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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.
The tortellini soup is delicious! I made it with mild Italian sausage instead, as I wasn’t sure my toddler would want it spicy, but otherwise followed your recipe exactly. My husband normally doesn’t like soup, but said this was “fantastic”, and devoured two big bowls. Thank you!
Whoops, I just realized you didn’t specify mild/spicy sausage…it was good with mild, and probably would be just as good, if not better, with spicy.
I’ve done it both ways – and they’re both delicious!
I made this soup last night for my boyfriend and I. It turned out really delicious and I will definitely be making it again. I did modify it a little by using kale instead of spinach (the texture was great). I also added a half jar of arrabiata sauce and a dash of red pepper flakes to beef it up a bit. Both my boyfriend & roommate loved it, as did I.
I’m super excited to try this recipe! But I was wondering if you could let me know what size package for the tortellini? Small or large? Thank you very much!!!
It’s kind of up to you – do you want a lot of tortellini or a little? I used the larger package from the grocery store.
I made this tonight exactly like the posted recipe. I did not add yogurt or sour cream. I like it more soupy. It was amazing. We have it with a loaf of Italian bread for dipping. My whole picky family liked it. My daughter asked if I could make it again. I also liked that it was so very easy to make! Thanks for the great recipe!
I made this for soup Sunday! It was very yummy. I did drain most of the grease from the sausage as it seemed too greasy. I would next time add a bit more broth to make it soupier, as it seemed like I was eating marinara sauce but it was still excellent. I put in a 5oz bag of baby spinach too.
I cook my onions right along with the sausage because they cook up soft and there’s plenty of oil in the sausage already. And yes, this recipe works in the crock pot. I throw in everything but the tortellini and spinach which I save for the end. Be careful not to overload the crock pot though. I tried to use 2 bags of frozen tortellini in my crock pot, took forever to cook through.
Sometimes I cook the sausage and onions first, then throw them in the crock pot, but it is possible to put the sausage in raw and let it cook all day.
I’ve had this recipe pinned for a while and finally made it. It is absolute delicious! This is definitely a recipe I will be making more often.
Made this soup for my family and it was delicious!! I used chicken broth and did not add any salt. Also added cream cheese at the end. I will definitely make this again!
This sounds really good. My husband loves Italian sausage but we aren’t to crazy about tortellini. Can I substitute that with an other pasta? Maybe a penne?
You could definitely sub out another pasta. However I would recommend cooking it separately since dry pasta can get mushy if you cook it in the soup.
OMG this recipe is DEEEELICIOUS!
My other half made this for me and it turned out so yummy. Only problem we had was finding ground sausage but whole sausages chopped up still was perfect. When I made the recipe the second time I doubled the soup broth and it still tasted absolutely wonderful and I again used whole sausages. I wouldn’t change this recipe one bit! it’s perfect for dinner and so filling!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I pinned it for all to try (:
Most Italian Sausage have a thin casing that can be slit with a knife and peeled off. If you find them in links, just do that.
My husband has high standards and loved this recipe! My only suggestion is to drain the Italian sausage – it was a little too greasy for our taste. But, even then, it was delicious!
This recipe sounds amazing! I’m missing a couple things so I was wondering how you thought it’d work if I used frozen spinach instead of fresh, and heavy cream instead of sour cream (I know it isn’t as thick so texture could be a thing there)?
The cream is optional…so you could skip that. Frozen spinach would have a lot of water, so I’d defrost it and squeeze out as much water as possible.
Thank you for the wonderful, easy and flavorful recipe! I have made it twice in the last week and am making it again for friends next week! We are not big fans of Italian Sausage so I substituted ground beef but kept everything else the same. I used the tortellini from the refrigerator aisle so I didn’t need to cook them very long, about 5 minutes was enough time. The first time I made this I cooked the pasta for the time specified and the tortellini overcooked. I added the spinach after the tortellini was done and let it simmer just for a minute, long enough for the spinach to barely wilt. This is one of my favorite recipes I’ve found on Pinterest! Thanks again!
Normally I only comment when it’s bad, but today that’s all about to change! This is probably top three best pinterest recipes I have ever made. I added a little bit of sour cream at the end… maybe 1/4 of cup if even that much.
The only thing I changed was using spicy italian sausage and I added some red pepper flakes to the soup… tastes great with that extra kick!
My first time here. Here it is 6:40 am and I’m just looking at this recipe and getting hungryThe Tortellini looks great I might try it this week. After reading some of the comments, I might reduce the salt and pepper. They can add it to suit their taste. You can put it in , but can’t take it out.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe! I made this for dinner last night and my entire family devoured it! What great flavor! It is already on my make again board!
Susan
If I bought Greek yogurt for this recipie, when do you recommend adding it into the soup for more thickness? (I just read that it seperated for you but it will have to do since I don’t have any sour cream!)
If you’re going to add the yogurt, I would suggest tempering it with some liquid from the soup first. That might help with the separating. Add at the end just before serving. Let me know how it works out!
Can you put it in a crock pot?
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say how well it would work. Let me know if it works for you!
For the Tortellini, would the dried packaged kind work or do you use refrigerated? And about how much do you use? Looking forward to trying this!
I haven’t tried with the dried packaged kind, but I’m sure it would work. It would just need a longer cook time.
This was sooooo good! My boyfriend and my brother went back for more! Thank you for the recipe. I did a few tweaking because I bought the wrong type of tomatoes but this was still amazing!