Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage & Spinach is Tomato Soup taken up a whole bunch of notches with spicy Italian Sausage, Spinach and Tortellini. Finished off with a crispy, cheesy crostini, this is definitely not your run of the mill canned variety soup, and it’s a great one pot meal that’s perfect for a cold winter night!
Tortellini soup is a delicious meal on it’s own, but you can pair it with some garlic bread and a big green salad and add a few more guests to dinner.
Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage & Spinach
I have always been a fan of tomato soup. I love the creaminess, the rich tomato flavor and brightness of the tomatoes. So imagine my delight when I combined those flavors I love with spicy Italian Sausage, Spinach and Cheesy Tortellini!
A lot of people like to serve soup as part of a meal, typically the first course. But here we savor soup as our main course. I mean, it’s got everything you need – meat, veggies and this one even has yummy, cheesy pasta. It cooks quickly and in just a few steps. Of course, the longer you let it simmer, the better the flavor. Just be sure to plan to add the tortellini and spinach just before you’re ready to eat, so they don’t get overcooked.
I love to sprinkle a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top for even more flavor. I love this soup as is, but if you love a creamier soup, add a tablespoon sour cream to your bowl, or a half cup to the whole pot. (I tried Greek yogurt, but it separated and didn’t look very pretty).
Why everyone loves my Tortellini Soup
- It’s super simple to make in just a few steps and it’s ready in less than an hour.
- It’s like your favorite pasta and sauce in a delicious creamy soup.
- The spinach adds veggies, making this soup a complete meal!
How to make Tortellini Soup
I love when I can whip up a super hearty and delicious soup that requires very minimal effort and is ready in less than an hour. Makes me feel good about feeding my family something delicious and comforting, and that has some veggies too.
- Cook the Italian Sausage. In a large soup pot, heat some a small amount of olive oil. Saute some chopped onions and add them to the pot. Saute for a few minutes then add a pound of Italian Sausage and some minced garlic. I use mild but you could use spicy if your family likes that. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink.
- Make the soup base. Add a large can of crushed tomatoes, vegetable or chicken stock, fresh basil and a bit of salt. I like to add a pinch of sugar to combat the acidic tomatoes as well, but that’s a personal choice. Bring the soup to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
- Cook the tortellini. Add tortellini to the pot and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the spinach. The pasta will cook fairly quickly, as will the spinach so don’t overcook and become mushy.
- Add spinach. Add the spinach during the last few minutes of cooking time, then serve immediately. It does wilt rather quickly.
Top your soup with a cheesy crispy crouton!
Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially indulgent, I’ll make some stovetop Parmesan crostini.
- Just butter slices of bread (I use french baguette) and place them butter side down in a hot skillet.
- When the butter side is nice and golden, flip them over and top with a bit of grated Parmesan.
- While the bread crisps on the bottom, the heat from the pan will help melt the cheese. This is a little bit like a grown-up version of tomato soup with grilled cheese – super yummy and ultra comforting!
- When they’re done just transfer the crostini to a plate. If the cheese isn’t quite melted enough for you, cover the skillet loosely with foil. Top your Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage & Spinach with a crostini and let it soak up all that tomato goodness, similar to how the bread and cheese top a delicious french onion soup.
Tortellini Soup Tips and Tricks
Can I use frozen tortellini? I get asked this question a lot. The answer is yes you can, but you will need to adjust the cooking time based on the package instructions.
We don’t like Italian Sausage. That’s totally fine! You can use ground beef, pre-cooked shredded chicken, or no meat at all.
We don’t like spinach. Leave it out! You do not need to add the spinach to the soup if your family doesn’t like it. Likewise, if you love spinach, you could add as much as you like. Some will pour in a whole big bag from the produce department!
Can you freeze this soup? Yes you can freeze this soup WITHOUT adding the tortellini. Soups in general freeze really well but those with pasta in them do not. The pasta tends to get very mushy as it thaws so I do not recommend freezing it. Freese the tomato soup with the sausage in a freezer bag or other freezer container for up to 3 months, then add fresh tortellini when you cook it. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in a soup pot on the stove.
How to store leftovers
Store leftover tortellini soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat. Keep in mind that the tortellini may continue to cook and become slightly mushy when reheat.
If you plan to have a lot of leftovers I recommend cooking the tortellini separately and just adding a little to each bowl. Store it in a separate container and reheat in the soup.
And for more delicious soup recipes, try these:
- Easy Beef & Macaroni Soup (Goulash Soup)
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Homemade Chicken Soup
- Homemade Chicken Soup
- Hamburger Soup Recipe
- Bacon and Bean Soup
How to make Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage & Spinach:
Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage & Spinach
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground Italian Sausage
- 1/2 cup diced onion about 1/2 medium sized onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 32 ounces vegetable broth chicken works too
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 9 ounces refrigerated tortellini
- 2 cups packed fresh spinach
Crostini
- 6 Baguette slices (about 1/3 of a baguette)
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 2 tablespoons Freshly shredded Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Soup
- Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Heat vegetable oil and add diced onion. Saute until onions are soft.
- Crumble Italian Sausage and garlic with the onion. Cook until sausage is no longer pink.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, vegetable (or chicken) broth, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover. Let soup simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Add tortellini and spinach and simmer for about ten minutes, until pasta is tender.
- Serve with shredded Parmesan.
Crostini
- Slice baguette into 1/2 inch thick slices. Butter one side and place butter side down in a hot skillet until golden brown. Flip bread slices over and sprinkle with Parmesan while the other side gets golden brown. Transfer to a plate and immediately cover loosely with foil if cheese has not completely melted.
I add some pepper flakes for a little heat
This is a favorite in my house, but I do add a block of cream cheese to it.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Tina.
I’ve made this multiple times for special events and each time it was a winner! And it looks as delicious as it tastes. Thank you so much for sharing it!! 🙂
You are so welcome Danya! Thanks for stopping by.
This is my go to for Tortellini soup. It is the best!
Thank you Rose!
This soup has been one of my “go to” recipes. Its so good and easy preparation. We truly love it.
Love the feedback Marguerite! Thanks for stopping by.
I LOVE this soup and make it all year! I love doubling the recipe and using sweet and hot Italian sausage. I just might try adding in other veggies as seen in some of the other reviews.
Hi Kristal, love the idea about doubling up on the sweet and hot Italian sausage. Thank you so much for stopping
by.
So delicious! I added more spinach and used some hot red pepper flakes since I used sweet sausage. Thank you! This will be a fave in our home!
Love the feedback Chezz! Thanks for stopping by.
I meant to say I used Ro Tel Mild diced tomatoes and green chilies in place of the CRUSHED tomatoes. Thank you!
Thank you Ginnie!
This is an excellent soup! I didn’t have diced tomatoes so I used Ro Tel mild diced tomatoes and Green Chilies. Gave the soup a little bite. Also, I didn’t have tortellini so I used De Cecco Orecchiette. I soaked and drained the noodles 2xs to take a lot of the starch out and so the noodles didn’t make the soup thick. The next time I make it I will purchase the ingredients that are used exactly in the soup. Excellent! Thank you for sharing!!!!
You are so welcome Ginnie! Awesome feedback! Thanks for stopping by.
I made this for the second time Saturday night and it has easily become a family favorite! I used spicy Italian sausage and the whole bag of spinach plus a zucchini and bell pepper. Gave some to my daughter last night to take to work for lunch. She said Ma, this soup is awesome and I love the kick! Thanks for a great recipe!
You are so welcome Jeanene! Thank you for the awesome feedback.
I love this recipe, my BFF in TX told me about this recipe. It’s a new favorite of mine. The icing on the cake so to speak is the simplicity of the recipe.
Awesome feedback Angela! Thanks for stopping by.
I used a can of diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil, added a can of cannoli beans. A great tasting soup that you can make fast.
Awesome feedback Connie! Thanks for stopping by.
This needs to serve a large group AND have left overs! How does the recipe need to change to do so???
I often double the recipe. It fed 12 with some left over.
Cooked it for my wife today.
I like giving her a break on a long day.
The soup turned out really great.
Another dish to add to my file.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Dale.