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
Did you make this recipe?
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I used ground chuck because I did not have Italian sausage. Could have used only 3/4# but no problem, just a lot of meat. Did not have kale so I used 4 ounces of spinach and it was just right. Did not have fresh basil so stirred in 2 tsp. dried basil at same time I stirred in the Italian seasoning. Husband raved about it and had 2 large servings. Once again this site did not disappoint. I strongly recommend this recipe if you like the ingredients. Even with my subs. due to need, it was excellent! I would like to thank you for providing me with such dependable recipes. This site is a 5* for sure.
This soup is really delicious and comes together effortlessly. Thank you!
Is the nutrition information available for this?
This recipe is fantastic! I used sage bulk breakfast sausage in the recipe because that’s what I had in the fridge instead of Italian. I also used half and half instead of heavy cream for the same reason. It is wonderful! My last add was a 1/2 tsp of sugar for balance on the tomatoes.
I have made this soup at least a dozen times since I found the recipe about 1 year ago. We just love it! And I have made it for others and they love it as much as we do! I make it exactly as written most often but I have used Spinach instead of Kale a few times and it is just as good. Try this soup, you won’t be disappointed.
Best soup ever! You know it’s a keeper when your 13 year old granddaughter asks for a 2nd bowl. Will be making this regularly and doubling the recipe. Thanks so much for sharing.
How do you keep the tortellini from becoming overcooked and mushy?
I love soup and have been searching for recipes to add to my repertoire. This one definitely was added to my recipes. I made it exactly except i didn’t have basil on hand. My sausage was 2/3 sweet and 1/3 hot. It was delicious. Mine didn’t need any added salt or pepper – probably seasoned successfully from the sausage. Thanks for the great recipe.
Followed directions to a “t” and will be making this regularly again withno modifications needed for this family! Thank you!
This was absolutely fabulous! I left out the heavy cream because the soup was delicious before that step. Super easy and cozy weeknight dinner.
Made this tonight for dinner. Delicious and will be making it again and would not change a thing. My husband loved it too.
Would give 6 Stars if I could! This is the PERFECT soup!!!! A hit with my entire family, and my friends who are now making it for their families! Perfect balance of meat, hearty soup base, and sneaky vegetables you don’t even taste. The broth and the tortellini are perfect compliments to each other. I think anyone would make this a weekday repeater for Fall and Winter. I absolutely love it, thank you for sharing!!!
This recipe received unsolicited compliments from my 16-year-old son and husband. The whole family loved it and asked that I double the recipe so there could be seconds or, at least, leftovers. My husband asked me to add this to our rotation and I am happy to oblige because it was so easy to make!
The only thing I did differently was sub in spinach for the kale. We aren’t big kale people, so I didn’t want it to go bad in the refrigerator when I know the spinach will get eaten in salads.
Quick, easy and yummy!
I just made this and it DELICIOUS. My hubby and I cleaned our bowls. Thanks for the recipe❤
This recipe tastes very good, but is also very heavy.
Man, this dish is freakin AWESOME! My 7 and 11 year olds loved it too, and they’re picky with a LOT of food.
I have fully veganized this recipe with beyond sausage, kite hill tortellini, veggie broth, and almond milk. I’ve made this several times and it comes out great every time. My whole family loves it.
I have a few veggies that needed to be used up before they went bad so I added a chopped green bell pepper and 2 zucchini to the soup once I added the chicken broth (I didn’t want the veggies cooked to death). It is a delicious soup! I’ll definitely make it again!
Very yummy!! I recommend seasoning the sausage though! Gives it the extra kick!
This is so easy and so delicious!