Creamy Tortellini Soup
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Creamy tortellini soup made with Italian sausage, cheese-filled tortellini, kale, and Parmesan rind for extra richness. A cozy comfort food recipe ready in just 30 minutes.
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This creamy tortellini soup is one of the most popular Damn Delicious recipes. A quick and hearty Italian-inspired soup with sausage, kale, and tender tortellini simmered in a Dutch oven.
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 for the Best Creamy Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage
- Use fresh tortellini. Fresh cheese tortellini cooks quickly and keeps the soup creamy without becoming mushy.
- Add the cream slowly at the very end to prevent curdling and to keep your tortellini soup creamy and smooth.
- Save leftover Parmesan rinds. Adding them while simmering in a Dutch oven gives this creamy tortellini soup a nutty depth of flavor.
- Store tortellini separately for leftovers. Store cooked tortellini separately when meal prepping or freezing so the soup doesn’t lose its creamy broth.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with homemade crusty bread or garlic knots for dipping—classic sides for creamy tortellini soup.
What to Serve with Creamy Tortellini Soup
Tools For Making Tortellini Soup
Dutch oven or large cast iron pot – essential for simmering creamy tortellini soup evenly.
Dutch oven
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
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
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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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!
Very good. No sausage added.
Did you have to add anything when you omitted sausage? I’m debating trying it with no meat as well. Thanks!
Do you need to adjust the recipe if you aren’t using meat?
Might be the best soup I have ever made, and I am a soup kind of guy. Only change was we used regular sausage instead of spicy Italian sausage, because we were in the middle of a strong snowstorm and that was all we had. Could be the
storm added to the soups goodness too!
I have picky eaters who don’t like soup and everyone loved this dish!! I added extra tortellini (store only had big bags) so next time I will double the broth to accommodate. I have to eat GF so next time I will try it with GF pasta! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
I made this tonight. It was super easy and was amazing!
Excellent…just the best soup for a snowy night in Delaware…maybe one of the best soups I have ever had.
I just made this for dinner, and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
So easy to make on a school night after a long day at work. And the kids absolutely loved it! As did I. This will go on the monthly menu.
I’ve vegan-ized this and it is our absolute favorite soup! Spicy vegan sausage, veggie tortellini, veggie stock, one 680ml jar passata tomato sauce, one whole can of coconut milk instead of cream. Best soup ever!!!
This was so easy to make on a weeknight and the picky eaters I have in my house loved it.
For real—this is the most delicious soup! Wowowow! I’ve made it a number of times and it’s been excellent each time. Tonight I made it with some turkey stock I made from the thanksgiving turkey and it is amazing. Love it and will be cooking it regularly for a long time to come. Thank you!
This recipe is absolutely excellent! The entire family loved it.
One of the best “throw together” meals ever. I made minor substitutions, spinach for kale, dry tortellini for the refrigerator stuff (smaller size) and I topped it with Parmesan. This couldn’t have turned out better. Creamy, savory, hearty and delicious! Can’t recommend enough.
Delicious!! I have made it at least three times. It is now part of our weekly rotation. Love your recipes!! Made no changes to recipe.