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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Made this yesterday for my boyfriend and I – we needed some comfort food & man did it hit the spot. I added in some bell peppers & eggplant because I didn’t want them to go bad and it was the PERFECT addition! Can’t wait to make it again.
I have made this twice now and it’s quickly becoming a favorite meal…even in Texas heat!!
My fiancé and I love this soup! It is one of the easiest and a go to dinner when we’re unsure what to make! I’m always sending his dad leftovers and he raves about it! I use spinach instead of kale and use more tortellini and stock than suggested. Sometimes I will add chopped mushrooms for a different flavor. Even in 90 degree summer weather this soup is 100% worth it!
Amazingly delicious soup! I have a question though…can you make the broth part (including the sausage) and then just reheat the next day and add the tortellini and then the kale?
Made this a few times now and it’s a real go to quick and easy to make dish for the family. I substitute garden peas instead of kale and irish sausage instead of italian.
Oh my goodness was this good!!! We made it camping and my entire family loved this stuff!! We used half mild Italian sausage and half hot which was perfect. My family is suspicious of anything green so I didn’t put any Kale in it. I’ve never had it before and am not really anxious to try it. I have however tried spinach and I like it and noticed a lot of people substituted that for the Kale so that’s what I did just serving it on the side for anybody who wanted it. It was a little crunchy since it wasn’t cooked, just the heat of the soup in my bowl but I still liked it. I forgot all about adding the cream til leftovers. We loved this even without the cream but I did use it on leftovers and it took it to the next level. Great job with this one!!!
So easy and so flavourful!!! My husband is drinking the broth out of his second bowl right now!!! Easy to adapt as well. Your recipes never disappoint.
Made it exactly as recipe, it’s delicious!
This is our new favorite comfort meal. I never seem to have tomato sauce on hand, so I use whatever marinara or other pasta sauce is in the cupboard, and it has been fabulous every single time.
I made this once before, and it was a bit too rich for me. I decided to make it a second time because it really was good, but I realized I had no chicken broth. I instead used about 2 tsp of BEEF better than bullion instead of the chicken broth and wow, it was amazing. Made a whole batch and ate it over three days. Time to make another one!
So good!
I’ve made this 3 times now and everyone loves it. It’s delicious, filling and easy to make. A win all around.
This recipe is delicious! I am making it again and the store didn’t have refrigerated tortellini. Can I use boxed and cook it ahead of time?
This dish was indeed damn delicious! It was quick to make, easy to clean, and a huge hit with the family.
To make it a bit heartier, I used canned fire roasted tomatoes instead of tomato sauce.
We served it with sourdough bread and it made a complete meal.
Thank you Chungah!
Made it this weekend and it was absolutely delish! I doubled everything in the recipe except for the sausage (used lean turkey sausage) and subbed frozen spinach for the kale. Made enough to serve 3 for dinner – with 2nd helpings – plus 2 lunches and a container for the freezer. I had it for lunch today and I kind of wish I hadn’t stuck the leftovers in the freezer just yet. I’ll definitely be making it again.
this was amazing. doubled the sausage but kept everything else the same. this is a keeper. the flavours worked so well together in this hearty soup
OUTSTANDING! This soup is very easy to make, very delicious and could be a meal. I made it the first time w/chicken sausage and the second time, I used mild Italian sausages. Suggest adding more chicken stock than recipe calls for, as well as the amount of tomatoes(I used a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes). The tortellini soaks up a lot of the liquid. Also add a half or three quarters of a cup of heavy cream.
We loved this recipe! I doubled the broth and sauce, and used quite a bit more garlic and tortellini, but everything else was the same. We will definitely be making this often.
This is currently our FAVORITE soup, and that is high praise coming from a finicky eater like my hubby. My sister passed on the recipe and after 1st taste I got the A-OK to make it again! It is so good and so easy – you have to try it! We don’t eat pork, so subituted chicken italian sausage or venison italian sausage we have made with beef. It has been tasty with both meat choices. It just might become your favorite as well!
Made this last night- WOW!! It was so good & even better the next day. We will definitely keep this recipe!
great recipe. delicious and filling but not too filling. I replaced the kale with spinach and it was great! Also my dad is Muslim and doesnt eat pork so I didnt add the sausage but he loved it!