I can’t get enough of this veggie-packed Tortellini soup! It’s incredibly easy to make – the perfect quick meal to enjoy any night of the week. The blend of savory, spicy, sweet, and cheesy flavors makes it a satisfying comfort food during colder seasons. I love adding some extra warmth and flavor by using spicy Italian sausage!
The best part this one-pot tortellini soup recipe doesn’t require additional pans or dishes, so clean-up is incredibly easy. Preparation is also quick and simple, thanks to prepackaged tortellini! You’ll have a filling cozy meal on the table in half an hour If you’re looking for more comforting soup recipes, try my lentil soup recipe, pasta fagioli soup recipe, or chicken tortilla soup recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Italian Sausage – depending on your spice preference, use one pound of sweet or hot Italian sausage links (4-5 links) with the casings removed. Pork sausage, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage all work. You can also purchase bulk, or ground and uncased, sausage.
Aromatics – chopped yellow or white onion, minced garlic cloves, and fresh basil give this soup a heavenly aroma and dimensional flavor.
Chicken Stock – adds a rich flavor and silky smooth texture to the soup. Alternatively, you can use chicken or vegetable broth.
Tomatoes – gives the soup a delightful, mildly acidic and slightly sweet flavor. Use a can of diced, drained tomatoes for easy prep. If you don’t have diced tomatoes, use 2 tablespoons of tomato paste or 1/3 cup of plain tomato sauce to lend the same flavor to the broth.
Tortellini – cheesy pasta is the star ingredient for this dish! I recommend using refrigerated packaged cheese tortellini in this recipe for the easiest and quickest prep.
Parmesan Cheese – freshly shredded parmesan cheese adds a savory, creamy topping to each bowl of soup. Grate the cheese from the block instead of pre-grated cheese if possible!
How to Make Tortellini Soup
1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork sausage, and cook, stirring often until browned and broken up, for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender, for about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium heat and continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
4. Increase the heat to medium-high, and stir in the tortellini. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender.
5. Stir in the fresh spinach and basil until wilted, for about 1 minute.
6. Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Incorporate more aromatics. Enhance the earthy notes by adding chopped fresh thyme, fennel, parsley, or a dash of dried Italian seasoning. Or, add a spicy kick by sprinkling red pepper flakes in with the onions and using spicy Italian sausage.
- Tortellini cooking time. Reference the tortellini package for cook times, as brands can call for different ranges. My tortellini took 7 minutes, but some will need more or less time.
- Add veggies. Easily sneak in extra veggies to this hearty soup for added color and flavor. Try diced carrots, celery, kale, zucchini, or even sweet peppers for a heartier dish!
- Make the soup vegetarian. You can easily make this cheese tortellini soup vegetarian by omitting the sausage and swapping the chicken broth 1:1 for vegetable broth.
- Make a creamy soup! To make creamy tortellini soup, stir in 1 cup of heavy cream or half-and-half when you add the spinach and basil. It will also add a deliciously velvety texture to the soup.
- Use more tortellini. Some tortellini packages come in larger sizes, often 10 to 20 ounces. You can use up to 20 ounces in the soup, or add your desired amount and freeze the leftover pasta. Place leftover pasta on a baking tray until firm before storing it in a freezer-safe container.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily prepare this soup in advance to enjoy later, just note that the tortellini will absorb liquid as it sits in the soup. To thin the soup, just add additional chicken broth when you reheat it so there is enough liquid. If you know you will be eating it at a later time, prepare the recipe up to the tortellini step before cooling and refrigerating. To serve, bring the soup back to a simmer over medium-high heat, cook the tortellini in the soup, and finish the soup as directed.
Leftover tortellini soup will keep for up to 4 days if properly stored in the refrigerator. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Reheat on the stovetop until warmed through. Optional: cook the tortellini separately from the soup so it does not become soggy when stored, then add it to the soup when you are ready to heat up a bowl of leftovers!
If you want to freeze this soup, I highly recommend omitting the tortellini noodles before freezing. Store the soup in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy the soup, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat it on the stovetop. Add the tortellini to the pot once the soup is reheated, and cook the noodles according to the package directions.
I recommend using dried three-cheese tortellini for this soup, as it pairs well with the spicy sausage and other ingredients. Prepackaged refrigerated tortellini from the store makes prep very easy! Alternatively, you could use spinach and ricotta tortellini, butternut squash tortellini for a tasty flavor variation, or you can also make your own fresh cheese tortellini!
You can easily make this recipe in a slow cooker instead of on the stovetop! First, brown the sausage and cook the onion and garlic in a skillet on the stovetop as outlined in the recipe. Then, transfer all of the ingredients except the tortellini, spinach, basil, and cheese to a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Add the tortellini to the slow cooker thirty minutes before you are ready to serve, then the spinach and basil 5 minutes before serving. Top with parmesan and enjoy!
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Tortellini Soup recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Tortellini Soup
Video
Equipment
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage casings removed (450g)
- ½ medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (32-ounce) container chicken stock (960mL)
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes drained (411g)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 (9-ounce/255g) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 2 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves (56g)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 3 tablespoons freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the sausage, and cook, stirring often until browned and broken up, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking, uncovered and stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, and stir in the tortellini. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender. (Reference the tortellini package for cook times.) Stir in the spinach and basil until wilted, about 1 minute. Serve immediately sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Incorporate more aromatics. Enhance the earthy notes by adding chopped fresh thyme, fennel, parsley, or a dash of dried Italian seasoning. Or, add a spicy kick by sprinkling red pepper flakes in with the onions and using spicy Italian sausage.
- Tortellini cooking time. Reference the tortellini package for cook times, as brands can call for different ranges. My tortellini took 7 minutes, but some will need more or less time.
- Add veggies. Easily sneak in extra veggies to this hearty soup for added color and flavor. Try diced carrots, celery, kale, zucchini, or even sweet peppers for a heartier dish!
- Make the soup vegetarian. You can easily make this cheese tortellini soup vegetarian by omitting the sausage and swapping the chicken broth 1:1 for vegetable broth.
- Make a creamy soup! To make creamy tortellini soup, stir in 1 cup of heavy cream or half-and-half when you add the spinach and basil. It will also add a deliciously velvety texture to the soup.
- Use more tortellini. Some tortellini packages come in larger sizes, often 10 to 20 ounces. You can use up to 20 ounces in the soup, or add your desired amount and freeze the leftover pasta. Place leftover pasta on a baking tray until firm before storing it in a freezer-safe container.
Joan says
I absolutely love this recipe. I use a ground breakfast sausage that has a little bit of pepper in the recipe so the soup has some bite. It’s super easy to make. A hot steamy pot if this with a hunk of fresh baked bread is perfect for a cold, rainy night.
Sally says
So surprised I loved the spinach in this recipe. Almost skipped it but glad I didn’t!