We make soup for dinner all of the time. Some like to serve soup as a starter to a meal, but we usually use it as the main course. If you don’t think soup can be a meal all by it’s lonesome, then you haven’t tried Josh’s Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup. This soup has it all-sausage, cheese, pasta, and veggies. You can get your entire meal in one bowl!
Our Tortellini Vegetable Soup is one of our all-time favorite soups, but one night Josh asked if he could make a “meaty man’s” version. I always love it when Josh volunteers to create a recipe. Ok, sometimes I get controlling and want to take over his recipe, but this time I let him have at it. He adapted our vegetable tortellini soup to include Italian sausage and his favorite veggies.
Josh rolled Italian sausage into tiny balls and cooked them before adding them to the soup. The mini Italian sausage meatballs were bite size and a great addition to the soup. Josh also included red peppers, tomatoes, and kale. The kale made the soup pretty. I don’t think Josh added the kale for prettiness since it was a “man’s” soup, but it was a nice touch!
Josh’s Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup is hearty, full of flavor, and easy to make. Josh makes it all of the time. We love easy one pot meals at our house.
And if you have a vegetarian in the family, you can make the soup and leave out the sausage until the very end. Josh always ladles up my bowl before he adds in the sausage. I love the soup without the sausage, but Josh and Caleb prefer to add it in. They like to bond over their meaty man soup:)
There is nothing wimpy about this Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup. It makes a great meal, especially on a cold winter’s day!
Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian Sausage rolled into ¾ teaspoon size balls
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 red bell peppers diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups chopped kale
- 2 cups cheese tortellini fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the mini sausage balls until cooked through. This will take about 5-7 minutes. Drain off the grease and place the sausage balls on a plate lined with paper towels.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the red peppers, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Cook until peppers are soft, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, tomatoes, and kale. Add the cheese tortellini and cook until tortellini is tender, 7-8 minutes. Stir in the fresh basil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the mini sausage balls and heat until warm. Remove the bay leaf and serve.
- Note-you can make this soup vegetarian by using vegetable broth and omitting the sausage. Josh always ladles up my bowl first, and then adds the sausage. This soup recipe is very adaptable!
Have you tried this recipe?
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Husband loves this soup, Â I add a 15 oz. can of tomatoe sauce to give the broth more body. Â I also add smoked paprika and cumin for more ump.
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!!
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!
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).
Make this regularly. Â It is a winter favorite! Â Use spinach instead of kale. We love it!
Made this tonight and it was sooooo good!! Â I used Italian sausage, spinach and frozen tortellini. Kids even ate it!!
Delicious! Made this for dinner tonight. So simple and quick. The hubby loved it. We will definitely make this again.Â
awsome!!! making this again right now!!! yummy!!!!
Made it! Love it!
I’ve made it twice. I followed the recipe exactly and my family LOVED it!
Yay!
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?
You don’t need to boil it, you can add the tortellini. The kale will soften.
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.
Glad you liked it!
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!
the soup was great and easy to make, I substituted spinach for the kale and served with hot agiso cheese bread. Everyone loved it!Â
Can you use cheese ravioli instead of tortellini?
Sure!
Fabulous! My boyfriend went crazy! This is the bomb! 5 stars!
Love the recipe!!!! Can you freeze leftovers?
Best soup ever!! I’ve made it several times and sometimes add zucchini..My whole family loves it with crusty bread!!
By far the best soup I have ever made. Â 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! Â
Made this soup tonight. It was delish. I added extra kale, cuz I omitted the meat. Thanks for this recipe, Maria.
This was absolutely scrumptious!
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.
I know it’s been years since this recipe was posted but I still make it several times a year! My favorite soup!
Have you ever frozen this? I want to put together some freezer meals and wondered if it would work. Looks yummy!
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!
Yummers! Family loved this. I plan to add a rind of parmesan to the soup and double the recipe!
Does this need to boil? If so how long?
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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!
Crusty bread is always a good idea!
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.
We love this hearty, delicious soup. My friends enjoy it too ! Thanks for. a wonderful recipe!
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 !
I love soup almost everyday and night I even eat for breakfast too. That is my weakness. Live off soups.
Ha!
This a favorite in our family. I was wondering if you could provide nutrition facts.
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!