Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup

By Maria Lichty

Published on January 22, 2024

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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

• 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!

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.

• 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.

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

• Simple Arugula Salad
• Easy Green Salad
• Simple Kale Salad
• Dinner Rolls
• Buttermilk Drop Biscuits
• Garlic Bread
• Bruschetta

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.

More Soup Recipes

• White Bean Soup
• Potato Soup
• Minestrone Soup
• Potato Leek Soup
• Homemade Vegetable Soup
• Chickpea Soup
• Zuppa Toscana

Find more SOUP RECIPES HERE!

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Soup

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.

4.74 from 56 votes

PrintSave RecipeReview

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 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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