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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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. 🙂
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!