Creamy Tortellini Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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.
Featured Comment
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
YUMMY YUMMY! I made the recipe exactly as written and it was fantastic! Making soup is not my forte but this recipe was quick, easy and produced the most delicious results. My husband asked for more!
This is definitely a “keeper recipe”, thanks so much!!! A+A+A+A+
A regular in my home! Absolutely delicious, doubled the recipe with no changes. Perfect!
Quick and easy to come together! Tasty and comforting.
Best. Soup. Ever!! This came together so easily and I love that it was a smaller batch recipe for two people. This is the most delicious soup I’ve ever eaten. Mine came out a bit creamier or thicker than the photo as I reduced the sauce accidentally a bit longer, which I think I loved even more. Make this. You won’t regret it!
Thank you so much. The whole family loved it. So delicious, hearty and satisfying on a crisp fall day. This will definitely go on repeat.
Absolutely my favorite soup to make and eat. Sometimes I use a basil, garlic tomato sauce to level it up. Have also made it without kale and it’s delicious.
I love this recipe. I’ve made it Multiple times. It’s so easy and quick. The perfect weeknight meal. My partner is vegetarian and it’s so easy to sub vegetable broth and beyond meat italian sausage. I also throw in a bit of red pepper flakes just to give it a little more spice.
Excellent!!!!
This recipe is a keeper!
Super good. I used spinach instead of kale…definitely a keeper.
SOOOOOOO good!! Think this could be made in a crockpot?
This soup is AMAZING! SO good
Best soup ever!! I tried this for the first time and my husband declared it my best soup to date! I didn’t change a thing!!
This is one of my favourite soups to make, whether I have kale on hand or not! Enjoying a bowl now 🙂
Delicious! I’ve made Creamy Tortellini Soup multiple times & it just keeps getting better. It’s a new-ish favorite for my hubby & I, and frequently requested. I serve it with toasted Rosemary Olive-Oil bread and a glass of wine (of course!). Its very filling, and packed with flavor. Also – I use the XL package of Tortellini (20 oz?) instead of the 9 oz. standard. Love my pasta! There’s usually enough left-over for lunch / dinner the next day. Yum!
I’ve made this several times and my family loves it! I use either spinach or kale (whichever I’ve got on hand) I omit the sausage, and I serve with frenchbread and parmesan cheese – it’s damn delcious!!!!
This was really fantastic. I used turkey sausage and spinach.my 87 year old mother loved it. Perfect for Sunday night dinner and freeze the rest for another day.
Delicious!!!! Did spinach instead of kale and loved every bite!!!!
Such an easy & {damn} delicious weeknight meal! I am always trying new recipes that I never make again –not this one, it has been printed & put in the tried & true recipe folder! YUM
DELICIOUS!! New favorite soup. Easy to make. Very flavorful. Thank you for the recipe
Family favorite soup. Have made it dozens of times- quick, easy, affordable, and delicious. I make it without meat and add extra heavy cream. It is truly heavenly!!!!
Such a delicious soup! Made it almost exactly as the recipe called, except I only did a splash of cream instead of the 1/3 cup, and it’s now definitely one of our favorite soups that were going to add to our weekly line up!