to the soup is dill Pickles cut up in pieces and a can of tomatoes. It is delist

  18. 5 stars
    I’ve made this several times, it’s quick and easy and NEVER disappoints. I even won a soup contest with this recipe! It’s become my family’s go to favorite!

  19. Why did you set up this site so no one can save a recipe but just leave it the smart phone or have to write it out? There is no place I can find to save it, that is really screwed, Allie.

    1. You can print the recipe or save it to your favorites. You have to login to save the recipes, once you are logged in you can save and see all of your favorites in one spot.

  20. 5 stars
    I have made this recipe several times and it always gets RAVE reviews! I substitute spinach for kale and if I’m rushed, I just slice sausage links into portions which are just about the same size as the individual meatballs. Served with a salad and crusty bread, it is a FEAST!

  21. 5 stars
    This soup was fantastic!
    Enjoyed it so much!
    Used spinach instead of kale.
    Will use bulk loose Italian sausage next time and maybe try a bit of celery and carrot.
    Looking forward to the leftovers.

  22. Yup, made this dish several times in several “configurations” 🙂
    – w/o kale
    – with spinach replacing instead of kale
    – with kale

    All of them where absolutely yummie ! Thank you for sharing, and thanks commenters for their constructive suggestions 🙂 much appreciated !

  23. 5 stars
    I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now. We love it. My step dad asks for it all the time and tells all his friends how great this soup is. I do make a few adjustments. I use a whole bag of spinach instead of kale. I also use a 20 oz pack of three cheese tortellini. Also instead of rolling sausage I buy the Johnsonville or any brand of Beddarr with Cheddar smoked sausage. This is already pre-cooked so all I do is cut into pieces and dump into the soup at the end. You can make this whole soup in one pot this way. This makes for a wonderful soup. Thank you for the recipe!

  24. 5 stars
    This is one our favorites. I just made a couple of changes to suit out tastes. I leave out the bay leaf, use a 29 oz can of crushed tomatoes and usually use spinach not kale because I always have spinach. It is a fabulous recipe! Thanks for sharing❤️

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