Skip to Content
March 26, 2024

Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale

This ultra creamy Tortellini Soup is an absolute crowd pleaser. It's the perfect cozy meal for fall and only takes 30 minutes to make.

Categories:

Tortellini soup with sausage and kale topped with fresh parmesan in a bowl

Creamy Tortellini Soup

We’ve taken everything you love about cold weather comfort food and easy 30 Minute Dinners, and threw it all into one pot for a weeknight dish that dreams are made of. The only things missing from this creamy tortellini soup is a loaf of Crusty Bread to soak up that brothy tomato bisque base and a bottle of good wine. Serve it with a Simple Italian Salad or Antipasto Salad and Garlic Bread.

homemade creamy tomato tortellini soup with sausage and kale in a large soup pot with a ladle

💌 Let's Stay Together

There are so many great ways to receive all of our latest recipes, meal tips, and inspiration.

Making Tortellini Soup Your Dish

You won’t believe how flavorful this pot of soup is, and we’re so excited for you to try it. Full of Italian sausage, tortellini, tomatoes, kale, and a touch of cream for good measure (wink wink). This is like our Tomato Bisque meets our Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden for life). It’s a meal your friends and family will ask for over and over again. We all want to be famous for something, right? You can also turn to a few of our make-all-the-time Italian standards: Classic Lasagna, Chicken Cacciatore, or Baked Ziti.

ingredients for creamy tortellini soup: Italian sausage, kale, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and Parmesan in small bowls

What Goes Into Tortellini Soup?

The thing we love so much about tortellini soup is how versatile it is. We like to stick with a cheese-filled pasta and add the other ingredients to the soup. Buying a meat (or other flavor) filled tortellini wouldn’t be bad, but cheese tortellini creates a nice base flavor (it’s what we use in our Chicken Tortellini Soup too), plus it really compliments that creamy tortellini soup taste. For even more inspiration, be sure to check out our 30 Best Soup Recipes post!


Other Star Ingredients of Tortellini Soup

  • Mild Italian sausage or make it a vegetarian tortellini soup by simply leaving out the sausage!

  • A can of crushed tomatoes and a little tomato paste, for the tomato sauce base

  • Onion and garlic (add amazing flavor)

  • Kale (gotta have a few veggies right?)

  • Chicken stock & cream

  • Salt and red pepper flakes

italian sausage browned in a soup pot for tortellini soup
browned Italian sausage, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste in a soup pot for tortellini soup
Italian sausage, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock tortellini, cream and kale added to a soup pot for tortellini soup
a large pot of homemade tortellini soup with Italian sausage and kale

How Do You Make Easy Tortellini Soup?

We know you'll love this super easy tortellini soup, because it's one of the most flavorful dishes we’ve made in a long time, and anyone who's tried it feels the same. All it takes is a few easy steps:

  1. Brown the sausage until cooked half way through.

  2. Add onions and garlic.

  3. Add chicken broth, a can of crushed tomatoes and a little tomato paste.

  4. Simmer and season with salt.

  5. Add kale, cream and tortellini.

  6. Serve!

How long does sausage tortellini soup last in the fridge? *If* it makes it to leftover status, and we'd be surprised if it does. You can store this tortellini soup in the refrigerator for up to five days and warm it up in the microwave or stovetop.

a large pot of homemade Tortellini Soup With Italian Sausage And Kale

Tips for Making the Best Tortellini Soup

This soup is 100% dependable and hard to screw up, but just in case, we’re here with a few tips and tricks to make sure your dinner is as successful as possible.

  1. Kale and spinach wilt very quickly. They just need a few minutes in the hot broth to soften enough to be easily consumed without taking on a soggy texture.

  2. Fresh tortellini take just a few minutes to cook through, so for that perfect al dente toothsome texture, it’s best to add it a few minutes before serving.

  3. Adding the cream slowly at the end will help keep it from curdling.

  4. Make it your own by adding zucchini, chicken sausage or spinach tortellini...the possibilities are endless.

a bowl of tortellini soup with Italian sausage and kale topped with shaved parmesan next to red pepper flakes for serving

Tools For Tortellini Soup

Like it? Love it? SHARE IT!

For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper. Happy cooking!

Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale

  • Serves: 6
  • Prep Time:  5 min
  • Cook Time:  30 min
  • Calories: 368

Ingredients

  • 1 pound mild italian sausage, ground or casing removed
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 quart chicken stock
  • 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 bunch curly kale, stemmed and roughly torn
  • 10 ounces fresh tortellini
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Parmesan cheese, grated for serving (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, for serving (optional)

Method

  1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onions, and garlic and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until it is browned and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Drain off any excessive fat.

    italian sausage browned in a soup pot for tortellini soup
  2. Whisk in the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste until fully incorporated. Bring to a boil and add the salt, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.

    browned Italian sausage, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste in a soup pot for tortellini soup
  3. Stir in the kale, tortellini, and cream. Cook until the kale is wilted and the pasta is tender, 3-5 minutes.

    Italian sausage, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock tortellini, cream and kale added to a soup pot for tortellini soup
  4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired, before serving.

    homemade creamy tomato tortellini soup with sausage and kale in a large soup pot with a ladle

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories368
  • Protein19 g
  • Carbohydrates24 g
  • Total Fat22 g
  • Dietary Fiber4 g
  • Cholesterol64 mg
  • sodium1497 mg
  • Total Sugars5 g

Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

or
  • Louanne

    omit the heavy cream?

    You could sub canned full fat coconut milk.

  • Becky

    Does the tortellini soup freeze well?

    YES!

  • anne

    does this soup freeze well?

    Yes!

  • Amanda

    What is the serving size?

    We don't currently have yield for the recipe. The pot will serve 6. Hope you enjoy Amanda!

  • Jennie

    What can I use to replace the cream to make this dairy free?

    full fat canned coconut milk will work best. Hope you enjoy!

  • Katie

    The best soup! My kids adore it and we make it quite often! I usually sub spinach for kale so my kids won’t complain, but it is delicious no matter what!

    Thanks Katie, we are so glad you and your family love it!

  • SheShootsSheCooksSheScores

    I make this almost every week! Great value too!

    Thanks, that is so great to hear! We are so glad you loved it!

  • Liane

    Where has this recipe been all my life?! Wow, so delicious and wildly easy to make (I thought it would be much trickier!) My 3 kids devoured this soup, and then came back for seconds. 100% will make this recipe again!!

    Thanks Liane, we are so glad you and your family loved it!

  • Savannah

    My FAV recipe. It's always a hit. Highly recommend! Thank you.

    Thanks Savannah, we are so happy you loved it!

  • CJ

    Very good recipe without any fussiness. You can customize it any number of ways - I did italian seasoned ground turkey, Better Than Bullion Vegetable instead of chicken Stock, and no kale. Thar being said, I'm experienced enough as a cook to know that this would turn out great exactly as written. Its just a great base recipe to customize to your individual needs. SIMPLE AND EASY, but with great flavor, just how I like it!

    Thanks CJ, so happy you loved it!