Creamy Tortellini Soup
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My favorite cozy weeknight soup made in 30 min! Loaded with tender tortellini, sausage and kale! And it’s so easy!
Featured Comment
Have you seen the news? It’s apparently -50 degrees windchill in Chicago right now. I wish I was joking. Meanwhile, it was 69 degrees F here in LA today. How will Butters and I survive in the Windy City?
I’ve loaded up on parkas and electric blankets for myself and Butters. But I don’t know, guys. It’s going to be a dicey winter for us Californians.
But what I do know is this – have as much of this creamy tortellini soup as possible until the polar vortex passes. That and all the crusty bread to sop up all this creamy goodness.
Oh, and the wine. That helps warm you up too, no?
tips and tricks for success
- Use fresh tortellini. Fresh tortellini will cook much faster than dried or frozen tortellini, and will yield more softer pasta.
- Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
- 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.
- 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 all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
what to serve with tortellini soup
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Creamy Tortellini Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Swiss chard, baby spinach, collard greens, and cabbage are all great options.
We love using fresh cheese tortellini for a more neutral base but your favorite tortellini would also work very well here.
Absolutely! Dried tortellini can be cooked in a separate pot 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! You can 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 cooked tortellini and heavy cream when serving.
Creamy Tortellini Soup
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
Equipment
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.
Video
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This was fantastic, and even better as leftovers! I didn’t put the kale in it as no one else in the family likes it, but it was still delicious without it! Thanks so much for the recipe. We’ll definitely make this one again!
This was SO good! Perfect for a chilly night and it was so easy! I added just a splash of white wine when I added the chicken broth and tomato sauce.
Next time, I’ll probably do 6c of broth instead of 4 since it thickened up quite a bit and I love a brothy soup!
Thank you for the amazing dinner idea, it’ll definitely be added in our regular rotation!
This recipe is amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed and will definitely make again.
So good! I followed the recipe exactly. I will definitely make this again. Thank you for this recipe it is damn delicious!!!!
This soup is amazing! I substituted the sausage with chicken sausage and omg so yummy! Will def be making this again and sharing with family and friends!!!!
A great recipe!! Did not have tomato sauce so used diced tomatoes that I drained. Have never a big fan of kale so I substituted Fresh spinach. Also used half and half instead of heavy cream.
Will make again with spinach..
Delicious!!!
A quick and easy, delicious recipe! I used spinach instead of kale, and I added a pinch of cayenne pepper to each bowl. The best thing is that this soup tastes better the next day!
I’ll added this one to my monthly rotation!
OMG this soup is so easy and delicious. My friend had knee surgery and I have been cooking for her family and my husband and I and this soup is a 10z
Delicious! Used spinach in stead of kale.
This is so damn delicious! I made this last night for my mom and husband and we all enjoyed it. First time ever cooking with Italian sausage and was wonderfully surprised. I used spinach in place of kale but followed everything else. My mom and I had it again tonight. Thanks for sharing!
This was GREAT!!! I have a picky 6 year old who was dead set on not trying it… she tried it and loved it and ate two bowls! I think it would be great with a few red pepper flakes in it if you like it a little spicy. Or maybe just using hot sausage. But it is REALLY GOOD! Recommend 100% !!
I’m obsessed with this soup recipe. It was my first time making this and it came out beautifully! I used two packs of tortellini so I needed more broth but it truly is a simple, easy and delicious dish. Will be my go-to this winter with some crusty bread! 🙂
Delicious recipe but I do have to point out that you list a 15 minute cook time. If the recipe is followed with the minimum cook times you’re at 22 minute cook time, not 15. Took me closer to 50 minutes to complete
I actually have a question. Can you do this in a crock pot? Thanks!
I have never left a review in my life and I don’t even like sausage but this might be the best soup I’ve ever made. Absolutely delicious. I made it as is except I maybe didn’t use all the sausage and it was spectacular. It was so good, I burned my mouth and tongue because I refused to let it cool.
Loved it. I used spinach and it turned out excellent. Topped it off in the bowl with mozzerella.
I made this with a 6oz can of tomato paste because I didn’t have an 8oz can of sauce. I added 6 cups total of chicken stock (I love a brothy soup!)
It tastes great! Super easy to do! Thank you for sharing!
We loved this recipe. I used hot Italian sausage and it was wonderful!
I’ve made this so many different times for many friends and family during the winter time. It’s amazing, especially with warm, crusty fresh bread! Now that it is finally cold again, I’m making it again today and doubling the recipe! Thanks so much!
Thank you for this recipe. It was absolutely fantastic…better than a 5 star restaurant! Everyone loved it. Only changes: I used hot ground Italian sausage and spinach in place of the kale. I cooked the tortellini separate and added them in the last few minutes…simply AMAZING!
Legitimately one of the best things I’ve ever cooked.
And I say that as a dad who cooks 5-6 nights a week and is pretty darn good at it.
The ONLY substitution I made was me being lazy, I had made up a huge batch of mini pork and beef meatballs the day before, so I saved about 3 dozen of those and tossed em in while the onions were sweating instead of the ground sausage.
Incredible. Something so good I would go to a restaurant just to get that soup.
So easy and quick! I used spicy Italian sausage instead of sweet. Also added fresh sliced mushrooms and white beans for more texture. Delicious!
If you’re thinking about making this DO IT. It is one of the best recipes I’ve tried. I never leave reviews and this one I had to. I only swapped out kale for spinach and followed the rest and it is so delicious.
This was amazing! It took me a bit longer than 30 to prep and cook…but that’s typical for me. It was worth every minute! I love tortellini and creamy soup. Plus the aroma is fantastic!
This is so yummy! Even my kids, who are super picky eaters, love this. So quick and easy to make. Well done! I used hot Italian sausage and came out so amazing.