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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Really good! I swapped the kale for spinach and added some red chili flakes for more spice and topped it off with some Parmesan cheese. Will definitely be making this again.
Just finished making this and took a taste, delicious. I did add some cooked chicken I had on hand.
I made this soup last week, and it is off the charts delicious! I made my own Italian sausage, which was pretty spicy, and it gave the soup a wonderful heat. I also made a batch without meat for my vegetarian college student and she loved it as well (I added a pinch of smoked paprika and crushed red pepper, some of the spices that were in the Italian sausage I made). This will definitely be on our soup rotation.
Me and my husband love this one! We usually go with spinach instead of kale. I make sure to make extra as it works great for leftovers for lunch the next day. I like to make it with some crunchy garlic bread. Great recipe!
Absolutely amazing recipe!!!! Everyone loved this!!!!!!!
This was dry easy to make & amazing!!! The kids and I loved it. It’s a keeper
I love this soup so much! It’s extremely easy for a weeknight! I opt out on the sausage and just add some extra veggies (celery and carrots), and it makes for a delicious hearty vegetarian soup. We are making it tonight for the third time this winter season!
Thanks for the recipe! My husband and son voted for it to go into the our regular rotation.
Absolutely, the best!! Can this be frozen? I’d like to make more and then freeze to have it on hand.
Best soup recipe out there. I make this all the time for my family. Kids and husband approved. They can’t get enough so this time i have to double the recipe so i can have more then one bowl.
Loved this easy soup – so did everyone else! I replaced the sausage with cremini mushrooms (about 8 oz) and used spinach in place of the kale because that’s what I had on hand. It was delicious! I will make this soup again and often since it was so delicious!
My boyfriend finished the entire thing (I helped myself to seconds too ;)). Extremely good!! I’m definitely doubling the batch next time so we have leftovers. Definitely make this soup! The only thing I didn’t do was add the meat. It was still so delicious!
Oh man this was soooo good. And super easy to make if you prep all the chopped veggies and herbs first. We ate it with crusty baguettes and didn’t stop till the bowl was empty!
I made this soup for my husband. He loves this soup! I gotta say it tastes awesome. Will be making it again next week. I have requests for more of this delicious soup!
Entire family loved it. Definitely a keeper and will make again many times. Thank you!
This is so delicious!! Definitely a favorite in our house.
This was amazing!!! The kids and I loved it. It’s a keeper.
Delicious! Everyone raved, even the toddler. I used frozen tortellini with no problems .
Super easy, quick and very delicious! This is a keeoer for sure! Didnt change a thing other than made 1/ 2 a recipe and used the fat/oil to make the rogue with the flour instead of draining it.
My boyfriend and toddler loved it ! I used johnsonvilles spicy Italian sausage that was already grounded and rather than using fresh basil, I used 2 tbs of dried basil leaves. Nice recipe!!!
Made this last night for dinner. Was super easy and delicious. Next time I will try with spinach as others suggested. If you don’t have tortellini I think this would be just as good with any other pasta in its place. Some fresh baked bread to dunk in the broth was fantastic! Will definitely make this again.