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Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale

This ultra creamy Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale is the perfect thirty minute meal of your dreams and perfect for keeping cozy on cold nights.

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ceramic bowl of creamy tortellini soup with sausage and kale topped with fresh parmesan

30 minute Dinner? Creamy Tortellini Soup? Is this for real?

Nothing is better than soup when temperatures take a plunge. With ingredients similar to our baked tortellini recipe, 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.

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

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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, so keep this one on file and make it your signature soup. 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 with sausage and kale in small bowls on the counter

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, plus it really compliments that creamy tortellini soup taste.

Most of the recipes out there call for chicken or some version of sausage. We love the flavor of mild Italian sausage in our soups, and that’s what we’ve added here. You can easily make a vegetarian tortellini soup, just leave out the sausage!

Other Star Ingredients of Tortellini Soup

  • 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!


Truly a one pot wonder, this creamy tortellini soup is going to win you some serious awards. You’ve got veggies, cheesy pasta, and meat all in one bowl together. Our only recommendation is, make a double batch or you'll be sorry, especially if you want leftovers, because this soup is just as delicious the next day. How long does this 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.

One of the most important things to remember is to add your cheesy tortellini just a few minutes before serving, as you don’t want it getting overcooked and falling apart.

In this recipe, we’ve called for the pasta, cream, and kale to be added at the end. Here’s why:

  • 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.

  • 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.

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

This tortellini soup is delish as is, but we can imagine adding zucchini, chicken sausage, spinach tortellini...the possibilities are endless. When you make this recipe feel free to have fun with it and mix it up each time!

bowl of homemade, creamy tortellini soup with Italian sausage and kale topped with shaved parmesan

What Should You Serve With Your Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale?

If you came to our house for dinner and we served this creamy tortellini soup with Italian sausage and kale, you could also expect to find...

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.

Need More Soup Inspiration?

Like it? Love it? SHARE IT!

If you make this tortellini Italian sausage and kale soup we’d love to hear about it! Be sure to snap a photo, add it to Instagram and tag @themodernproper and #themodernproper if you do. Also, feel free to leave a comment on the post and tell your friends where you discovered the recipe.

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, minced
  • 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.

  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. Stir in the kale, tortellini, and cream. Cook until the kale is wilted and the pasta is tender, 3-5 minutes.

  3. Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired, before serving.

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.

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  • Elise Thelen

    I don’t have any tomato paste, I forgot to get it at the store. Would I be able to use tomato sauce?

    Unfortunately, tomato sauce would not be a good substitute for tomato paste.

  • Lamckinney

    I’m dying to make this recipe but I’m a little dairy sensitive. Is there a substitute you recommend? Coconut cream?

    Canned coconut milk or cream should work great. Hope you enjoy!

  • Brinton

    This looks so amazing! Going to make it for a company potluck....Do you think it will hold if I make it as and then transport it? I read through the kale wilting quickly and cheese curdling...clearly I'm a non cook :/ thanks!

    It will be fine to transport! Hope you enjoy!

  • liza thurmond

    Have you tried stuffed tortellini in the soup?

    It would probably be delicious!

  • Anne Grasmick

    Just wanted to say that this soup is delicious and so easy!! Thank you for the great recipe!

    You are so welcome!

  • Mallory

    Wonderful! New family fav!

    YAY! Thanks Mallory!

  • Angela

    Made this for a friend to freeze and cook later after she gives birth! Of course, I doubled the batch so my family could enjoy as well. Full disclosure, I used plant based grinds and added sausage seasonings to mimic the taste. I also added cannellini beans and used cheese stuffed tortellini. This was delicious!! It’s such a rich soup, and a beautiful meal for a fall evening.

    Thanks Angela, glad you enjoyed it. Very kind of you to make it for your friend!

  • K C

    Great recipe! Very tasty.
    Needed some sugar to take off the acidity of the tomato, and I browned my tomato paste first before adding in the rest of the liquids as a personal preference. Really tasty way to get in those dark leafy greens!

    Thanks KC, glad you loved it!

  • Mary Catherine

    This has become my go-to comfort soup! I like to make a double batch to ensure we have leftovers. Your directions are spot-on and it's a quick, absolutely delicious soup. Thank you!

    Thanks Mary Catherine, we are so happy you love it!

  • Denita

    I made this last night for dinner with yeast rolls and it was delicious. I had spinach on hand so I used that instead of kale. I recommend making this recipe, you will not be disappointed.

    Love this. Thanks for the review.