Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of creamy sausage tortellini soup. Filled with cheese tortellini, italian sausage, kale, simple seasoning, broth and cream, this hearty soup is ready in just 30 minutes and made in a single pot. If you love my Creamy Tuscan Tortellini Soup you will also love this hearty version of tortellini soup! Pure comfort food! Tortellini soup recipes are a family favourite - this is another one we make quite often and hope you enjoy it!
Sausage Tortellini Soup Ingredients
- OLIVE OIL: For sautéing the veggies and sausage
- ITALIAN SAUSAGE: I like using spicy Italian sausage - pork sausage but feel free to use any type of sausage or ground meat
- ONION & GARLIC: I used red onion but you can use yellow onion or white onion and use as much or as little garlic as you like
- CARROTS & CELERY: I love to start the flavors of the soup off by sautéing onion, garlic, carrot and celery. A perfect combination creating a foundation of flavor for soups and sauces.
- ALL PURPOSE FLOUR: This is for thickening the soup - ¼-½ cup depending on how thick you want your soup
- SPICES & SEASONING: My fav combo for this soup is Italian seasoning and red chili flakes/red pepper flakes, but you can add whatever you like - fresh or dried thyme, dried oregano, or rosemary would work well here too. Adjust amounts to taste
- BROTH: I like to use either store bought or homemade chicken broth and if you are using store bought chicken broth or chicken stock - I recommend using low sodium chicken broth
- HEAVY CREAM: Swirling in some cream creates a rich and creamy broth in this soup - this too is optional but delicious. Feel free to use a dairy free cream for a dairy free version
- KALE: I love Tuscan kale or dinosaur kale or lacinato kale but regular green kale or any type of greens like spinach will work too
- TORTELLINI: I like to use fresh refrigerated tortellini but you can use frozen ones too - feel free to use any filling you like - my fav is cheese
- PARMESAN CHEESE: Freshly grated and stirred into the soup adds so much flavour and I like to serve mine with extra on the side. Optional but delicious
- FRESH BASIL: Finish off the soup with fresh chopped basil for a wonderful flavour to your soup
About the tortellini, use good quality tortellini!
Although the dry packaged kind will work and so will the frozen for this recipe, I just don’t think they taste as good. The refrigerated kind only take a few minutes to cook once your water is boiling and they’re much better tasting. Use tortellini with any filling you like. I’m a fan of plain cheese ones but feel free to use whatever brand and one you like. Tortellini also comes in a gluten-free form which is great for those who have sensitivities. They are a total life saver on busy days when you just don’t have the time to invent a meal. We always have a pack in the freezer just for days like that
Variations
- Switch the protein: ground or shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey for a turkey or chicken tortellini soup version, ground beef, ground turkey, tofu, or shrimp. Try a different variety of sausage like chicken or turkey to change it up.
- Incorporate other veggies and ingredients you like or already have on hand like roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, or chopped bell peppers or any other fresh vegetables you might have on hand that need using up.
- Adjust fresh and dried herbs. Use any ones you like and add some extra heat by including extra chili flakes or adding some ground chili pepper or cayenne or add mustard powder and hot sauce for extra flavour
- Make it a creamy tomato based soup but adding canned chopped tomatoes, crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce.
- Make It creamier or thicker in texture by adding a little more flour (up to ½ cup) and a little extra cream, or reducing the amount of broth
- Make it Dairy-Free. Trade the cheese tortellini for a regular pasta like bowtie or penne and use dairy-free heavy cream or almond milk as a thickener. It will not be the same thickness and the taste will change slightly, but it’s still delicious and perfect for those avoiding lactose!
How To Make Sausage Tortellini Soup (full instructions in recipe card below)
- Cook sausage and onion, carrot and celery
- Season with garlic, herbs and chili flakes and sprinkle and stir in the flour
- Add broth; simmer
- Add the spinach, and tortellini
- Stir in parmesan cheese then cream
- Stir in basil and serve
How do you store tortellini soup?
- STORAGE: Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate, the soup will last for 3-5 days if stored properly. Remember that pasta continues to absorb liquid so the soup will thicken and tortellini will swell and soften as it sits.
- MAKE AHEAD: If you plan on making this soup ahead I recommend making the soup all the way until you have to add the tortellini and kale and stop just before that - allow it to cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days until just before you are ready to serve. Place soup in large soup pot bring up to a simmer and add tortellini and kale and continue with rest of recipe as written.
- FREEZING: You can freeze this soup, but if you want to freeze the entire batch, again it’s best to leave out the cream, cheese, spinach, and tortellini and then add them when you’re reheating same as when you are it ahead. Freezing leftovers as-is, the soup will not have the same texture as when first cooked so I do not recommend it.
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Recipe
Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15-20 mins
Total Time: 25-30 mins
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 lb of Italian sausage, casings removed (I like to use spicy)
- 1 onion peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced or diced
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced or diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups kale, ribs removed and roughly chopped
- 14 oz/400 grams fresh refrigerated tortellini
- ¼-½ cup finely grated parmesan
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more to taste
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Directions
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, add sausage, onion, carrots and celery and cook/saute until tender and sausage in browned and cooked through, approx 5-7 min
- Drain off most of the fat if needed leaving back 1-2 tablespoons. (I usually have just about 1-2 tablespoons so I don’t usually drain any off)
- Stir in the garlic and flour and spices. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Stir in the broth scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 min
- Add the tortellini and kale and simmer for about 5-10 minutes or according to package directions or until tortellini are fully cooked.
- Lower heat and stir in the heavy cream, parmesan cheese and basil and cook 1-2 minutes to heat through.
- Test for seasoning adjusting it as needed
- Ladle out into bowls and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
- STORAGE: Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate, the soup will last for 3-5 days if stored properly. Remember that pasta continues to absorb liquid so the soup will thicken and tortellini with swell and soften as it sits.
- MAKE AHEAD: If you plan on making this soup ahead I recommend making the soup all the way until you have to add the tortellini and kale and stop just before that - allow it to cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days until just before you are ready to serve. Place soup in large soup pot bring up to a simmer and add tortellini and kale and continue with rest of recipe as written.
- FREEZING: You can freeze this soup, but if you want to freeze the entire batch, again it’s best to leave out the cream, cheese, spinach, and tortellini and then add them when you’re reheating same as when you are it ahead. Freezing leftovers as-is, the soup will not have the same texture as when first cooked so I do not recommend it.
