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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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.
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