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!
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Cold weather comfort food is here and I feel like we are finally on the same page again!
Don’t get me wrong, I have big love for summer grilling (though I’m not quite as good at grilling as I am at soup-making 😉 ) and ice cream and cool treats.
But I feel like I do Fall and Winter just a bit better than I do Spring and Summer. And now we can all make soup and bake every day, and I am 100% happy about that.
I’ve posted a few soup recipes around here in the last month or two, like this Creamy Italian Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup and this Instant Pot Potato Soup (among others, but this list could get long!), and I’m adding this Sausage Tortellini Soup to the family because it deserves to be here.
It is hearty.
It is so full of flavor, you won’t even believe it.
It’s healthy (and can be made healthier if that’s your jam).
You can even make a big batch and stick some in the freezer (just be aware that pasta gets softer after being frozen).
Tips and Tricks for Making this Sausage Tortellini Soup:
- Hot Italian sausage can be very spicy, so be sure to use mild if you prefer a milder flavor. I didn’t add a lot of extra spices to the soup because the sausage gives so much flavor.
- You can use fresh or frozen tortellini to make this soup. I use fresh, so just take into account the required cook time for the pasta when making your soup. Frozen tortellini may cool down your soup and take longer to come back up to a simmer.
- If you have a leftover Parmesan rind, feel free to throw that in the soup as it simmers for some incredible flavor!
- 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.
How to freeze Sausage 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.
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.
Sausage Tortellini Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage mild or spicy (no casings)
- 3 large carrots peeled and diced
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 rib celery finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 798 ml can diced tomatoes (28oz)
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 250 grams fresh cheese tortellini about 3 cups
Instructions
- Add Italian sausage to a large soup pot and cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain any excess fat.
- Add carrots, onion and celery. Cook and stir until onion has softened.
- Add Italian seasoning, garlic and salt and cook 1 minute.
- Add broth, tomatoes and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until carrots are almost tender.
- Stir in tortellini. Cover and simmer for 5-6 minutes until tender. Serve.
Nutrition Information
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Jess says
I know this was posted a couple years ago but I’m still going to ask a question lol I want to make this and noticed someone mentioned make it spinach- how much can I add of either ingredient? I didn’t see it on there but would love to add some kale! Oh and I’m a total beginner with cooking if you couldn’t tell 😂 thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Jess! That is totally fine, I do my best to respond to all comments 🙂 The recipe is really flexible! I would start with one big handful, and if you want to add more once you stir it in you definitely can! The kale will cook almost instantly, so it’s easy to just add a bit at a time and go from there.
Dyann Berndt says
Fast, easy, and, best of all, it’s super delicious! (The only thing I did differently was I threw a parmesan cheese rind in with the liquid.)
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Anna Herren says
Made tonight for myself and 3 kids – 10, 13 & 15. We all loved it! Followed recipe pretty closely. Definitely adding it into the “make again” pile.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Anna!
Tiffany English says
I was wondering if I could use kale instead of spinach?
Ashley Fehr says
Definitely!
Diane V Reiter says
I made this today for a socially-isolated outdoor luncheon – we had 10 people so I doubled the recipe. OMG – it was such a hit. I served it with focaccia bread. It’s all gone – people took some home.
I did add fresh basil. As I don’t cook sausage very often, I did not remove the casing as that wasn’t in the instructions – it just said to cook it – I would suggest you add “I lb. Italian sausage, casing removed” to clarify – I did see it later when I watched the video. I cooked the sausage and then cut it into smaller pieces.
I would make this again.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Diane! I’m so glad it was a hit! I purchase Italian sausage like you would buy ground beef, no casings so none to remove. I will make a note to avoid confusion 🙂
Ellen Stanikmas says
OMG! This soup is delicious! And of course its the best day to make it. Here in Massachusetts we have gotten our first snow storm, Hubby just lit a fire, snowing, and a pot of delicious soup of the stove top with some crusty Italian bread. Does it get any better???!!!!! 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
That sounds like the perfect day to me!
Shannon says
Delicious! I’ll definitely be making this soup again!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Shannon!
Kay DeBolt says
WOW! So easy to make and ever so tasty. Followed exact recipe, although only used half an onion. Truly a stand out soup and was perfect for cold & rainy day.
Served with cornbread muffins. Yum!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kay! It’s one of our favorites!
Robin C Pauls says
I’m going to make this without sausage. It should be very good
Nicole says
This was so easy and delicious! I didn’t have carrots, so I added a bit of zucchini when I added the tortellini. I will definitely make this again and again!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Nicole! Zucchini is a great addition
Charetta Howell says
Tried this today, used zucchini instead of celery and it was a hit. So delicious and hearty. I will definitely make this again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Charetta! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Mark Bodie says
This was absolutely delicious! We needed more soup though.
Jo says
Thank you!! This was grrrreat! And, it’s easy to make! I skipped the Italian seasoning to make it more kid friendly, and they loved it!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jo!
Kristan says
Loved the Tortellini soup! Very tasty! I added mushrooms instead of celery. Thank you!😊
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kristan!
Holly says
Can this be made in crockpot for how many hours
Thanks
Ashley Fehr says
Yes it could if you cook the sausage first. I would cook everything except the pasta together on low for 6-7 hours, then add the pasta for 30-60 minutes.
Dee Lawhon says
This sounds so Delicious!! Do you think I could substitute the spinach with cabbage??
Ashley Fehr says
Definitely! Cabbage will just cook quite a bit longer
DW says
Delicious, hearty & healthy. My picky 15 yo son couldn’t get enough of this! I did add white canellini beans for more protein. Served with a side Caesar salad and rolls. Awesome dinner!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad it went over well!
Michelle says
White canellini beans are perfect in this soup. I also added half bag of baby spinach. Terrific! Thanks for the idea.
Alicia says
I’ve made this soup a couple times and it is wonderful!! Whole family loved it!! I like to use some fresh grated Parmesan in my bowl.
The first time, I used mild Italian sausage and fresh tri-color tortellini purchased at Aldi.
The second time, those items were Johnsonville brand mild Italian sausage and Great Value brand frozen tortellini.
The first batch was the best!! The fresh tortellini from Aldi had a much better-tasting filling, and the soup looked so colorful and delicious to my family!
I always try to have the ingredients on hand because it is so easy to make!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Alicia! I’m so happy to hear that!
Teri Manning says
Made this soup this afternoon on a cold, rainy day. Perfect! Thanks so much.
Teri from Dallas
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Teri!
Desiree says
This looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it !! Do you cook the tortellini in the soup or do you cook it prior, to putting it in the soup ?
Ashley Fehr says
I cook it in the soup!
Sharolyn says
So delicious!! I added a can of drained red kidney beans and spinach stirred in at the end. Will definitely be keeping this recipe to make again and again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Sharolyn!
Skye says
Love this recipe – the spicier the better. Leftovers taste great as well. I’ve added kale in the past too, excited to try mushrooms next!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Skye!
Jen says
I love how easily this soup comes together. I always get the double pack of tortellini from Costco and this is a great way to use up one of the packages and give my family a different meal. It’s so delicious!
Ashley Fehr says
Yes! I love having a stash in the freezer!