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!
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
Get My Free Meal Plan
I’ve got a Free Meal Plan with 7 of my super popular recipes (complete with grocery list)! Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it over now along with weekly dinner recipes!
And follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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!
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.
Wonderful…..and just like your other soup we love…just enough heat without going overboard!
Thanks so much Rebecca! It’s probably my favorite soup which is a bold statement, so I’m so happy you’re enjoying it too! Thanks so much for the review!💖
Halved this recipe and absolutely loved it! Definitely will make it again. Didn’t have mustard powder, so I ground up some mustard seeds, and that seemed to work just fine. Amazing flavor!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and leave a review Jess, I’m so happy this was a success!❤️
Hey there, Jess commenting again! I do want to make an update for anyone who sees this and emphasize the note left by the author.
I definitely recommend plucking out the tortellini because on day two of the soup being in my fridge, they had absorbed most of the liquid. (still really great to eat, but more like a pasta than soup now!)
It still tastes amazing, and the flavors are incredible, but if you are really looking for the soup to be soupy, pull out the tortellini and separate if you plan on having leftovers.
(I probably won’t in the future because I am a bit lazy and don’t mind!)
HI Jess! That you for reinforcing that point for others, I always boil my tortellini on the side and put them into serving bowls, then I ladle the soup on top! I LOVE a brothy soup! 🙂
We loved this soup! Easy to make and so delicious!
I’m so happy you guys loved it Lori, thanks so much for leaving a review!💖
Another five stars for a great recipe! I did the crockpot version with spicy sausage and it came out great. It was definitely more brothy than I anticipated, but it was delicious. Served it with Italian bread. Thanks so much!
You’re very welcome Rachel! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it using the crock pot method, with spicy sausage, yummm!😋 Thanks so much for the great review!💖
Sooooo good! Delicious ! I’m so excited to have it again tomorrow !
I’m so happy you’re enjoying the soup Adrien! I love leftovers with this soup. Thanks so much for the great review, enjoy the leftovers!💖
fabulous!
Yayyy! Thanks so much Susan!💖
Even better as left overs! I like to add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and some shredded Parmesan cheese. So good!
I love the leftovers too💖! I’m so happy you’re enjoying this one Lindsey, some Worcestershire and parmesan cheese are great additions!
I have made this recipe twice and me, my husband and mother in law LOVE it! I just recently decided to go keto. So for me I will leave out the Tortellini. I was also wondering if subbing Almond flour would be ok?
I am so happy that you love the soup April! Almond flour should work just fine!! 🙂
My fam loved this soup so much! And believe me when I say my 21 year old son who is a very accomplished cook loved the soup….it was a huge compliment! Finally, no constructive criticism 😂 Thank you!
Wow I’m so happy your son approved Kelley, nice work! This soup is one of my favorites, thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💖
I just made this for the first time. I followed the recipe exactly minus the cayenne pepper. I loved it! My kids thought it was a little spicy, so I plan to use mild sausage next time (I did hot because I love spice and thought if I didn’t add the Cayenne pepper, it would be fine). But I will definitely throw this in my rotation. So so good! Thank you for an awesome recipe 😊
You’re very welcome Johanna, I’m so happy it was a hit. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!❤️