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This Sausage Tortellini Soup has Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, and fresh spinach in a rich, savory tomato broth. It’s hearty, full of flavor, and comes together in about 45 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights when you want something cozy and satisfying.
If you love tortellini as much as we do, try my Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup for a creamier version, or this Italian Sausage Tortellini Skillet when you want pasta without the broth.
Before You Get Started
A few quick tips to make sure your soup turns out perfectly:
- Don’t add the tortellini too early. Tortellini cooks quickly and will turn mushy if it simmers too long. Add it in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, just until tender.
- Want it creamier? Stir in ½ to 1 cup of heavy cream when you add the tortellini. It transforms the tomato broth into something rich and silky.
- Use mild or spicy sausage based on your family’s preference. Mild Italian sausage gives you all the flavor without the heat. Spicy works great if your crew likes a little kick.
Planning for leftovers? If you know you’ll have extra, cook the tortellini separately and add it to individual bowls. This keeps the pasta from absorbing too much liquid and getting soft overnight.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How To Make Sausage Tortellini Soup
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
This soup comes together quickly and the longer you let it simmer, the better the flavors develop. Here’s how to make it:
Step 1: Cook the Sausage
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until it starts to soften.
Crumble in the Italian sausage and add the minced garlic. I use about a tablespoon of minced garlic (3-4 cloves) because I love it with Italian dishes, but feel free to scale back.
Cook until the sausage is browned and no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes. Break it into small pieces as it cooks.
- Tip: Drain any excess grease before moving to the next step. This keeps your broth from getting greasy.
Step 2: Build the Soup Base
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, broth, fresh basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. San Marzano tomatoes are my favorite for the best flavor. If your tomatoes taste a little acidic, add a small pinch of sugar to balance it out.
Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. This is where all those flavors come together.
- The longer you simmer, the richer the flavor. Just make sure you don’t add the tortellini until the end.
Step 3: Add the Tortellini and Spinach
Once the soup has simmered, add the tortellini and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the pasta is just tender. If you’re using frozen or dried tortellini instead of refrigerated, check the package and add a few extra minutes.
Add the spinach, stir it in, and cover the pot. Turn off the heat and let it sit for a minute or two. The spinach will wilt from the residual heat. Use more spinach if you love greens, or swap in kale for a heartier texture.
- Tip: The tortellini will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so serve the soup soon after adding the pasta for the best texture.
Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Pair your soup with garlic bread and a copycat Olive Garden Salad for a complete Italian-inspired dinner.
Optional: Top It with a Cheesy Crostini
Want to take this soup to the next level? Float a crispy, cheesy crostini on top. It soaks up all that tomato goodness and adds the best texture.
- Slice a French baguette into ½-inch thick slices.
- Butter one side and place butter-side down in a hot skillet until golden brown.
- Flip the bread, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and cook until the other side is golden.
- Cover with a lid for 30 seconds if the cheese needs help melting.
Add one to each bowl when serving. Your family will love it!
Cooking Variations
Double the Recipe: This soup doubles easily. Just make sure you have a 7-quart pot so everything fits comfortably.
Slow Cooker Method: Brown the sausage with onion and garlic in a skillet on the stovetop first, then drain the grease. Add the sausage, tomatoes, broth, and seasonings to your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. Add the tortellini, cover, and cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Stir in the spinach and cook for another 5-10 minutes until wilted.
Instant Pot Method: Use the sauté function to brown the sausage with onion and garlic. Deglaze the pot with a splash of broth, then add the remaining broth and tomatoes. Cancel sauté, seal the lid, and pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Natural release for 5 minutes, then quick release. Switch back to sauté, bring to a simmer, add the tortellini and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach until wilted. Season and serve.
Storage Tips
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerator: Store leftover soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days. The tortellini will absorb liquid and soften a bit overnight, but it still tastes great.
Pro Tip for Leftovers: If you know you’ll have leftovers, cook the tortellini separately and add it to individual bowls. Store the pasta and soup in separate containers. This keeps the tortellini from getting mushy.
Freezer: Freeze the soup base (sausage, tomatoes, and broth) without the tortellini for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat on the stove, and add freshly cooked tortellini when ready to serve.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat. Add a splash of broth if the soup has thickened. You can also microwave individual portions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I cook tortellini before adding it to soup?
No, you don’t need to cook it separately. Add the refrigerated tortellini directly to the simmering soup and cook for about 5 minutes until tender. If using frozen or dried tortellini, follow the package timing and add a few extra minutes.
How do I keep tortellini from getting mushy in soup?
Add the tortellini at the very end of cooking, just before serving. It only needs 5-10 minutes in the broth. For leftovers, store the soup and pasta separately so the tortellini doesn’t continue absorbing liquid.
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream?
You can, but the soup won’t be as rich or silky. Whole milk works better than low-fat. For a thicker result, whisk a tablespoon of flour into the milk before adding. Half-and-half is a good middle ground.
What can I use instead of Italian sausage?
Ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground beef all work. You’ll lose some of the Italian seasoning flavor, so consider adding a teaspoon of Italian seasoning or fennel seeds to the pot.
Can I make this soup in a slow cooker?
Yes! Brown the sausage first on the stovetop, then add everything except the tortellini and spinach to the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. Add the tortellini in the last 30 minutes and the spinach in the last 5-10 minutes.
Can I add other vegetables?
Absolutely. Diced carrots and celery are great additions. Sauté them with the onion at the beginning. Zucchini or diced bell peppers also work well.
More Soup Recipes to Try
Looking for more cozy, family-friendly soups? Try one of these favorites:
For more ideas, browse all of our soup recipes.
Sausage Tortellini Soup with Spinach
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
- 1/2 cup diced onion (about ½ medium sized onion)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3-4 garlic cloves)
- 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 32 ounces vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 9 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 2 cups packed fresh baby spinach
Crostini (optional):
- 6 baguette slices (about ⅓ of a baguette)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add Italian sausage and garlic. Cook, breaking the sausage into pieces, until browned and no longer pink, about 4-5 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, broth, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Add tortellini and cook for 5 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
- Stir in spinach, cover, and turn off heat. Let sit for 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
- Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and a cheesy crostini if desired.
- For Crostini (Optional): Slice baguette into ½-inch thick pieces. Butter one side and place butter-side down in a hot skillet until golden. Flip, top with Parmesan, and cook until the other side is golden. Cover briefly if needed to melt cheese.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the tortellini. Add it in the last 5-10 minutes. It will turn mushy if it simmers too long.
- For leftovers: Cook tortellini separately and add to individual bowls. Store soup and pasta in separate containers to prevent mushy pasta.
- Make it creamy: Stir in ½ to 1 cup heavy cream when you add the tortellini.
- Sausage swap: Ground chicken, turkey, or beef all work. Add Italian seasoning if using plain ground meat.
- Frozen or dried tortellini: Adjust cooking time based on package directions. Frozen may need 2-3 extra minutes.
- Balance acidity: If the tomatoes taste too acidic, add a small pinch of sugar.
- Add more veggies: Sauté diced carrots and celery with the onion for extra nutrition.
- Slow cooker option: Brown sausage first, then cook soup base on LOW 3-4 hours. Add tortellini in last 30 minutes, spinach in last 5-10 minutes.
- Freezing: Freeze soup base without tortellini for up to 3 months. Add fresh tortellini when reheating.
- Reheating: Warm gently on stovetop. Add a splash of broth if it has thickened.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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!