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Hearty Sausage Tortellini Soup is packed with flavor and can easily be made on the stove or in a crockpot. It features chicken sausage, cheese tortellini and spinach and is a soup recipe that everyone will devour!
There’s nothing quite like a big bowl of homemade soup, especially when that soup includes pasta. Or, in this case, tortellini.
Adding pasta to soup is always a good idea, as shown in my vegan minestrone soup and chorizo sweet potato soup recipes. This sausage tortellini soup not only uses pasta, but cheese-filled pasta — yes please!
Recipe features
- Can be made on the stovetop in about 30 minutes, or in the slow cooker in about 4 hours — whatever you prefer!
- An incredibly hearty soup thanks to the cheese tortellini and sausage, a winning combo.
Ingredients
Italian chicken sausage – Use spicy sausage or mild sausage — whatever you prefer, just make sure to remove the casing. I used spicy chicken sausage and loved it. You could also use turkey sausage or pork sausage if you’d like.
Vegetables – A combination of onion, carrots and garlic are the aromatics used in this soup.
Seasoning – Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes are all you need! And salt of course.
Tomato sauce – Make sure to use canned tomato sauce with minimal added ingredients. Some canned sauces include extra spices, so try to get one that has minimal flavors added, like Muir Glen tomato sauce.
Chicken broth – Or sub vegetable broth if you’re out of chicken broth.
Cornstarch – Helps to thicken the soup a bit. All purpose flour is a good substitution.
Cheese tortellini – No substitution, since this is the main ingredient in this recipe.
Spinach – Make sure to roughly chop the baby spinach so you’re not getting large chunks of spinach when you eat the soup. Alternatively, you could use chopped kale instead.
Heavy cream – A little bit goes a long way and helps to make the soup a little creamy. Add the recommended amount, and then increase to taste. You could also sub half and half or whole milk.
Instructions
The instructions below are for the stovetop method. See “tips” section below for how to make this soup in the crockpot.
Step 1: Cook the sausage. Start by heating one tablespoon of oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, then add the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break it up and cook it until it’s browned and no longer pink, then remove with a slotted spoon.
Step 2: Sauté the veggies. Add the remaining oil, along with the onion and carrots and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute.
Step 3: Add the liquid ingredients and simmer. Add ¼ cup of the chicken broth to a small bowl, along with the cornstarch and whisk to combine. Next, pour the tomato sauce, the broth/cornstarch mix and remaining chicken broth into the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Combine and serve. Next, bring the soup back to a boil, then add in the tortellini and spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat slightly, then pour in the heavy cream, add the sausage back in and stir to combine. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top (optional) and enjoy!
Tips
- If you are going to used diced tomatoes, make sure to drain the liquid from the can first.
- Make it gluten free by using gluten free tortellini; make it vegetarian by using your favorite plant-based sausage and vegetable broth.
- Serve this soup alongside a simple green salad, like this arugula salad or fattoush salad.
Tip
You can use canned diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce if you prefer; however, I think the tomato sauce adds more flavor and enhances the creamy texture of the soup.
Crockpot method
- Cook the sausage in a skillet until browned, then transfer to your slow cooker.
- Add the onion, carrots, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth and cook on HIGH for 3 ½ hours.
- Whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1.5 tablespoon of water together in a small bowl, then pour it into the crockpot, along with the tortellini and spinach.
- Cook for 30-45 more minutes until the soup has thickened slightly and the tortellini is cooked.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer: If you want to freeze this soup, do so WITHOUT adding the tortellini, because cooked tortellini doesn’t freeze well. Instead, add the tortellini in when you’re reheating the soup over the stove.
NOTE: the tortellini will absorb some of the broth, so you’ll need to add additional broth to the soup when reheating.
More hearty soup recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Sausage Tortellini Soup
Hearty Sausage Tortellini Soup is packed with flavor and can easily be made on the stove or in a crockpot. It features chicken sausage, cheese tortellini and spinach and is a soup recipe that everyone will devour!
Servings:
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Instructions
For the stovetop version:
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Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat, then add the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break it up and cook the sausage until it’s browned, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
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Add the remaining oil to the pot, then add the onion and carrots and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute.
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In a small bowl, whisk ¼ cup chicken broth and the cornstarch together, then pour it into the pot, along with the tomato sauce and remaining chicken broth.
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Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Turn the heat back up to a boil, then add the tortellini and spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat, then add in the heavy cream and sausage back in and stir to combine. Do a quick taste and add additional salt if you’d like.
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Ladle soup into bowls, then serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top (optional). Enjoy!
For the crockpot version:
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Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break it up and cook until browned, then transfer to the crockpot.
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Add the onion, carrots, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, red pepper flakes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth to the slow cooker and cook for 3.5 hours oh HIGH.
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Next, whisk the cornstarch and 1.5 tablespoons of water together to create a slurry, then pour it into the crockpot, along with the tortellini and spinach and cook for 30-45 more minutes until the soup has thickened slightly and the tortellini is cooked.
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Ladle the soup into bowls and add a sprinkle of parmesan on top (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
*Calories are per serving and are an estimation.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 407kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 2077mg | Potassium: 395mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5113IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 3mg
