This Sausage Tortellini Soup is a tomato-based soup loaded with vegetables, Italian sausage and cheese tortellini. It’s the perfect cold weather soup and freezer friendly!
Got extra Italian sausage? Try my Italian Sausage Soup, this cozy Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage or this hearty Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup!
Table of Contents
This Sausage Tortellini Soup is the ultimate comfort food!
It’s big on flavor, thick and chunky, loaded with vegetables and tender cheese tortellini. Just don’t forget the crusty bread! (Or make a loaf of Cheesy Garlic Bread for Cheddar Bay Biscuits for dunking).
What we love about this Tortellini Soup:
- It’s hearty and filling — it really is a meal in one pot!
- It’s big on flavor – thanks to Italian sausage.
- It’s a well-rounded meal — with carbs, protein and veggies all in one pot.
- It’s made in one pot, which means less to scrub!
You can even make a big batch and stick some in the freezer — just leave out the tortellini until you’re serving it.
See what people are saying:
“This recipe is fabulous! I didn’t have Italian seasoning, so I just threw in some basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, as well as some red pepper and a couple of cloves of minced garlic. I was also low on tortellini, so I added half a package of gnocchi as well. My husband, sister, and myself all loved it! My sister even requested the recipe!” — Rachel
Sausage Tortellini Soup Ingredients:
- Italian sausage: you can use mild or spicy sausage here depending on your tastes! Italian turkey sausage also works well.
- Carrots, onion, celery: a classic mirepoix which is the base for many soup recipes. I don’t recommend substituting any of these ingredients unless you have to!
- Italian seasoning, garlic, salt: I kept my seasonings simple because the sausage adds so much flavor! Feel free to add or experiment as you like.
- Chicken broth: I always start with low sodium chicken broth and add salt as needed. If you start with salted broth, you may not need to add as much salt.
- Diced tomatoes and tomato sauce: Diced tomatoes add texture but you can swap them for crushed tomatoes if you prefer. Choose any marinara or tomato sauce that you enjoy — it will thicken the soup slightly and add lots of tomato flavor!
- Cheese tortellini: fresh or frozen works just fine here! You could substitute with another cheese-filled pasta if you prefer.
How to make Sausage Tortellini Soup:
This soup is easily made in one pot! Here is a brief overview with step by step photos. Find the complete recipe down in the recipe card.
- Brown Italian sausage and saute the vegetables. Add garlic and seasonings to toast briefly.
- Add the broth and tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
- Add tortellini and cook just until al dente.
- Stir in spinach if using.
How to freeze tortellini soup:
This soup can definitely be frozen! Keep in mind that pasta gets soft after being frozen, so if that’s not your thing then you may want to leave the pasta out until you’re ready to serve.
To freeze, simply cool to room temperature, then place in a large freezer bag or freezer container. I prefer to use freezer bags because they can be frozen flat and thaw out quickly in some lukewarm water.
Prep this soup ahead
You can prep this soup ahead by chopping all of your vegetables.
You can also cook the soup right through up until the point where you add the pasta, then cool and refrigerate and simply reheat and add the pasta before serving.
Variations on this Sausage Tortellini Soup:
- To make this Sausage Tortellini Soup dairy-free, omit the cheese tortellini and substitute regular pasta, and be sure to double check all of your ingredients.
- To make this soup gluten-free, omit the pasta and substitute gluten-free pasta or gluten-free tortellini if available.
- You can certainly add more veggies or swap mine out for the ones your family prefers: peppers, mushrooms, or zucchini would also be great in here!
- To make this soup even leaner, choose Italian turkey sausage instead of regular pork sausage.
- If you have a leftover Parmesan rind, feel free to throw that in the soup as it simmers for some incredible flavor!
The BEST Sausage Tortellini Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
- 3 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 1 rib celery (finely chopped)
- 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juice (28oz or 798ml)
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 3 cups fresh or frozen cheese tortellini (9oz or 250g)
- 2 cups fresh (chopped spinach)
- Grated Parmesan cheese optional
- Fresh chopped parsley optional
Instructions
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook and stir the sausage over medium-high heat until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the carrots, onion, and celery. Cook and stir until the onion has softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, and marinara sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the carrots are almost tender.
- Stir in the tortellini. Cover and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente.
- Stir in the spinach, then taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Serve with the Parmesan and parsley, if desired.
Nutrition Information
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Paulo Baptista says
Amazing recipe. It’s my go to when I think of a hearty soup. Got some cooking as I type. You’d be a fool not to give this a try
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Paulo!
Christin says
Turned out great & was quick and easy! One thing I wasn’t sure of was if I was supposed to drain the diced tomatoes, so I drained 1 can, then didn’t drain the other (My local grocer didn’t have a 28 oz can so I got 2 small cans). I think next time I’ll drain both, as it was a bit more liquid-y than I wanted. But I just added a little bit of flour to thicken it up & a tiny bit of half and half. Forgot to buy garlic, but I just used garlic powder in its place, & it worked fine. It made a lot of soup, so I’ll definitely have leftovers to freeze!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Christin! I don’t drain any of the tomatoes when I make it.
David Burton says
I’ve made this for my family about 5 (maybe 6) times now. The recipe is excellent as written. That’s how I’ve made it every time but once. I’ve tried it with spicy sausage and with mild. My family likes both, but we prefer mild.
Once I made it with chorizo, and used Ro Tel diced tomatoes – for a sort of a “south-of-the-border” variation. It was also delicious. Some of the family preferred it to the original – most did not.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing David! I’m glad it’s been a favorite!
Antoinette Sarubbi says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Antoinette!
Judy P says
I love this soup. I don’t change a thing! Have made once a month for past 3 months!
I put in 4 cups of broth once, when I didn’t have a need for it, and didn’t want to throw away. Still delicious.
Once I had more tortellini, to use up, so put it in, still the same. Delicious
Ashley Fehr says
THanks Judy!
Tren says
We loved this soup! We made a vegan version using Lightlife plant based ground sausage that I seasoned with crushed fennel and Italian seasoning. I also used veggie broth instead of chicken broth, and used Kite Hill vegan tortellini. I left out the onion because my husband hates onions, so I added a teaspoon of onion powder as well.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Linda says
I have made this several times now and it is delicious. I haven’t changed anything and we love it!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Linda!
Teresa Lynn Cratty says
Stellar recipe I did use hot Italian sausage and had just the right bite I’ll be putting this on my list for make again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Teresa!
Jamie says
I found this recipe back in 2020 and have been obsessed ever since. Quickly became a family favorite and I’ve shared the recipe with so many people.
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Jamie!
Alexandria Taylor says
This was a very good recipe. I did make a few tweaks to make it more to my taste. I do personally prefer when there’s something to balance out the acidity in my tomato-based soups. If anyone is interested, I’ll list my tweaks below:
1.) used 1/2 lbs more Italian sausage than the recipe calls for
2.) used shredded carrots instead of diced (the soup is easier to eat this way because the tortellini already takes up a lot of space on the spoon)
3.) added 2 tbsp cake flour to the meat and veggie mix (next alteration explains why)
4.) used 64oz (2 boxes) of chicken broth Instead of the 24oz that the recipe calls for . This is why I added the flour to the meat and veggie mixture. It didn’t make the soup thick, it just added some of the body that was lost due to the extra liquid)
5.)added an extra can of crushed tomatoes (because, yummy!)
6.) added 1 cup of heavy cream after the tortellinis were finished cooking. (This helped balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and add back some richness that was lost when adding the extra broth)
The resulting soup had much more liquid, and was not as rich and thick as the original recipe. This is just what my family prefers and this recipe was a really great base for what I was looking for! Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing!
Michele says
I wasn’t sure when to add marinara sauce? Didn’t add it. Tasted great!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m glad you liked it! You’ll add it in step 4
Barbara says
Loved it. Had to change because of my grocery order: more spice – I didn’t get my spicy Italian sausage.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Barbara!