Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
Best Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe – This creamy, rich, and hearty soup is quick and easy to make with packaged cheese tortellini and ground sausage. It’s ready to serve as a satisfying all-in-one meal in just 30 minutes!
Why We Love This Tortellini Soup Recipe
If you haven’t noticed, we love soup. It’s the original one-pot meal! From classics like chicken noodle and minestrone, to vibrant chicken orzo and pappa al pomodoro, there is just nothing more deliciously cozy than enjoying a warm bowl of homemade soup. This simple rustic Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup recipe is a huge comfort food favorite here – and we’re sure you’re going to love it, too!
With just a few key ingredients and a handful of additional pantry staples, the effort is low but the flavor is extremely high. You only need to brown ground sausage in a large pot, then stir in other ingredients like cheesy tortellini, tomato paste, and heavy cream. In 30 minutes the soup is ready to serve and enjoy (with crusty bread) for a filling and scrumptious dinner.
Once you taste it, you’re going to want to stock Italian sausage and tortellini in your freezer at all times!
Ingredients You Need
- Butter – unsalted (or olive oil)
- Ground Italian sausage – mild, medium, or spicy hot pork sausage
- Onion – chopped
- Garlic – minced
- Dried thyme – an earthy, cozy spice (or Italian seasoning)
- Chicken broth – or bullion + water (or beef broth)
- Canned diced tomatoes – regular or fire-roasted
- Tomato paste – canned or jarred, or concentrated paste in a tube for super robust tomato-y flavor
- Packaged cheese tortellini – fresh is preferred, but frozen also works well
- Parmesan cheese – grated
- Heavy cream – optional, but highly recommended
- Fresh basil leaves – to both finish and garnish the soup
How to Make Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Set a large 6-8 quart soup pot over medium to medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pot. Then add the ground Italian sausage, onions, and garlic. Use a wooden spoon to break the ground sausage into small pieces. Saute for 5 to 10 minutes until the onions are soft and the sausage is fully browned.
Add the dried thyme, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.
Get the Complete (Printable) Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe. Enjoy!
Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat, if needed, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the tortellini and Parmesan cheese. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tortellini rises to the top of the pot.
Then turn off the heat and add heavy cream and basil leaves.
Stir well to combine the cream with the soup broth.
Taste, then salt and pepper if needed.
Recipe Variations
- Vegetarian – Skip the sausage for a meatless tortellini soup recipe.
- Veggies – You can include vegetables like fresh baby spinach or kale, or sauteed veggies like carrots and bell peppers in the recipe. Add whatever you like after the tortellini has cooked and before stirring in the cream.
- Tortellini – Here we use simple cheese tortellini. But feel free to use any variety you like, such as spinach tortellini or even sausage tortellini for an extra meaty soup!
- Heavy cream – This is an optional ingredient that makes the soup incredibly rich and creamy texture. You can substitute it with half and half, or omit all together if you prefer.
- Spicy – Use hot Italian sausage and add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to finish the soup with some heat.
Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup Serving Suggestions
Nothing pairs better with a bowl of rich and hearty tortellini soup like a hunk of warm bread and a crisp, cool salad on the side. Try our easy garlic bread or breadsticks recipes for an extra touch of coziness on the table!
For some freshness, you can’t go wrong with a classic caesar or a fun and crunchy kale caesar salad. A robust caprese panzanella combines a traditional Italian caprese salad with crusty bread… So it’s basically like two side dishes in one!
Frequently Asked Questions
The heavy cream will thicken the soup nicely. However, if you want an even thicker version, you can combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Stir this mixture into the soup right before adding the remainder of the cream.
This tortellini soup recipe is great for meal prepping! Leftovers are delicious and keep well for up to 3 days. Let the soup cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container and placing it in the fridge.
While you technically can, I do not recommend freezing this soup. The heavy cream and tortellini pasta do not hold up well to being frozen and reheated. Thankfully, the soup is so easy and quick to put together, that there’s really no need to make it ahead and freeze.
Looking for More Easy Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Irish Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Italian Meatball Soup
- Easy Lasagna Soup
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Rustic Ribollita (Tuscan White Bean Soup)
Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage mild of hot
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 16-20 ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup heavy cream optional
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Set a large 6-8 quart soup pot over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pot. Then add the ground Italian sausage, onions, and garlic. Use a wooden spoon to break the ground sausage into small pieces. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the onions are soft and the sausage is fully browned.
- Add the dried thyme, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat, if needed, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the tortellini and Parmesan cheese. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tortellini rises to the top of the pot.
- Then turn off the heat and stir and heavy cream and basil leaves. Taste, then salt and pepper if needed.
this. recipe. is. magic. this has all my favorite things in it! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe