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Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale

September 3, 2024

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.

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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

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

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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
  • Calories 368
  • Protein 19 g
  • Carbohydrates 24 g
  • Total Fat 22 g
  • Dietary Fiber 4 g
  • Cholesterol 64 mg
  • sodium 1497 mg
  • Total Sugars 5 g

Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale

Questions & Reviews

Join the discussion below.

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  • Elizabeth

    What would you suggest to make this vegetarian?

    You could omit the sausage.

  • Marissa

    How long does it last in the fridge?

    This will last 4-5 days in the fridge. Hope you enjoy!

  • Danielle

    This looks amazing, but there's just the two of us (and one doesn't like leftovers :(

    Could I cut the recipe in half if necessary?

    Should work just fine! Hope you enjoy!

  • Louanne

    omit the heavy cream?

    You could sub canned full fat coconut milk.

  • Becky

    Does the tortellini soup freeze well?

    YES!

  • SheCooksSheScores

    I love this soup! I make it for my housemates every four weeks!

    That is so fun to hear! So happy you all love it!

  • Ally

    Didn't have tortellini this time (added some cannellini beans instead) and I was a little short on italian sausage so I did part italian sausage and part bacon, turned out fabulous!!! love this recipe i come back time and time again thank you so much

    Thanks Ally, we are so glad you love it!

  • Maria

    Amazing, delicious, and super easy! Thank you so much! You have save my dinners so many times with your amazing recipes!

    Thanks Maria, we are so glad you loved it!

  • Christy

    My friend made this for my husband and I. It’s delicious. I came here to get the recipe for myself, so I can make this tasty soup in my kitchen. I may add some Zucchini. That was one of the suggestions to “make it your own”. If you’re on the fence about this recipe, just make it and you will be glad you did.

    Thanks Christy, so happy you loved it!

  • Jamie

    WOW! This recipe amazed me from the ease to prepare it to the outstanding flavor it provides. We've made this with shredded chicken instead of sausage, spinach instead of chicken....no matter what it's always delicious!

    Thanks jamie, so glad you love it!