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A perfect weeknight dinner! This Italian sausage tortellini soup is full of tender, plump cheese tortellini, zesty Italian sausage, and flavorful Parmesan in a rich tomato broth. Just add a side of garlic bread for a simple and cozy meal that comes together in about 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love this Easy Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe
- Ingredients for Sausage and Tortellini Soup
- How to Make Sausage Tortellini Soup
- What to Serve with Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Tortellini Soup with Sausage
- Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe
If you love easy soup recipes as much as we do, be sure to try this beer cheese soup with bacon and broccoli, a pot of 15 bean soup with sausage, and this Crock Pot chicken noodle soup, too!
Why You’ll Love this Easy Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe
- Quick and Easy. With just a handful of simple ingredients, this delicious soup is ready for the table in about 30 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights!
- One Pot. Everything cooks in a single Dutch oven, which means that you have fewer dishes to wash at the end.
- Family-Friendly. Kids love the familiar Italian-inspired flavors that you’ll find in this soup. You can adapt it to suit their taste preferences, too. For instance, use frozen mini meatballs, ground beef, or turkey sausage in lieu of the ground Italian sausage.
Ingredients for Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Here’s a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make a pot of sausage tortellini soup. As always, specific measurements and cooking instructions are included in the recipe box at the bottom of this post.
- Olive oil: for sautéing the sausage, onion, and garlic.
- Italian sausage: I use a package of ground sausage for ease, but you can buy links and remove the casings before browning if necessary. Try another variety of pork sausage, or use Italian chicken sausage or turkey sausage if you like.
- Onion and garlic: add flavor to the soup.
- Petite diced tomatoes: make sure to pick up the big 28-ounce can.
- Tomato sauce: the larger 15-ounce size is what you’ll need here.
- Italian seasoning: a blend of classic Italian herbs such as thyme, basil, and oregano.
- Beef broth: use 4 cups for a thick stew-like consistency, or add more to thin the soup to your desired taste. You can sub with low sodium chicken broth if that’s what you prefer.
- Fresh cheese tortellini: make sure to use refrigerated fresh tortellini, which cooks quickly in about 5-7 minutes. If you need to sub with dry tortellini or frozen tortellini, just adjust the simmering time according to the package instructions. You may need to add more broth when using dry tortellini, since the dry pasta will absorb more liquid.
- Parmesan cheese: I prefer to use a block of Parmesan that I grate by hand, since this melts smoother into the soup. In a pinch, a can of the pre-grated cheese will also work!
- Salt and pepper: just enough to suit your taste.
- Fresh basil or parsley: a bright garnish that adds a nice, fresh touch to the hearty soup.
How to Make Sausage Tortellini Soup
Thanks to quick-cooking refrigerated tortellini, this soup comes together in about 30 minutes! I’ve included the detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the short version:
- Brown the sausage, onion, and garlic in olive oil.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and beef broth.
- Simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes.
- Add the tortellini and cook just until the pasta is tender.
- Stir in grated Parmesan cheese, then taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh herbs and extra cheese, then serve!
What to Serve with Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Garnish the bowls of soup with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or fresh herbs. Serve with a side of crusty baguette, no-knead bread, no-knead cast iron focaccia, or garlic bread. A bowl of soup is also delicious with a crisp green salad dressed in Italian balsamic vinaigrette or a homemade Caesar salad. It’s total comfort food!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: To prepare this soup in advance, follow the recipe instructions through Step 2, simmering the broth for about 15 minutes. Do not add the tortellini or Parmesan. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, pack in airtight containers, and store in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, bring the soup to a simmer on the stovetop. Add the tortellini and cook just until tender. Stir in the Parmesan and serve!
- Storage: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or you can freeze the soup for up to 3 months; however, cooked pasta never keeps very well in soup for a long period of time (since it swells and becomes sticky or mushy). If you’re prepping in advance, follow the make-ahead instructions above and wait to add the tortellini until you’re ready to serve.
- How to Reheat: Warm the soup over low heat on the stovetop, adding extra broth if necessary to thin. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.
Recipe Variations
- Add diced carrots, celery, or zucchini for even more veggies and flavor. Saute them with the onion and sausage. You can also stir in frozen cut green beans or chopped kale towards the end of the cooking time (when you add the tortellini), or add a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach, frozen corn, or frozen peas at the very end. The delicate spinach will wilt almost instantly.
- Swap out the beef broth and use chicken broth or vegetable broth instead.
- Cooking Just for Two? Prepare a smaller batch of soup by cutting all of the ingredients in half. For instance, use a 15-ounce can of petite diced tomatoes, an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce, a 2-cup can of broth, ½ lb. of sausage, and a small 8 or 9-ounce package of tortellini.
- Add heavy cream to the soup towards the end of the cooking time if you prefer a creamy sausage tortellini soup.
- Instead of the Italian sausage, use ground turkey Italian sausage, ground beef, or frozen Italian mini meatballs.
Tips for the Best Tortellini Soup with Sausage
- This soup has a thick texture — almost like a stew. Feel free to stir in extra broth at the end to thin the soup, if desired.
- Use spicy Italian sausage for even more flavor, or add crushed red pepper flakes for extra heat in the broth.
- Start with low-sodium broth, since the Parmesan cheese and tortellini are quite salty on their own. You can always add extra salt to taste at the end, if desired.
- I prefer the quick-cooking, fresh taste of refrigerated cheese tortellini. If you would like to substitute with dry tortellini or frozen tortellini, just adjust the cooking time according to the package instructions on your specific product. You may also need to add more broth to the pot, since dry pasta will absorb more liquid than fresh pasta while it cooks.
- Garnish each bowl of soup with chopped fresh parsley or other herbs, and an extra sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.
More Easy Soup Recipes to Try
Easy Minestrone Soup {Better than Olive Garden!}
1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Pasta Fagioli Soup
40 minutes mins
Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
An easy, cozy dinner that's ready for the table in about 30 minutes!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth (or more to thin the soup if desired)
- 1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes (not drained)
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 16-20 ounces fresh refrigerated cheese tortellini pasta
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes. Drain off excess grease.
- Stir in the broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid, add the tortellini, and cook just until tender, about 5-7 more minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Serve soup immediately, and garnish with additional cheese and fresh herbs.
Notes
- This soup has a thick texture — almost like a stew. Feel free to stir in extra broth at the end to thin the soup, if desired.
- Use spicy Italian sausage for even more flavor, or add crushed red pepper flakes for extra heat in the broth.
- Start with low-sodium broth, since the Parmesan cheese and tortellini are quite salty on their own. You can always add extra salt to taste at the end, if desired.
- I prefer the quick-cooking, fresh taste of refrigerated cheese tortellini. If you would like to substitute with dry tortellini or frozen tortellini, just adjust the cooking time according to the package instructions on your specific product. You may also need to add more broth to the pot, since dry pasta will absorb more liquid than fresh pasta while it cooks.
- Garnish each bowl of soup with chopped fresh parsley or other herbs, and an extra sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/8 of the soupCalories: 465kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 23gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 1364mgPotassium: 862mgFiber: 5gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 503IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 219mgIron: 4mg
I see you have a number of recipes using the fresh tortellini. I hope I can find some at the Wal-Mart I shop at. It would be so convenient. Since it would take me several days to eat a recipe worth, I was wondering something? Is it satisfactory to add several of the tortellini to a serving when I heat it up or is it best to just add them all to the pot as you do? I’ve never used them before. I thought they might fall apart over the course of several days or make the broth too thick. Also, I assume that a tortellini is similar to a ravioli? Thanks!
Hi Marion,
You’re right – the tortellini does not hold up well if stored for later. To prepare the soup in advance, we recommend following the recipe instructions through Step 2, simmering the broth for about 15 minutes (omit the tortellini and Parmesan). Then, allow the soup to cool to room temperature, pack it in airtight containers, and store in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, bring the soup to a simmer on the stovetop. Add the tortellini and cook just until tender. Stir in the Parmesan and serve.
Hope this helps!
Oh, thank you! Good idea!