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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Want to save this recipe?
Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.
Tried this recipe?
Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!
Tag @thereciperebel
Michelle says
This was delicious! Definitely hit the spot and very filling. Will be adding it to the rotation this winter!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Michelle!
Lauri says
I just made this soup and it turned out great with a couple of changes. I used Campbells Chicken Broth and omitted the extra salt. I omitted the garlic because I’m not a fan of garlic. I added extra oregano and 2 tbs. of sugar to cut the acid from the tomatoes. Turned out great!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing Lauri!
Lauri says
Hey Ashley don’t know how I missed it but never saw the one cup of marinara sauce . I wanted to let you know this time I added some heavy whipping cream to turn it into a creamy soup. Didn’t add the marinara because I didn’t have any. Omgosh it’s amazing!! Thankyou for such a great recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
I love that idea! Thanks for sharing!
Lauri says
I thought it said tomato sauce instead of marinara so I used that lol. Wish our comments had an edit button.
Susie says
Can this be made in crockpot?
Ashley Fehr says
Absolutely! I would brown the sausage in a skillet first and then add all of the ingredients up until the tortellini. I would add the tortellini about 15-20 minutes before serving.
Stacey says
How long in the crockpot?
Ashley Fehr says
I would cook it 5-6 hours on low and add the tortellini in the last 15-20 minutes
Wendy Barbour says
I am making today. Could I make with link sausages and leave in the casing in small pieces.
Ashley Fehr says
Absolutely!
Rachel says
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!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad it turned out well!
John Rowan says
Added a cup of dry red wine during the deglazing process, substituted beef stock instead of chicken stock, and added two cups of coarsely chopped zucchini that I had in the freezer. Fantastic!
Mary-Ann Maneri says
Ashley loved the recipe didn’t have enough grease to discard after frying the sausage. Increased the chicken broth to 32 oz. Didn’t want to waste the extra broth in the box container. Soup was delish!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thank you!
Juanita says
This is a recipe that always turns out great. The first time I made according to the recipe I freeze half before adding the Fresh veggies and tortellini. I have even subbed cheese and spinach ravioli when I did not have tortellini.
We have even used it as a Sausage and veggie soup with out any pasta when I have an abundance of veggies left in the vegetable drawer.
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Juanita!
Amber says
I made this with Beyond Sausage and it was really good
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Amber!
Susie says
I add spinach instead of carrots, 2nd time making it, just fabulous recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Great to hear, thank you Susie!
Lori says
This soup was delicious! It is also easy to make and I have filed it in my “favorites”. 🙂 I did add more broth than stated in the recipe to make it a little bit soupier and so it would go farther because it is quite hearty. Other than that, I wouldn’t change anything. Thank you. 🙂
Brett says
Okay. I just sat down to a bowl of this soup. I’m literally eating it as I type. I followed the directions to a “T” except for one thing. I added a thinly sliced single jalapeno to the recipe because we like spicy in this house. It is sublime. It has everything you could want in a January comfort soup. It’s hearty, it’s easy to make, and it’s easy to make it your own however you might like. The single jalapeno I added didn’t seem to affect the soup in any negative way. Rather, it added to the overall flavor profile. The recipe is perfect as is but its so customizable that I can see tweaking this thing ad-infinitum. Enjoy!
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad you enjoyed it, Brett.
Dennis says
Used a 28 oz can of Rotel instead of tomatoes, the only change I made. Next time will use potatoes instead of the Tortellini and peppers instead of carrots. As written this is a good soup that will be in our rotation
Kimberley Colborne says
I just made this soup and I wouldn’t change a thing it is so delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
Emily says
Delicious!! I doubled the sausage, added portobello mushrooms cause I had some in the fridge. I added cream cheese before the pasta, which helped cut the acidity for my
Husband. I tried it before I added the cream cheese and it had wonderful flavor! Husband approved, he gobbled it down!!
Stephen says
You can also use a little baking soda for the same acid cutting property that’s what I do in our red sauces!!
Sonya says
Absolutely delicious!!!😋
Mickey says
This was so good!
Zach says
Loved it, I doubled the ravioli just because the 250g pack was 5$ and a 500g pack was 6$ and it was fine. I didn’t drain the fat either because it was in my Dutch oven and I didn’t feel like it, turned out fine. Also you can save this recipe without subscribing by clicking print and then saving as a PDF.
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad to hear, Zach! Thank you!
Brenda says
I do not understand WHY you wouldn’t subscribe???????? Ashley is sharing her recipes freely!!! Subscribing to her channel is a way of giving back to her!!!!!! SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!! (BTW: I’m a senior who hates to cook!!!)
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for your support Brenda ❤️
Lynn says
Wow! This soup is deeee-licious! Restaurant quality. So easy to make but the flavours are perfect. It could also be made with small shell pasta if someone doesn’t care for tortellini. So comforting on a chilly day. Definitely a keeper!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lynn! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Sondra Slattery says
Made it just as the recipe said except with beef broth. Absolutely delicious and my guys all loved it.
The Recipe Rebel says
So happy to hear Sondra! Thank you!
Carol Kunberger says
I added a package of taco mix and a packet of water and it turned out wonderful. Husband loved it…. Yeah!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Carol! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!