If you love cozy, restaurant style soups, this creamy tortellini soup brings bold flavor with minimal effort.
When you need a dinner that feels comforting but still works for real life, this creamy tortellini soup checks the boxes. It's hearty enough to satisfy big appetites, familiar enough that picky eaters don't push it aside, and flexible enough for leftovers. The combination of browned Italian sausage, veggies, pasta and rich cream creates a complete meal in one pot, so you're not scrambling to add sides. This is the kind f soup that solves the "what's for dinner" problem without creating new ones.
reasons you'll love this creamy tortellini soup
- Complete Meal - Italian sausage, vegetables, cheese filled pasta cook together into a filling dinner with no extra sides needed.
- Balanced - Heavy cream adds a touch of richness, but without overpowering the broth or fire roasted tomatoes.
- Holds up - Reheats well for leftovers
Ingredients for Creamy 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.
- Cheese Filled Tortellini: any variety, but I used three cheese.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: half and half will also work, but you do increase your risk of curdling when you reduce the fat content.
- Spinach: you can use kale if you prefer.
- Parmesan: top things off with a good quality parmesan.
How to make the best Creamy Tortellini Soup
- Begin by browning 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 to 4 minutes, according to the tortellini packaging.
- Once the tortellini is floating and is tender stir in the heavy whipping creamy and spinach. You may need to add the spinach one handful at a time. Add the parmesan and stir well.
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
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
- In a large pot or Dutch oven brown the Italian sausage over medium heat, breaking up as you go.
- Once the sausage is cooked through drain off any grease.
- Add the 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 the soup is simmering add the tortellini and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, according to the tortellini packaging.
- 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.
- Stir in the parmesan, add salt and pepper to taste.
Tips:
Nutrition Information
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Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
