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This Tortellini Soup recipe has sweet Italian sausage, fresh cheese tortellini, and leafy green spinach in a rich tomato broth. Finished off with a crispy, cheesy crostini, this is definitely not your run-of-the-mill tomato soup!
My Sausage Tortellini Soup is a delicious meal on its own, but you can pair it with some garlic bread and a copycat Olive Garden Salad and add a few more guests to dinner.
Then try my 7 Can Soup recipe next!
Table of Contents
The Best Tortellini Soup Recipe
Everyone loves my tortellini soup! It’s like your favorite pasta and sauce in a delicious creamy soup. The spinach, tomatoes, sausage, and pasta are so delicious together and really make this soup a complete meal!
- Rich flavors of tomato, sausage and cheese: I have always been a fan of tomato soup. I love the creaminess, rich tomato flavor, and brightness of the tomatoes. This creamy Tortellini soup with sausage highlights that tomato-y goodness while incorporating savory sausage and tender, cheesy pasta.
- Hearty, filling main course: 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. It’s got everything you need – meat, veggies, and this one even has yummy, cheesy pasta.
- Simple and quick: It’s super simple to make in just a few steps and it’s ready in about 40 minutes. Of course, the longer you let it simmer, the better the flavor. Just make sure not to add the tortellini and spinach until just before you’re ready to eat, so they don’t overcook.
- Instant upgrades: 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, stir a cup of heavy cream when you add the tortellini.
What’s in Tortellini Soup?
- Italian Sausage – You need a pound of ground sausage, which you can buy in a package like other ground meat, or as links and just remove from the casing. I like using a mild Italian sausage.
- Onion – Chopped white onion adds a nice bite when cooked with the sausage.
- Garlic – I like lots of garlic with my Italian dishes so I used a whole tablespoon of minced garlic, which is about 3-4 cloves garlic. Feel free to cut it back a little.
- Crushed Tomatoes – San Marzano are the best tomatoes when it comes to canned varieties. If you don’t have crushed tomatoes, 3 ½ cups of tomato sauce would also work.
- Vegetable Broth – Low sodium Chicken broth or beef broth works too, but will alter the flavor a little bit.
- Basil – a handful of fresh basil adds a lovely flavor and aroma.
- Salt and Pepper – to taste.
- Cheese Tortellini – One small package of refrigerated tortellini. It’s usually found where the lunch meat and cheeses are found. Frozen or dried pasta will also work, you just may need to add cooking time.
- Fresh Spinach – I used two cups of fresh baby spinach, but you can use as much as you like. Kale is a great substitution.
How To Make Tortellini Soup
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
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. Heat some olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute chopped onions 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. Sometimes I’ll add some Italian seasoning, oregano, or a bay leaf for more flavor.
- 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 few minutes before adding the spinach. The pasta will cook fairly quickly, as will the spinach, so be careful not to overcook – it will become mushy.
- Add spinach. Add the spinach, cover and turn off the heat. Once the spinach is slightly wilted, serve the soup. I recommend adding the cheese crouton (described below).
Serving Suggestion
Top your soup with a cheesy, crispy crouton!
This step is completely optional, but it really adds a nice texture to your soup and makes a beautiful presentation.
- Slice up a French baguette, butter it and grill in a hot skillet.
- Top with parmesan cheese and as the bottom side cooks, the cheese will melt. If it’s not melting, cover with a lid for 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a plate and add a piece to each bowl when serving, so it can soak up all the tomato goodness.
Cooking Variations
Can you double the recipe? Sure! You’ll want to make sure you have a 7-quart pot so it’s big enough to hold the soup.
Make it in a Slow Cooker: First, saute the sausage in a skillet on the stovetop with diced onion and garlic and drain the grease. Add the sausage, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings to the crockpot and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. Add the tortellini, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until the tortellini is soft and tender. Add the spinach and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Make it in an Instant Pot: Saute the sausage, onions and garlic. Deglaze the pot with some of the broth, then stir in the rest of the broth and the tomatoes. Press cancel, close and seal the lid, then pressure cook for 5 minutes. Natural release for 5 minutes, then do a quick release for the remaining pressure. Press “saute” to bring to a boil then add the tortellini and cook for 5 minutes, then add the spinach and mix until it wilts. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
How To Store Leftovers
Storage: Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over low heat. Keep in mind that the tortellini may continue to absorb the liquid and become slightly mushy when reheated.
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 with the soup.
Freezing: Freeze 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 pot on the stove.
Reheating: For best results, reheat in a saucepan on the stove. You can also reheat in the microwave.
Expert Tips
- Frozen or dried tortellini – You can use frozen or dried tortellini, 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, ground chicken, or no meat at all.
- We don’t like spinach – Leave it out! You do not need to add 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! You could also use kale.
- Add some heat – For a spicier soup, use spicy Italian sausage and add half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
- Add more veggies – When you saute the onions, add some carrots and celery too.
- Balance the acidity – If the tomatoes are a little too acidic, you can balance that with a pinch of sugar.
More Delicious Soup Recipes to Try
- Easy Beef & Macaroni Soup
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Homemade Chicken Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Bacon and Bean Soup
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup Recipe
Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage & Spinach
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground Italian Sausage
- 1/2 cup diced onion about ½ 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 ⅓ 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 beginning to softed; 3-4 minutes
- Crumble Italian Sausage and garlic with the onion. Cook until sausage is no longer pink; about 4-5 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, vegetable (or chicken) broth, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add tortellini and spinach and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
- Garnish with shredded Parmesan and serve with a cheesy crostini crouton.
Crostini
- Slice baguette into ½ 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.
Thank you. Awesome soup…. I don’t even like sausage. I added some cream cheese, and wow! Thank you!
You are so welcome Lisa! Thanks for stopping by.
Excellent soup! Made this twice and has become a favorite of mine and my wife’s. Highly recommend this one highly!
Thank you Mark! Love the feedback, thanks for stopping by to share.
Made it today. Super soup!!!! The whole family loved it. Definitely will add this to my list of easy and delicious soup. Will make it often. Followed recipe with exception added some spicy sausage also.
Nice! Awesome feedback Loretta! Thanks for stopping by.
Awesome easy recipe. We used hot sausage! Very good!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Brenda.
Love this recipe! I make it often and sometimes use ground beef or spicy sausage. And I add whatever vegetables I have in the fridge to make it a more balanced meal (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc.) Thanks for sharing it! 🙂
You are so welcome Cheryl! Thanks for stopping by.
I added 2 Big Tablespoons of Tomato Paste. It really added a rich flavor! We loved the soup and will make it again soon!!
Love the feedback René! Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve been making this over the past two years and it’s always a hit! Quick, easy and cheap meal to feed the family. Even better during the cold months.
Love the feedback Kat! Thanks for stopping by.
Made this today and it was easy and delicious my husband said it was something different that I should keep the recipe and make again in the future.
That’s fantastic Sharon! Thanks for stopping by.
Hello, my name is Christie and yesterday I made the tortellini soup with Italian sausage and “oh boy!” My son and daughter and granddaughter enjoyed just as much as I did.. I also made the crostini bread and garlic knots! We ate very well. It was so good… I will make this again…
Love the feedback Christie, thank you so much for stopping by.
Thus was such a yummy meal on a cool night. I did however get my base done the night before so that my flavors could blend together better. Then I brought it to a boil and added my tortellini and spinach and heated for about 10 minutes! All 5 stars here!
Love the feedback Amanda! Thanks for stopping by.
This soup is so easy to make and absolutely delicious. One of my favorite recipes. We love it.
Nice! Thank you so much for your feedback Susan.
What’s the per serving size in ounces. 12 16? I like to make 7 qts at a time.
This recipe will make approximately 2 quarts of soup and serves 5-6 people.
I really enjoyed this soup! I used half chicken stock and half V-8 juice and cut-up country style chicken breakfast sausage links. I will be making this again!
Nice! Thank you for the feedback Valarie.
Delicious! Full of flavor! I was tempted to add in the greek yogurt as it was suggested. I think i will with my leftovers! It really sounds good to try! I enjoyed the parmesan crostini perfect for dunking. With Fall upon us this was the best recipe to enjoy! It’s a keeper! Inexpensive and so simple! Not many dirty dishes. Pretty quick to make. No fresh tortellini in my town frozen worked just fine.
Awesome feedback Jewels! Thank you so much for stopping by.
Favorite in my house in the colder months! I add some Italian seasoning, a can of diced tomatoes, and a splash of heavy whipping cream. Also extra spinach 🙂
Love the feedback Stephanie! Thanks for stopping by.
love love this recipe. My hubby and I love it year round. Question for you?? Do you think adding a Parmesan cheese rind would bump up the flavor a bit?
Thanks
Jeanne
Hi Jeanne, I think that’s a GREAT idea!
Can I substitute frozen spinach if so, what adjustments need to be made
You could use frozen spinach, but keep in mind that it would be condensed so you might not need as much. and I would thaw it and wring out the liquid first. It wouldn’t need any cooking eime rither, so just toss it in at then end, long enough to warm it up.
This Is my go tortellini recipe for years now I just made this for my brother and his wife and they loved It. Its simple but yet has a lot of flavor.
Thank you for the feedback Jim! Thanks for stopping by.
This is the best and most flavorful soup. I make it all the time in the cooler months. The fresh basil is a must. I get my tortellini’sat Aldi’s cause it’s my h cheaper also I get the tricolored ones.
Nice! Awesome feedback Sharon! Thanks for stopping by.
One of the best simple and delicious recipes online imo. A co-worker made this for a potluck once and I’ve been making it for probably 3 years now. I always use chicken stock and extra spinach. Thank you! 🙂
You are so welcome Chynna! Thanks for sharing.