Creamy Tortellini Soup
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A quick 30 min dinner! Made with crumbled sausage, kale, Parmesan and tender tortellini. So easy, so cozy, so good.
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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 every last drop of this lovely creamy goodness.
tips and tricks for success
- 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
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 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
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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This recipe is so , so good. My whole family loves it and I make it as often as I can. So yummy!
Thank you for this recipe! We love it. It’s on our regular rotation and ends up on our table at least twice a month — even in the summer. It’s over 100 degrees where we are right now, but this is still a go to. I have also made it in the slow cooker by doing steps 1-4 on the stovetop, then transferring to the slow cooker for a few hours on low, then completing steps 5 & 6 about 30 minutes before we eat. Works great when everyone is coming home at different times to eat. Almost always use spinach because most of our kale goes to feed our desert tortoises. 🙂
Was great! We used turkey sausage, and I added some celery salt. Everyone loved it including my 2 toddlers! instead of kale we used a little bit of spinach and extra onions.
I love all of your recipes because they work as such a great jumping off point / can easily alter them to what you have on hand. I am not a fan of kale / and I don’t really enjoy having to cut off all the stems off spinach (I don’t like the stems) – so I make this recipe as described, but substitute broccoli instead of the greens and it’s fantastic. Green Giant sells a “riced” broccoli that is perfect in this soup.
Hi,
I used chicken sausage along with geound chicken sonce i had a bit of both on hand and didn’t want to run to the store. I also substituted tomato sauce with diced tomato (ran out od the sauce) and i have to tell you it waa delicious. Ohh and instead ok kale i used spinach.. it was one of thise what do i habe in the fridge kinda night. Absolutely delicious, easy amd yummy. My 4 and 2 yr old kids loved it. Thanks foe the recipe.
It has become a favorite with my family. It is quick to make and tasty
This soup is AMAZING! SO good with spicy Italian sausage, too!
Absolutely loved this recipe. The only change I made was spinach instead of kale. My bf and I agreed it was even better the next day for lunch. Will make this again soon. Thank you!!
Made this or supper the other day. My kids didn’t like it at all which I was surprised about because they usually love all soups. My husband liked it a lot which was also surprising because he doesn’t like any soups! We kept the leftovers in the original pot in the fridge overnight and ate the leftovers the next day. It almost turned into more of a pasta with sauce with the tortellini soaking up some of the liquid. Tasted great! Used spinach instead of kale but other than that followed the directions exactly.
I made this tonight and got rave reviews from my family. Even my son who doesn’t like tortellini liked it! I made it as written but threw in a 15 oz can of tomato sauce instead of 8oz because that was what I had and didn’t want to throw it out. I also added some Better than Bouillon to taste at the end for extra flavor. This one’s a keeper!
So happy to hear your family enjoyed it, Natalie!
This soup IS IT!!!! It was cold and rainy today and I was craving soup but wanted something really simple since I didn’t want to fuss too much after work. I came across this recipe and it was the perfect choice! I doubled the recipe because I wanted leftovers for lunches the next few days. I also added some sliced mushrooms and red pepper flakes to give it a little kick. The recipe is easy and really tasty! I also think it’s a great base to work with for adding other/different vegetables and proteins. I’m definitely looking forward to my lunch the next few days!
Made this with a mix of hot and sweet Italian sausage tonight! Huge hit!
This looks delicious and super easy. The Kale is a great addition.
It’s such a great way to sneak in those greens!
Excellent recipe! I added a little more tomato sauce than called for. We added crushed red peppers and used chopped spinach instead of kale. We can’t wait to make it again! It’s a keeper!!
Ooooh so tasty and so easy!!! I had all the ingredients in my pantry and fridge. I used Trader Joe’s mini tortellini and cooked directly in the soup which actually thickened up the soup to the consistency to my liking. Thumbs up!!
How would this be prepared using non refrigerated tortellini?
It may take longer for the tortellini to cook through.
I made this recipe for my entire family and they gobbled it up. So delicious and easy to make. The only thing I may change next time will be to add a little more chicken stock since there is a lot of substance to the meal. It hit the spot without feeling overly full.
So, so, GOOD and easy to make! Just finished a bowl of leftovers and tastes even better today!
Made this tonight for dinner and it was amazing!!! Did not disappoint!
I made this for my bunco group. It was a huge hit!
I want to make this recipe with enough for a generous serving for 8 people, should I double or triple the recipe?
Doubling should be enough, but if you want to be safe and don’t mind potential leftovers, tripling should do the trick. 🙂