Creamy Tortellini Soup
by Chungah
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A quick 30-minute creamy tortellini soup! Made with Italian sausage, greens, Parmesan and quick-cooking tortellini. So fast, easy, and cozy!
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Why you’ll love this creamy tortellini soup
- Weeknight miracle dinner. This recipe calls for quick-cooking refrigerated tortellini, allowing the soup to come together in just 30 minutes, start to finish.
- Cold weather comfort food. We’re talking about the best kind of cozy, comfort food here. The velvety tomato broth with crumbled sausage and pillowy tortellini with sneaked in greens just hits different, especially when you’re under the weather or during those blistery snow days.
- Perfect with crusty bread. This is just one of those soups best served with all the crusty bread to sop up every last drop of all the creamy goodness.
- Incredibly flexible, forgiving recipe. This is a great opportunity to use up all those wilting veggies and leftover proteins instantly.
How to make creamy tortellini soup
- Crumble the sausage. Remove the meat from its casing (if using links) and cook the sausage in large chunks in a Dutch oven over medium heat, breaking the sausage into small pieces as it continues to cook. Drain the excess fat, leaving just enough for flavor.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the garlic, onion and Italian seasoning (or any additional herbs on hand).
- Whisk in the flour. Stir in the flour until lightly browned. The flour will serve as a natural thickening agent for the soup.
- Simmer. Add the chicken stock, tomato sauce and Parmesan rind, simmering on low heat until slightly thickened. The longer it simmers, the more it will reduce.
- Add the tortellini. Stir in the fresh tortellini until cooked through, about 5 minutes. If using dried tortellini, cook them in a separate pot and add it here.
- Make it creamy. Add the kale, heavy cream and basil until warmed through, seasoning one last time with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm. Serve immediately with crusty bread. If preparing for leftovers, store the tortellini separately as the tortellini in the soup can absorb the broth very quickly.
variations and substitutions
Protein swap
This is a great time to repurpose leftover shredded rotisserie chicken! Or you can substitute the Italian sausage for ground turkey (or beef) or shrimp.
Vegetarian-friendly
For a vegetarian option, use canned cannellini beans or navy beans, or extra-firm tofu that has been pan-fried or baked (also substituting the chicken stock for vegetable stock).
Additional vegetables or veggie swap
Add in any lingering vegetables such as carrots, celery, bell peppers, zucchini or green beans.
Different greens
Swap out the kale for spinach, cabbage, swiss chard or collard greens, adding towards the end of cook time.
Skip the tomatoes
For a more cream-based soup without tomatoes, try this recipe instead.
Slow cooker method
Make this in the crockpot instead, cooking low and slow for 7-8 hours.
freezing and storage
Storage
Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Pro tip: if you are planning for leftovers beforehand, store the cooked tortellini and soup base separately.
Reheating
Gently reheat on the stovetop and add a splash of chicken stock, milk or heavy cream to restore the desired consistency.
To Freeze
Freeze the soup base only without the tortellini and heavy cream as cream soups tend to separate when frozen. Once cooled completely, store in individual freezer bags. To reheat, thaw overnight and gently reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked tortellini and heavy cream just before serving.
What to Serve with Creamy Tortellini Soup
Tools For this recipe
Dutch oven
Creamy Tortellini Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Leafy greens such as spinach, cabbage, swiss chard and collard greens are all excellent options.
I love using quick-cooking fresh cheese tortellini for a more neutral base but your favorite tortellini would also work very well here.
Absolutely! But dried tortellini should be cooked separately and added to the soup at the end of cooking time until warmed through.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Yes! Freeze the leftovers without the tortellini and heavy cream (cream soups tend to separate when frozen) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked tortellini and heavy cream when serving.
Creamy Tortellini Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (3-inch) Parmesan rind, optional
- 1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated three cheese tortellini
- ½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic, onion and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock, tomato sauce and Parmesan rind, if using. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in tortellini; cover and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in kale until wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and basil until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use refrigerated tortellini. Fresh refrigerated tortellini tastes much better than dry tortellini and cooks up so much faster.
- Save leftover Parmesan rinds. Get more out of those expensive Parmesan cheeses by using up the leftover rinds! Adding a Parmesan rind slightly thickens the broth and adds a level of nutty richness to the soup.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
- Store tortellini separately for leftovers. When planning for leftovers, store the cooked tortellini separately from the soup to prevent it from soaking up all the broth.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with homemade crusty bread or garlic knots for dipping—classic sides for creamy tortellini soup.
Did you make this recipe?
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Such a comforting recipe to make and the aroma fills the kitchen.
Hi Chungah! This soup looks amazing. Can I use gluten-free tortellini instead of regular? Also, would turkey sausage work in place of Italian sausage? I’d love tips on freezing/reheating and scaling from about 5 to 8 servings. Thank you so much!
Hi Jordan! Those substitutions should work just fine, I would just follow the cooking instructions on the tortellini packaging for timing. As far as adjusting the servings, if you click our “PRINT RECIPE” button, the new page lets you adjust to your serving size needs at the top of the page. Hope that helps!
What are the calories for your recipe?
Thanks!
This is one of my favorite soups!
This is such a great recipe! My family loves it on rainy days! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Best comfort food!!!
I have been making this soup for years and it is by far the best. I make this on Sunday nights before the workweek, it’s amazing.
This soup is full of flavor and will not disappoint. It is very easy to prepare for those that need a quick meal that will make everyone happy. The only item not added was Parmesan cheese rind and that was because I did not have on hand. When storing if you have any leftover is to store the tortellini in seperate container as per instructions (I missed that part). I will make this again.
I have made this recipe numerous times – especially when having guests over for dinner (to rave reviews, I might add). It’s so easy to make, makes up well in advance, makes the house smell incredible, and tastes best when it sits awhile. Pair it with a salad and crusty loaf of sour dough french bread. I’ve made it with spicy or mild italian sausage, kale or spinach – makes no difference.
One of my favorites. We’ve been stuck inside the house for a week with this ice storm. Pray everyone out there is safe. My family can’t stop talking about how good this tasted and it was a perfect meal to get us grounded again. Love this aspect of what a great meal can do. Thank you!
Delicious! I used spinach instead of kale, and fat free evaporated milk instead of heavy cream, and I forgot to put in the basil, and it was still delicious!! Definitely a keeper!!
I forgot to complete my review so have added 5 stars with this comment.
This soup is the bomb! I doubled the recipe and took to a friend’s house. They’d just had surgery and loved the respite from cooking. We all LOVED this soup. My husband (picky, limited eater) couldn’t stop raving about the flavors. We had some leftovers and all four of us still swooned over this meal.
So good and very easy to make. I added carrots and celery for some veggies. Excellent flavor.
Great recipe! Quick to make & easy to swap out ingredients if needed. My husband enjoyed 2 bowls, which he never does. Super delicious!
Soup was delicious! used spinach as mentioned–3 handfuls and it was great. Also added some carrots. Will make again for sure
I have yet to try anything on this website that is not delicious and time friendly! Thank you so much for your great recipes. We have tried and enjoyed so many, this being a fav!
We loved this! Replaced the heavy cream with half and half, used a whole package of frozen tortellini, used half pork – half chicken sausage, and replaced spinach for kale. The leftovers for lunch were also delicious.
Ok, maybe I just used the recipe as a guide but it’s officially in the cold weather rotation!
I made this last night and it was delicious! Great flavors. As others had noted, I added a can of cannellini beans and some zucchini. I simmered the broth for an hour or so, until the zucchini was tender, then added the pasta and other ingredients. Will definitely make this again.
Tastes delicious and was perfect for winter season. I didn’t have basil or kale but still turned out yummy.