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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Delicious soup!!!!! I never leave reviews but this soup was amazing. I substituted turkey sausage and used the whole can of tomato sauce the 2nd time I made it and loved it felt like it was more creamy. You must make this soup
Scrumptious! This soup was absolutely amazing, thanks so much. I have been eating it for three days, and other than the tortellini having soaked up much of the liquid, it is still delicious. I am going to add some more chicken broth, right now it eats like a stew. Super hearty and soooo tasty.
This is a great recipe. It’s easily changed depending on what you may have on hand. I use frozen tortellini in a pinch, and I’ll throw everything into the crock pot for an hour to simmer. My favorite variation is a hearty primavera loaded with tender veggies and a hearty sauce. You can add some wine to give it an extra kick.
Easy and tasty. Prepared as written but used spinach instead of kale and added some chopped celery and carrots with the onion. This one is a keeper!
Going to try tonight and add sliced mushrooms along with the sausage. Will report back!
Please do! That sounds like a great addition.
easy and pretty good. I thought it was a little bland and added some creole seasoning.
Delicious. I’ve also substituted the sausage with left over rotisserie chicken, love then both.
Awesome! Just finished eating it and it was amazing. Full of flavor and so easy. I used spinach instead of kale. Will make it again.
Followed this recipe exactly (minus the fresh basil garnish because we don’t like basil) and it was UNBELIEVABLY good! I’ve already written the recipe into my homemade booklet of regular recipes! Thank you! Can’t wait to make it again for a group!
This was sooooo good! I liked that it only used a small can of tomato sauce so it was a lighter creamier tomato taste. I substituted the kale for spinach and added some freshly grated parmesan cheese to it. Delicious!! It will be a new regular go-to recipe for me.
This recipe was DELICIOUSLY good! I was a little concerned about my sauce not thickening, but once I put into bowls and served, I realized it was just perfect. If you are feeding a family of four or more, I’d recommend using a family size package of tortellini (I have a husband and two boys in the house). Three of us are vegetarians so I omitted the sausage altogether and it was absolutely divine. I also substituted kale for spinach. My husband, a huge meat eater, is such a champ when it comes to eating vegetarian, however, for this meal, I cooked chicken chorizo in a separate pan and added to his bowl once served – he LOVED it!
This was the BEST soup I have ever eaten! And I’m not even a sausage fan. Really good flavor! Love her recipes! Have made many, and love them all, but this is my favorite!
SO GOOD! i subbed coconut milk for the heavy cream and it was delish!!
This soup is absolutely amazing! It was a huge hit with everyone who had it. I will definitely be saving this recipe!
Glad it was a winner! Thanks, Emily.
I never write reviews but this deserves some recognition. This was delicious! A friend and I made it for a weeknight dinner and it did not disappoint. I will be making this one again soon for sure. Thank you for a great recipe!
We love it! Thanks, Sarah!
I’m in high altitude so most of my liquid evaporated.. lol it turned out a bit more like a goulosh, but none the less.. my husband informed me that it’s the most delicious soup he’s ever tasted. I thought it was pretty good too, but next time I’ll add an extra cup of broth.
I rarely write reviews for anything but I enjoyed this so much I had to share! I love that it’s both so delicious and so easy. I will be making it again soon!
Made for dinner last night. used spinach instead of kale with my recipe and OMG best i have ever had !!!! can’t wait to make more 🙂
Yummy combination of fresh ingredients to warm up on a cool late summer evening. I made my own tortellini stuffed with homemade lemon farmer’s cheese.Instead of kale I used arugula. The lemon, basil and tomatoes with the arugula was light and refreshing!
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.