This sausage and tortellini soup is a one pot dinner made with Italian sausage, cheese filled pasta and a flavorful broth without heavy cream.
This sausage tortellini soup is built around ingredients that do real work. Italian sausage provides depth, tortellini adds structure and starch, and the broth thickens naturally as everything cooks together. Skipping the heavy cream keeps the soup lighter while still delivering the kind of comfort people expect from a bowl like this. It’s a recipe that works for busy weeknights, as well as meal prep.
reasons you’ll love this tortellini soup
- Rich without cream – The broth builds flavor from the browned sausage, veggies and starch from the pasta.
- One Pot – The tortellini cooks right in the soup making it super simple.
- Meal Prep Friendly – Maintains texture and flavor, making it a strong option for leftovers.
Ingredients for Sausage and Tortellini Soup
- Italian sausage: you can sub in other ground meats like ground beef, turkey or chicken, but I think Italian sausage adds the best flavor. If you opt for one of the other options you may need to increase the spices to make it more flavorful.
- Produce: onion, celery, garlic
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes: you can also use canned tomatoes with basil and garlic, but I think the fire roasted has the best flavor.
- Broth: chicken, beef or vegetable broth works. I prefer chicken broth.
- Spices: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Tortellini: any variety, but I used three cheese.
How to make Tortellini Soup
- Brown the Italian sausage over medium heat, in a large dutch oven or pot, breaking up as you go. Once the sausage is cooked through drain off any grease.
- Next, add the chopped onion, celery and garlic to the pot and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the drained tomatoes, spiced and broth. Stir well and bring the soup to a simmer.
- Once simmering, add the tortellini to the soup and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, according to the tortellini packaging. Once the tortellini is floating and is tender add salt and pepper to taste, remove the soup from the heat and serve.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container up to 4 days.
- Reheat: warm gently on the stovetop or microwave, stirring occasionally. If needed add a splash of water or broth to loosen.
- Freezing: I do not suggest freezing this soup once the tortellini has been added, it will not hold up well to freezing and thawing.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Deglaze the pot: scrape up the browned bits after cooking the sausage to keep that flavor in the soup.
- Add Tortellini Last: it only needs a few minutes, so add it last. This will prevent it from falling apart.
- Taste before salting: sausage, tortellini and tomatoes will all have some salt so give it a little taste before you add more.
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Creamy Tortellini Soup
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Equipment
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1 pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild italian sausage
- 1 large onion , chopped
- 1 cup celery , chopped
- 6 garlic cloves , smashed and roughly chopped
- 2 (15 ounce) cans fire roasted tomatoes , drained
- 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 32 ounces chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 package cheese tortellini pasta (9 ounce)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- ½ cup grated parmesan
Instructions
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In a large pot or Dutch oven brown the Italian sausage over medium heat, breaking up as you go.
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Once the sausage is cooked through drain off any grease.
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Add the onion, celery and garlic to the pot and sauté for 4-5 minutes until the onion has softened.
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Add the drained tomatoes, spiced and broth. Stir well and bring the soup to a simmer.
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Once the soup is simmering add the tortellini and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, according to the tortellini packaging.
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Once the tortellini is floating and is tender, stir in the heavy whipping cream and the spinach. It may be necessary to add the spinach one handful at a time.
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Stir in the parmesan, add salt and pepper to taste.