Hearty and creamy tortellini soup with sausage is total comfort food in a bowl. This flavourful tomato-based soup is packed with tortellini, Italian sausage, spinach and kale, for a wholesome one pot meal. The best part? You can make it in under 30 minutes, from prep to table, AND you can freeze leftovers for a rainy day. It's the perfect cozy lunch or dinner all fall and winter season long.

I am so excited when soup season rolls around because I am all about the warm winter sweaters and cozying up by the fireplace with a warm bowl of soup. Some of the hearty soups that we have been enjoying lately, in addition to creamy tortellini sausage soup has been vegetarian mushroom barley soup, healthy miso ramen with chicken, beef cabbage barley soup, and creamy vegetarian peanut miso ramen.
Ingredients and Substitutions in Tortellini Soup
To make this delicious creamy tortellini soup with sausage, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- Italian sausage
- tortellini - I used cheese tortellini, but you can use any flavour that you like. You can also use fresh or frozen tortellini, but note that the cook time of the tortellini will be longer if it is from frozen.
- tomato sauce - either homemade or store-bought.
- heavy cream - you can also use half and half cream.
- onion
- garlic
- baby spinach
- kale
- all-purpose flour - a little flour helps thicken up the soup.
- salt and pepper
- fresh parsley - for garnish.
You will also need a medium cooking pot (I used my 4 qt. Dutch oven).
How to Make the Best Creamy Tortellini Soup with Sausage
- Cook the sausage: Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot for 2 minutes over medium high heat until the hot oil sizzles and shimmers. Add sausage and stir to cook for 5-7 minutes until browned. Break the sausages into small pieces using a spatula.
- Add onions and garlic: Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender. Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in flour and tomato sauce: Stir in flour until well combined, about 1 minute. Then, pour in tomato sauce. Turn the heat down to medium and stir well to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Turn to low heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add tortellini: Add tortellini and cook until tender, about 8-10 mins according to package directions. Stir occasionally to cook evenly.
- Add cream: Add heavy cream and stir well to mix. Make sure the heat is on low and stir well to achieve a smooth creamy consistency. You should notice the soup turn into a creamy orange colour after adding heavy cream. Add in spinach and kale. Cook for 1 minute until soft.
- Serve: Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top and serve warm.
How to Serve Creamy Tortellini Soup
My favourite way to serve a hearty Italian soup like creamy tortellini soup with sausage is with a side of crusty garlicky bread like garlic rosemary focaccia bread, easy no knead tomato focaccia bread, pull apart garlic bread, or cheesy garlic dinner rolls. But really any crusty homemade bread works here to soak up all that creamy tomatoey soup.
Storing Tips
- How to store: Store the soup in the pot (covered) or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- How to freeze: Transfer soup to an airtight container and freeze in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature on the kitchen counter. Then, reheat on the stove over medium-low heat and serve with fresh parsley on top.
More Soup Recipes
- Vegetarian Mushroom Barley Soup
- Creamy Vegetarian Peanut Miso Ramen
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Creamy Mexican Corn Soup
- Beef Cabbage Barley Soup
- 30-Minute Butternut Squash Soup
- Sweet Potato Soup
This easy creamy tortellini soup with sausage soup forms a part of my 25 warm and cozy fall soup recipes. Follow the link to check out all of my 25 fall favourite soups.
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Recipe
Creamy Tortellini Soup with Sausage
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
Description
Hearty and creamy tortellini soup with sausage, spinach and kale is total comfort food in a bowl. Make this flavourful one pot meal in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- ½ pound Italian sausage
- ½ cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 cups (24 ounces) tomato sauce
- 1 package (9 ounces) cheese tortellini
- ½ cup heavy cream (or half and half cream)
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ½ cup kale, stems removed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat a large pot for 2 minutes over medium high heat hot. Add sausage and stir to cook for 5-7 minutes until browned. Break the sausages into small pieces using a spatula.
- Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender. Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in flour until well combined, about 1 minute. Then, pour in tomato sauce. Turn the heat down to medium and stir well to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Turn to low heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add tortellini and cook until tender, about 8-10 mins according to package directions. Stir occasionally to cook evenly. If the texture of the soup is too thick, add in some water or chicken stock.
- Add heavy cream and stir well to mix. Make sure the heat is on low and stir well to achieve a smooth creamy consistency. You should notice the soup turn into a creamy orange colour after adding heavy cream. Add in spinach and kale. Cook for 1 minute until soft.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley on top and serve warm.
Notes
How to store: Store the soup in the pot (covered) or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to freeze: Transfer soup to an airtight container and freeze in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature on the kitchen counter. Then, reheat on the stove over medium-low heat and serve with fresh parsley on top.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Jakob says
Absolutely delicious dish and smells amazing the whole way through! You won’t want to wait for it to be done! The only reason I don’t give it a 5 star is because I followed the recipe exactly as instructed and it came out a lot thicker than the picture showed. Either way, still very delicious!
Sam says
Pretty good but I had the same issue as Keirston and I followed the instructions to the T. Next time I'm going to add just a tad bit more cream or water to see if that improves it at all.
Taylor says
Hi! Do you mean regular plain canned tomato sauce or pasta sauce?? Thank you!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Hi Taylor. I mean regular plain canned tomato sauce, not pasta sauce.
Keirston says
Delicious, we really enjoyed this recipe. We subbed extra spicy Italian sausage and that kick with the greens was awesome. One question, do you use a certain type of tomato sauce that lets itself to being less thick and more soupy? Ours came out more like a thick pasta sauce and less like a soup, reread a couple times to see if I missed broth or water but thinking maybe we just reduced too long or got the wrong tomato sauce. It was still great, just not as thin of a broth as pictured. Thanks!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Hi Keirston, so happy you liked this recipe! I used regular tomato sauce but you are right, it could be that it was reduced too long. You can easily add in some water to thin out the soup to your desired consistency.