Creamy Tortellini Soup
by Chungah
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
A quick 30-minute creamy tortellini soup! Made with Italian sausage, greens, Parmesan and quick-cooking tortellini. So fast, easy, and cozy!
Featured Comment
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Amazing! so tasty and easy. We added zuchini as well which was a great and doubled the recipe so we had lots of leftovers
Made this yesterday. Doubled the recipe. DELICIOUS! Saving it to keep in my recipe rotation.
This is a great soup! I did some major adjustments to the recipe but it was still totally yummy. I used red chard instead of kale and I omitted the cream completely. I added carrots, zucchini, and celery and doubled the chicken broth. It was amazing!
Made this soup and used leftover pizza sauce instead of Italian spices. Also spinach because I had no basil on hand. Homemade stock and a bit of marinara. Fantastic simple soup.
I don’t normally leave reviews, but this soup is delicious! I used hot Italian sausage and it really added a nice kick. Will definitely become a regular in the cold weather rotation!
I doubled the recipe and used hot and mild Italian sausage and spinach instead of Kale. This is a definite favorite. My husband and 15 year old loved it and had second helpings. I took some to lunch the next day…I needed to add a little chicken broth for leftovers because it does thicken up but it was absolutely delicious! I added crushed red pepper to my soup for a little kick, but not the whole batch. I highly recommend!
This has quickly become a staple in our house — and I need to make a double batch (for 2 people!) if we want it to last more than a day.
I swap out the sausage for bacon. Usually about 4 pieces and I cook the onions in the fat. I chop up the cooked bacon and add it back right before serving.
You can get away with about 1/4 cup of heavy cream. I usually just eyeball it and taste it until it’s perfect and it’s well below the 1/3 cup.
YUM! We subbed basil for the kale, and ground beef with spicy Italian seasoning for the pork Italian sausage – excellent! I have made this at least once a week since first trying it about a month and a half ago. We rarely have leftovers because it gets devoured, but the couple times we have had leftovers, it’s gets better the next day. Thanks!
DOH! I meant to leave 5 stars!
The whole family loved it and it was so easy to make. Definitely will make it again.
Holy WOW! Just made this and I will Definitely be making again and doubling the recipe. I sent a picture of the end results and everyone wants to come over
I am so happy I found your recipes. 2 for 2 now. Made this last night and it was delicious. Warming, full of flavor, and surprisingly not too heavy considering the cream and tortellini. Another quick, easy, and delicious option for a week night meal…especially during these colder days.
I used what I had on hand, so in case anyone else is interested it tastes great if you substitute the sausage with ground turkey. I just browned up the ground turkey with onion and garlic and heavily seasoned it with italian seasoning and smoked paprika. I didn’t have kale so I used baby spinach.
Whether you follow this recipe as is, or have to make some substitutions, you won’t be disappointed.
Delicious! One of our new favorites. Can this be made in an instant pot?
I didn’t like it at all. Something’s off. Feel like the sausage doesn’t taste delish in this dish
Couldn’t disagree more. 🙂 Choose a diff sausage.
I’ve made this before with regular Italian sausage. It was good enough for me to make again. This time I used hot Italian sausage (it’s what I had). It did add a little something extra for me. It’s a simple fix. The sausage is not a big deal. Use what you have or what you like.
Delish! A new favorite!
I made this three times now. We love it. The only I did different was to add spinach instead of kale. After I browned the Italian sausage I put in it my food processor to grind it more. My sons told me this is a keeper, and I totally agree.
Delicious and satisfying. I will be making this again.
Delicious! I used chicken sausage. That is the only ingredient I changed. Great for the winter!
My family loved this soup! Delicious! I used chicken sausage. That is the only ingredient I changed. Great on winter snowy day.
Wonderful soup. Made it for the first time today. My family loved it! I will be making tortellini soup again! Thanks for the recipe.
Stumbled across this recipe when trying to cobble together dinner with different ingredients that I already had on hand. All of the positive reviews caught my eye so I just have to add – it was absolutely delicious and will be come a regular in our weeknight rotation. I served it with garlic bread and it was a total hit. Thank you!!