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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This is one of my husbands favorite soups. He requests it often. It’s delicious with his homemade sausage. I use baby spinach instead of kale as my husband is not a huge kale fan. But this is a fabulous recipe
This is absolutely delicious. I followed a few of the commenters suggestions and used the fire roasted tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce, and our local store only had chicken and bacon tortellini and it was yummy and I added the 4 carrots and 2 stalks of celery as someone suggested. I have doubled the ingredients, except for the meat, because of what I had on hand. My husband LOVES this soup and is always happy when I tell him it’s on the dinner menu. Our home is Sonoma, Ca. so wine is a must while making the soup. Love it and thanks for sharing.
This was amazing!!! I used baby spinach (that’s what I had, plus I’m not a big fan of kale). I bought mild sausage by mistake, so I added some red pepper flakes to add some heat. Fabulous!
This recipe is amazing! I usually add around double the tomato sauce so it’s not as brothy, and I make sure there’s enough flour to soak up the oil. Also, I’ll add Calabrian chili peppers and/or red pepper flakes for spice. Spinach also works as a great substitute for the kale.
This is possibly the best soup I’ve ever made. I mean really. Mind blowing good.
Only change I made was fire roasted tomatoes for tomato sauce.
Also, kale takes longer than 2 min to be tender. Other than that, perfection!
Simply delicious I used spinach instead of kale because I had it handy and needed to use it
I also added Portabella mushrooms
Simply delicious
Great recipe! Sausage was past the best by date so I quartered Trader Joe’s chicken meatballs that are pre-cooked and substituted baby spinach as I don’t like kale
This Recipe is one of my favorite soups for a quick dinner, so delicious and easy! I’ve made it so often I know it by heart. Thank you so much for a great staple in my repertoire. I love your recipes and have your first cook book. Love you so much, thank you, thank you, thank you!
I made this for dinner and it was amazing. I used turkey sausage and spinach and it turned out great. This recipe is a keeper.
This is absolutely the most delicious thing I have ever made!!! My husband’s mouth waters every time I say I am making this. I’ve made this many time for family and friends and they all love it. I use spicy sausage i like the little kick it gives it. It’s so simple and good. Actually making it again today.
Fabulous and easy! Used mild sausage and added about 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes with seasoning for a little kick. Separated tortellini so I could cook use some for dinner tonight and then left some uncooked to freeze with leftovers for next meal. Thank you.
I made so many mistakes making this it was as if I was trying to ruin it. No dice. Delicious! Can’t wait to try again with all the ingredients and make in proper order!
This was delicious. I followed most of the recipe. Here were my adjustments- I used 5 cloves of garlic, omitted the flour (seemed unnecessary) and I used a 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed them before adding. I used spinach instead of kale. Served this with warm Italian bread and it was a hit! Next time I’d add some crushed red pepper to the seasoning before adding the liquid. Or I could use spicy Italian sausage. Definitely add fresh basil! It adds a freshness to the dish. Could also garnish with freshly grated Parmesan
Full disclosure – I HATE cooking. I used to love it, but I have a very picky husband who over 42 years of marriage took the joy out of it for me. He dislikes nearly every ingredient in this recipe. But, we were both sick with a cold and I decided to try it anyway for myself. He absolutely LOVES this soup! SHOCKER!!! I had a bag of fresh kale and spinach mixed. I forgot to cut off the stems, but it didn’t matter. We ate this soup for three days straight. I don’t know if you can freeze the base and just add the tortellini, but if you can, I will prepare and freeze a lot of this for next winter. Anyone can make this – its easy. And if my husband likes it, everyone will.
This was DELICIOUS! I like it spicy so used hot Italian sausage and a can of fire roasted tomatoes with 1/2 can tomato paste! Will definitely make again! Thank you for such a great recipe!
I have been making this regularly for the past 3 years! It’s quick, easy and tasty. I use a bag of frozen kale.
Amazing soup. We started making this last year for neighbors who had Covid or bronchitis and it is our neighborhood miracle soup. Must be the chicken stock and garlic along with the yummy flavors but everyone swears they feel better after a meal of this with bread and fruit. It’s on our regular rotation and we never tire of it
Can I used ground sausage instead?
Yes! I use Publix ground Italian sausage – mild or hot – both are great
Made this for dinner on Sunday and it was super delicious!
I made it three times already, great soup for cold days. Love serving with French bread to sop up the juices in the bowl. Awesome recipe!