Tortellini Soup

This easy, creamy Tortellini Soup is made with Italian sausage, a rich tomato broth, tender cheese tortellini, and hearty greens.

This recipe for Sausage Tortellini Soup is hearty enough it can stand alone, but I love to pair it with homemade garlic toast and a side salad dressed with balsamic dressing for a cozy, hearty, easy meal!

The Best Tortellini Soup Recipe

From the hearty sausage to the cheese-filled pasta to the leafy greens to the rich tomato broth, tortellini soup satisfies to the core.

And while nuanced in flavor and texture, this soup couldn't be easier to make!

Using just only one pan and the best combination of flavorful ingredients, this recipe for Tortellini Soup comes together in just under 30 minutes!

Notes on Ingredients

• Italian Sausage: Use your favorite brand of raw Italian Sausage. Turkey, chicken, or pork all work well in this soup recipe. I use mild Italian sausage instead of hot Italian sausage to keep this soup kid-friendly. I have even included modifications for making this soup without the addition of meat below.
• Tortellini: Cheese tortellini is classic in Tortellini Soup, but feel free to use Spinach Tortellini if desired. And both fresh or frozen tortellini work equally well.
• Broth: Use low-sodium store-bought or homemade chicken broth or vegetable broth for this soup.
• Spices: This recipe uses garlic, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes to season the soup. Feel free to cut down or omit the crushed pepper flakes to control the level of heat.
• Tomatoes: Use either crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. You can also opt to use leftover spaghetti sauce if you have that on hand, just keep in mind you will want to cut the seasonings in half to account for the already flavored sauce.
• Balsamic Vinegar: Do not overlook this ingredient. Balsamic will add such deep notes of flavor and the acidity will balance out the overall richness of the soup.
• Kale: Be sure to remove the stems of the kale before adding to the soup, as they can cause the soup to become bitter. You can also opt to use spinach in place of the kale if desired.
• Heavy Cream: Adding heavy cream is certainly optional. However, it does give the tortellini soup a luxurious finish.

How to Make Tortellini Soup

• In a large heavy-bottomed pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add in the minced onion and ground sausage and saute, breaking up the sausage as it browns.
• Once the meat is nearly browned, add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano and saute for 1 minute longer to toast the spices.

• If needed, drain off any excess grease to keep the soup from being greasy altogether and then return the sauteed sausage to the pan.
• Stir in the broth, crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and salt into the sausage mixture and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add in the cheese tortellini simmer for 5 minutes.

• Then stir in the kale and heavy cream and simmer until the tortellini is tender and the kale is just wilted.

• Serve with fresh parsley or basil lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Soup

Leftover Tortellini Soup can be stored in an airtight container once cooled slightly for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing this soup if you added heavy cream, as it can easily separate when frozen. If you don't add cream, you can freeze the cooled soup in a freezer-safe container, being sure to leave 1-inch of space for expansion, for up to 3 months.

To reheat the soup, add the soup, defrosted if frozen, in a saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through. Keep in mind that the tortellini will absorb liquid as it sits, so you may need to thin the soup out with additional broth.

Modifications for Tortellini Soup

• Vegetarian Tortellini Soup: Leave out the sausage and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for a delicious, flavorful meatless tortellini soup.
• Using Frozen Kale: If using frozen chopped kale in place of fresh chopped kale, add before bringing the soup to a boil, which will allow the kale to defrost and cook through.
• Using Spinach in place of Kale: Fresh spinach needs less cooking time than kale, meaning you will only need to simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes to heat through after adding to the soup.
• Make it Fast: If you REALLY want to speed up dinner, combine 4 cups of vegetable broth with 3 cups of prepared jarred or homemade spaghetti sauce, with 1 tablespoon balsamic and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Bring to a simmer and then add in the tortellini. Cook the tortellini for 5 minutes, then add in the kale and cream, and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the kale is wilted. The jarred sauce will add tremendous flavor to the soup, cutting back on the ingredients needed. And by leaving out the sausage, the soup is that much faster to prepare as well.
• Lower-Fat Tortellini Soup: This recipe in and of itself is not particularly low in fat or calories. You can decrease the fat and calories by using lean turkey or chicken Italian sausage in place of pork sausage and omitting the cream. The tortellini will still be rich enough to make this soup feel decadent.

More Easy Soup Recipes

• Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Baked Potato Soup
• Potato Corn Chowder
• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Lasagna Soup

Need more inspiration for planning meals that your family will love? Sign up for my FREE Meal Plans and each week you will get a meal plan with a shopping list.

If you enjoyed this recipe for Tortellini Soup, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

Tortellini Soup

This easy, creamy Tortellini Soup is made with Italian sausage, a rich tomato broth, tender cheese tortellini, and hearty greens.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 546kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion diced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 4 cups vegetable broth
• ▢ 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 9 ounces cheese tortellini refrigerated or frozen
• ▢ 5 cups chopped kale stems removed
• ▢ ½ cup heavy cream
• ▢ ½ cup chopped fresh parsley or basil optional for serving
• ▢ Parmesan for serving

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Instructions

• In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add in the minced onion and sausage and saute, breaking up the sausage as it browns. Once the meat is nearly browned, add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano and saute for 1 minute longer. Drain off any excess grease, if needed, and return the sausage back to the pan.
• Stir in the broth, crushed tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and salt into the sausage mixture and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add in the cheese tortellini simmer for 5 minutes. Then stir in the kale and heavy cream and simmer until the tortellini is tender and the kale is wilted for about 2-4 minutes.
• Serve with fresh chopped parsley or basil and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

Sausage: Use your favorite variety or mild ground Italian sausage. Chicken, pork, or turkey all work well. Or omit the sausage for a vegetarian soup.

Broth: Use low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth for this recipe. Both work well. 

Using Frozen Kale: If using frozen chopped kale in place of fresh chopped kale, add before bringing the soup to a boil, which will allow the kale to defrost and cook through.

Using Spinach in place of Kale: Fresh spinach needs less cooking time than kale, meaning you will only need to simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes to heat through after adding to the soup.

Reduce Fat and Calories: Decrease the fat and calories by using lean turkey or chicken Italian sausage in place of pork sausage and omitting the cream. Nutrition has been calculated using pork sausage and heavy cream. 

Nutrition

Calories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 950mg | Potassium: 686mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6061IU | Vitamin C: 75mg | Calcium: 197mg | Iron: 4mg

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