The Cozy Cook

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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!

A bowl of creamy sausage tortellini soup with kale and a spoon.

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.

A pot with ground sausage and onions with chicken broth and half and half being added.

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.

Adding kale and tortellini to Sausage Tortellini Soup.

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!

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.

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Sausage Tortellini Soup in a soup bowl with kale, spinach, sausage, and broth.

Sausage Tortellini Soup

4.99 from 627 ratings
This creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup is a 30 minute meal that’s easy to make with sausage, kale, simple seasonings, broth, and cream!

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

Pro Tips:
  • 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!

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 314kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 836mg, Potassium: 318mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 1736IU, Vitamin C: 26mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 2mg
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1,446 comments on “Sausage Tortellini Soup”

  1. This soup was fabulous. The flavor is wonderful for being a relatively simple ingredient list! I made the recipe as written with the exception of adding extra tortellini (about 5.5 cups instead of 2). My family likes a thick soup!  Wonderful recipe I will make again and share! Thank you!

  2. Excellent soup! I snuck in a few extra veggies like 1/2 red & yellow peppers, broccoli stems and spinach at the end of cooking. Followed dry ingredients and it was perfect!

  3. Absolutely delicious! I used spinach instead of kale. This turned into my husbands favorite soup! I try to make homemade breadsticks to pair with the soup. Question: have you tried keeping this soup in the crock pot after making on the stove? Does the tortellini get too soft when heated in crock pot? 

    • Hi Heidi, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the soup! I think the tortellini would be very prone to becoming too soft and maybe even falling apart if transferred to the crock pot and heated.

  4. This was amazing. Add potatoes instead of tortellini and it is the best zuppa Toscana copycat that I have tried. Thank you!

  5. Stephanie, sounds delicious and this soup will be on my next weeks menu, so I needed to clarify something…do you use regular sausage, such as – pork, breakfast or sage type sausage or do you use Italian sausage? Makes a big difference. I think both sound yummy…I would probably go with hot Italian turkey sausage. Thank you, have a very, Merry Christmas!!

  6. Sounds so good. Is this made with a breakfast sausage? 

  7. This is one of the best soups ever, my family absolutely loved it.  The flavor is fantastic and so very creamy.  The recipe makes a lot, we froze half, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator and heated it slowly so the cream wouldn’t curdle.  It was perfect!!  I will make this again.

  8. Delicious and even better the next day!

  9. This recipe was AMAZING! I did use hot sausage and spinach vs kale. Great flavors. Definitely will make again and even double for larger groups!!  The mustard and hot sauce (franks) is a MUST!!! 

    • Spinach is definitely a great substitute for the Kale. My husband isn’t much of a Kale fan so I make it with spinach too sometimes. I’m so happy you enjoyed it Jana! And I agree, the mustard and hot sauce are a must! Thanks so much for the great review❤️

  10. This is one of the best recipes ever I have found online. My cousin made it for a gathering at my home and I couldn’t get enough of it! She shared the recipe with me and I am getting ready to make it a second time today. The first time I made it, my husband and I loved it so much, we were sad when we ate the last of it! This soup definitely is a staple soup for our family going forward. The spiciness of the sausage, cayenne and pepper flakes will warm you up nicely on a chilly day. I am so glad to have this recipe!

    • Yayyy! I’m so happy you found this recipe Cathleen!😃 It’s so great to hear you cousin shared the recipe with you. It’s one of my favorite soups for a chilly day, definitely a cozy one! Thanks so much for the great comments and for your support!

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