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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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. 🙂
Aprox. How many calories per serving?
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
I made this soup for a friend who was having a baby. We did a make-ahead meals shower. She told me today that it was delicious and packed a lot of flavor! It makes a pretty good-sized batch of soup, so it was shared with their family for a baby-meeting party! I tasted it before putting it in a large, flat storage container and freezing it. I was impressed with the bright, lighter flavor of the soup. It isn’t heavy but it is filling. It was served with crusty bread and a salad dressed with lemon and oregano. I have had several requests for it and I made a batch for us, too. It will be on the regular rotation now. Thanks, Chungah!
That’s so sweet of you! What a great thing to do for a new mama! Thanks for sharing with us 🙂
Ridiculously good!! I used plain breakfast sausage and spinach. Seasoning is perfect! Will definitely be a go-to for something quick. Thank you!!
Awesome!
So yummy! My husband said it was the best soup he’s ever had. Our sons loved it too. Thanks for the recipe!
This is a delicious soup for a chilly evening. My husband doesn’t care for kale or garlic. Too bad, Minnesota boy! I threw everything the recipe called for in there-he devoured 2 bowls. I did use half and half, no salt tomato sauce, and low sodium chicken broth just because. Crusty French bread served with-loved it.
That’s so great!