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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.
I accidentally bought diced tomatoes instead of crushed 🙁 Can I substitute?
Diced tomatoes are not a good substitute for crushed, however do you have a couple of options. You could drain the tomatoes and then use a blender to quickly crush the diced tomatoes (just a couple of quick pulses) or you could use them as is and the soup will just not be as thick.
I used diced tomatoes and it was DELICIOUS!
The sausage, tortellini, spinach soup was awesome and so simple to make. So much flavor. My family usually cringes on new recipe night but they loved this. Thank you for the recipe!
So happy that you and your family loved this recipe! Thank you Jill!
A warning this is long but have to be said about this soup!
I have been making this for a few years with praises every time! My then picky 7 year old who “hated soup” always had more than one helping and that was all I could ask for! Well, 2 years ago my dad passed and so I made a big batch and took it to my moms. My grandmom was there from Florida and as most old school Italians nothing anyone makes is ever good enough… she ranted and raved about this soup. Well fast forward to fall of this year she was diagnosed with cancer and so she was here to stay. She was declining quickly and couldn’t eat anything. My mom made her soups that she said “smelled like the devil”… so I went and spent the weekend making her some soups this one especially since she requested it. It was the first thing she had eaten in days! She passed the next morning and so my mom had plenty of soup for all that came… this was a hit… when they say soup is a comfort food, it’s so true!!! But this one especially has brought much comfort to My family in so many times! It has become a part of us!!! Thanks for sharing it!!!
Ravae, I am so sorry for your losses and I am so happy that this recipe has been so loved by your family. Wishing you New Year blessings!
Family loved it!
This soup was absolutely delicious! I sent the recipe to my daughter because I know she and her husband will love it. Thanks for the recipe, I will make this again and again.
Hello! I’ve made this a few times and we love it! However, we do like a thicker soup and when I add the sour cream it seems to seperate. When is a good time to add that?
Thank you!
You could add heavy cream instead, and let it come to room temperature first.
love the tortellini, spinach and sausage soup so much. Made it 4 times now. I really wish I had
nutritional values, like calories etc. per serving. Its my new ‘go to’ company lunch or light supper or
take to a neighbor dish.
We are working on adding nutritional content to all of our recipes so be sure to check back!
Hi- if you buy packaged tortellini, do you need to boil it prior to adding to the soup or will it cook whole in the soup?
It will cook in the soup.
Hi. There are so many ads that my page keeps closing out and I have to refresh, or I have to scroll so much to try and find the recipe it makes it frustrating! This soup sounds good but I don’t know if it’s worth trying to find it again because of the ads. I can’t even write this without a ton of ads blinking through and moving the page around.
Sounds like there could be something going on with your internet because there aren’t any moving ads on my page other than a video that moves to the top of the screen.
How many does this recipe serve?
It will yield 4-6 servings, depending on the serving size.
Nice recipe and so easy. I don’t care for Italian sausage so use a mild ground sausage. I eat this during the week so seperately cook the tortellini to later add to each bowl I reheat- preventing overlooked tortellini occurring on the day the soup is made and sits to cool. Great comfort food.
Thank you Jennifer. great idea about the using ground sausage.
Love the soup I make it quite often
Thank you Debbie!
delicious soup and very easy to make we all loved it wish i had taken a pic thank you posting this recipe
Thank you Rick and thanks for sharing your experience!
Made this for the guys at work. They loved it.
Thank you Jerri! and Thank you for stopping by!
Wonderful recipe! And not too difficult. I will definitely add this to the fall/winter rotation list. I didn’t change a thing.
Thank you Michelle!
Kristin:
I made this soup tonight & it was delicious. I added carrots too! Everyone loved it!
Great idea Kathryn, love that you made it your own!
This was really good! I added some red pepper to give it a bit of kick.
Thank you Kim,
Great idea about the red peppers.
Great soup, we both love it! I’ve served this soup with family and everyone has enjoyed it including the crostini. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Karen,
So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!
How many main course servings does this recipe make?
It will make 4-6 servings, depending on how hungry you are. 🙂
Hi Kristin Love, love this recipe. My step daughter made for us for dinner. We worried a little about her dad liking it( he is picky) He loved it! I be made it about 6 times since. My schedule has changed so I need to do some crock pot meals. Would you suggest about 7-8 I crock pot. And should spinach be added at end