Sausage Tortellini Soup
This creamy sausage tortellini soup is a 30 minute meal that’s easy to make with sausage, kale, simple seasonings, broth, and cream!
Be sure to serve this with a side of Garlic Bread with Cheese or Biscuits!
Sausage Tortellini Soup
Wait until you taste this soup. This is one you will undoubtedly add to your favorite list of soup recipes, especially because it’s a 30-minute meal that’s got vegetables, protein, and pasta all in one bowl!
You may scratch your head when you see that I’ve got hot sauce and mustard powder on the ingredients list, but trust me. They enhance the other flavors in the recipe and add a very subtle touch that creates a great base for this soup. Once you try it, you’ll see what I mean!
Check out my PRO tips below on how to add even more flavor to this soup, and what you can use if you don’t have kale on hand!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook the sausage, onions, and garlic. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add basil, oregano, hot sauce, mustard powder, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Add kale and tortellini. Cook 3-5 minutes. Taste and add salt if desired. Transfer to serving bowls and add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Pro Tips
- For even more flavor, add the rind from a block of Parmesan or Romano cheese when you add the broth and let it simmer and flavor the soup. If any remains at the end of cooking, it can be discarded. Salt will likely not need to be added if you do this.
- 2-3 cups of Spinach can be used instead of kale, stir it in once the tortellini is cooked and let it wilt, about 30 seconds. If you use frozen spinach, let it thaw and pat it dry prior to adding it.
- I use RANA refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini for this recipe. I also use Texas Pete hot sauce or Frank’s Hot Sauce.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 51!
- For a similar recipe with a twist, try my Sausage Gnocchi Soup! And be sure to try my Marry Me Chicken Soup as well- it also has tortellini!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3+ months.
- Note that the tortellini will continue to absorb broth during storage. I recommend boiling the tortellini separately and add it directly to serving bowls if you plan on having leftovers.
- Be sure to try my chicken tortellini soup recipe next!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 4 quart Soup Pot: The perfect size for this recipe.
- Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
- Kitchen Scale: In case you need to weigh the sausage. (I use this all the time.)
- Measuring Spoons– To measure out the seasonings.
- Pinch Bowls– I measure out my seasonings ahead of time and add them to these small bowls so they’re ready to go when it’s time to add them.
- 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
Try These Next
- Clam Chowder
- Tomato Basil Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Pasta Primavera
- Meatball Soup
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sausage Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage, hot or mild
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 pinch cayenne, optional
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups kale, chopped
- 2 cups tortellini, just under 10 oz. (refrigerated or frozen)
- Salt/ to taste
Instructions
- Note: The mustard powder and hot sauce are so subtle in this soup but help enhance the other flavors, so although you may be hesitant to add them, I highly recommend it!
- Remove the casings from the sausage if you purchased links. Cook and crumble the sausage and diced onions over medium-high heat until the onions are softened and the sausage is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Drain grease. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Add basil, oregano, cayenne, hot sauce, mustard powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
- Add the kale and tortellini and simmer for 3-5 minutes. (If your tortellini needs longer cooking time, add the tortellini first, then the kale during the last 5 minutes.)
- Taste the soup and add salt if desired. Start with ¼ tsp and add more after that if needed.
- Transfer to serving bowls and serve! (This is great with Garlic Bread with Cheese!)
Notes
- I use RANA refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini for this recipe. I also use Texas Pete hot sauce or Frank's Hot Sauce.
- For even more flavor, add the rind from a block of Parmesan or Romano cheese when you add the broth and let it simmer and flavor the soup. If any remains at the end of cooking, it can be discarded. Salt will likely not need to be added if you do this.
- 2-3 cups of Spinach can be used instead of kale, stir it in once the tortellini is cooked and let it wilt, about 30 seconds.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 51!
- For a similar recipe with a twist, try my Sausage Gnocchi Soup! And be sure to try my Marry Me Chicken Soup as well- it also has tortellini!
Crock Pot Method:
- Brown the sausage/onions on the stove top and add the flour as outlined in steps 2 + 3.
- Transfer everything except for the cream, tortellini, and spinach to the slow cooker.
- Cook it on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-7.
- Stir in the kale toward the end and let that heat up for 10-15 minutes.
- Turn heat off. Temper the cream in the microwave for 45 seconds and stir it in slowly>
- Add cooked tortellini to serving bowls and ladle soup on top!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3+ months.
- Note that the tortellini will continue to absorb broth during storage. I recommend boiling the tortellini separately and add it directly to serving bowls if you plan on having leftovers.
- Be sure to try my chicken tortellini soup recipe next!
Nutritional information an estimate and is per serving. Each serving is 1 cup, and this recipe makes approximately 10 cups.
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this recipe has become a favorite in my house wether we need a comfort meal or a warm soup on a cold day i’m always asked to make this!
I’m so happy to hear that Jersey! Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it!
Love this recipe but it was blocked on Pinterest because of suspected spam. I am glad I found this online again but when I try to re-pin I get the same error message. Hopefully you can get this fixed, it’s delicious and we’ve made it for years and shared it a lot.
Hi Alice! This is a known Pinterest-wide issue as of today, and it’s not something that I can control. If you check out other sites, it does the same for them. I honestly don’t recommend relying on Pinterest as a recipe-saving site at this point, I hate to say it. But I’m so glad that you enjoy the recipe!
Interested in making the soup but I only have uncooked tortellini. How would I go about using that?
Hi Autumn! The tortellini is uncooked in this recipe as well. It cooks in the soup, or you can boil it on the side and add it directly to serving bowls, then ladle the soup on top. Enjoy!
I don’t have cream, just regular milk. Would that work?
Hi Barb! The cream adds a rich element to the soup and the milk may almost water it down a bit. You could add a little but it’s not quite the same. ❤️
We LOVE this soup! It’s my picky husbands favorite … I want to make it for a family function tonight but my dad can’t eat pork. Do you think rotisserie chicken would still be good? Would it take away from the flavor of the soup?
Thank you!
Hi Maddie! I’m so glad that you love the soup!! The soup gets a TON of its flavor from the sausage, since sausage is so well seasoned and savory. I think a pork-less turkey sausage might be a better substitute. Rotisserie chicken would work, it just won’t be quite the same. Happy New Year!
We love this recipe! We can’t make it as often because my boyfriend is lactose intolerant and the cream bothers him. Is there an alternative to use for the cream?
I’m so happy that you love it Gracie! There are definitely dairy free alternatives for cream at the grocery store, I don’t have a favorite brand as I don’t use them, but it can be used for this recipe!
This was delish! I am sensitive to spicy food and still added all the heat ingredients. They really do enhance the flavor. Kids loved it too. Everyone said it’s a keeper. Thanks so much! Very simple and quick too. Always an added bonus.
You’re very welcome Tori! I’m so happy everyone said it’s a keeper!! Thanks for the review!!
I needed a quick warm meal for a cold afternoon and this recipe hit the spot! Thank you for sharing your talent with us.
I’m sooo happy that this soup hit the spot Belinda!! Thank you so much for the review, I really appreciate it!! 🙂 -Stephanie
Fantastic recipe! We all loved it. I had spinach on hand instead of kale and it was delicious.
I’m so happy that it was a hit!! I love making this with spinach too, so good! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! 🙂 -Stephanie
I thought I ought to add to my earlier comment that this is the third time I’ve had this soup, after the recipe was sent to me by a friend INSISTING I try it. I have since eaten it with 3 other friends, all of whom raved about it and wanted the recipe. A 5 star recipe from all of us. Make the soup!!!
I’m so happy it was enjoyed by all Vicki, thanks so much for taking the time to share that!!💖💖💖