Rich and creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup is a cold-weather comfort food favorite! It’s loaded with crumbles of Italian sausage, chunks of carrots and celery, fresh basil and parsley, and the cheesy tortellini takes it over the top!
When I think of the best dishes to serve on a cold winter day, a few come to mind: pasta e fagioli, Italian beef stew, and this creamy sausage tortellini soup.
Ready in under an hour, cheese tortellini soup with sausage is great for weeknights and goes particularly well with a side of garlic bread and a green salad for a full and satisfying meal.
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Tortellini. I find that the tortellini in the refrigerated section of the grocery is far better than the frozen variety but use whichever is available to you. And if you have homemeade tortellini, even better! I used cheese tortellini but use any you’d like.
- Sausage. If you can find it, use bulk Italian sausage with fennel. If you can’t find bulk sausage, buy the sausage links and simply remove the meat from the casings. Hot sausage would also be great here if you like spice!
- Fennel. If your sausage already contains fennel, you can omit from the recipe. Otherwise I like to add 1 1/2 teaspoons of fennel seed to the soup.
- Fresh herbs. Basil and parsley elevate and complement the flavors in Italian sausage tortellini soup. They bring a freshness that dried herbs don’t have. These get added at the very end. You could also toss some spinach in if you like.
- Tomato paste and cream. Just a touch of heavy cream is used to make the tomato-based broth velvety.
- Chicken stock. Use homemade chicken stock if you can, or make a stock from chicken base.
- Wine. A dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc can be used, but feel free to omit if you can’t have alcohol.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Dice 1 medium onion, 2 ribs of celery, and 2 medium carrots. Mince 6 cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup of Italian parsley, and chop 1/2 cup of packed basil leaves. Heat a large heavy pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive and the sausage. Cook the sausage until browned while breaking it up into small pieces. A meat masher works great for this! Once browned, remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and place on a plate and set aside. (Photo #1)
- To the pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil along with the onion, celery, carrots, a pinch of salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of fennel seed. Cook until soft while stirring, about 7-10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until fragrant. (Photo #2)
- Add 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste and cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes. If the paste starts to burn, lower the heat by adding a splash of water to the pot. (Photo #3)
- Add 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. (Photo #4)
- Add 1 cup of dry white wine and turn the heat up to high while scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits. (Photo #5)
- Once the wine has reduced by half (about 1-2 minutes), add the cooked sausage to the pot along with 8 cups of low-sodium chicken stock and a Parmigiano Reggiano rind and bring to a boil. (Photo #6)
- Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then add 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream and simmer the soup for another 10 minutes. (Photo #7)
- Add 1 pound of cheese tortellini and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender, then remove from the heat, taste test and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the parsley and basil, then serve in bowls with grated cheese and crusty bread. (Photo #8) Enjoy!
Top tips
- Save your Parmigiano Reggiano rinds! Anytime I finish a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano, I wrap the rind in plastic and store in the fridge or freezer to use in my soup recipes. The rind adds a wonderful depth of flavor!
- Use homemade stock. Whenever possible, use homemade chicken stock or beef stock. Homemade stock not only allows you to control sodium levels in your food, but also tastes better than store-bought!
- Add some greens. Feel free to add fresh baby spinach, kale, or other greens to the creamy sausage tortellini soup.
More hearty soup recipes
If you enjoy hearty soups loaded with flavor, here are a few recipes I know you’ll love!
- Beef barley soup – chunks of beef and carrots with barley in a delicious beef broth.
- Italian wedding soup – tiny meatballs, acini di pepe pasta, and escarole in a nourishing broth.
- Sausage lentil soup – with zucchini, crumbled sausage, and vegetables.
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Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
Loaded with flavor, this velvety, creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup is a cold weather favorite that's easy to make in under an hour! Serve with crusty bread and you're set!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil divided
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed can omit if using fennel sausage
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock plus more to thin if needed
- 1 rind Parmigiano Reggiano optional, see notes below
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 pound cheese tortellini
- 1/2 cup flat leaf Italian parsley minced
- 1/2 packed cup basil leaves chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy pot to medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the sausage. Cook the sausage until browned while breaking it up into small pieces. Once brown, remove the sausage with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
- To the pot, add the remaining olive oil along with the onion, celery, carrot, fennel seeds, and a pinch of salt. Cook until soft while stirring every so often (about 7-10 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and cook stirring frequently for 5 minutes. If the paste starts to burn lower the heat and add a touch of water to the pot.
- Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Next, add the wine and turn the heat to high. With a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pot to dislodge any browned bits. Once the wine has reduced by half (about 1-2 minutes) add the cooked sausage, chicken stock, and Parmigiano rind. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cream and simmer the soup for another 10 minutes.
- Add the tortellini and cook until tender (about 3-5 minutes) then remove the pot from the heat. Taste test the soup and adjust salt and pepper if required. Stir in the parsley and basil.
- Serve in bowls with grated cheese and crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- Makes 6 large or 8 moderate servings.
- Any type of Italian sausage can be used. If using fennel sausage, omit the fennel seeds.
- We always recommend saving Parmigiano Rinds! They are excellent for soups like this, but if you don’t have one just serve with grated cheese.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or stovetop.
Nutrition
Calories: 601kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.9g | Protein: 26.4g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 10.8g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 853mg | Potassium: 771mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 6.3g | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I am working my way through many of your recipes. Each one I try becomes my new favorite. Today it snowed in New York and was the perfect time for the sausage and tortellini soup. It is delicious as I was sure it would be. Now to decide which of your excellent recipes to make next.
Hi Judy, we’re so happy you enjoyed it on this snowy day!
Jim are you using fresh or frozen tortellini?
Hi Lori, we’re using fresh tortellini from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, but you can use frozen if you’d like.
This is a delicious soup!The wine,tomato paste and cream tastes a lot like a vodka sauce. I made it exactly like you said but had to use mini ravioli’s as it was what I had on hand, I will use tortellini next time. My family loved it.
This soup is amazing. The flavor is built up beautifully. We loved it. I made it just as written, adding 2 cups of baby spinach at the end with the fresh parsley and basil. Even my “soup-is-not-a-meal” husband loved it for dinner with crusty French bread. He said this recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
My very first meal made via a James recipe! I think the family overall would have given it a “7” but it was my first attempt at cooking that didn’t involve a grill, so I think you can account for one point at least on the new cook. But I had fun and I’ll take a 7 any day!
Made this today. It was very good and the soup base would be easy to repurpose into a different soup. I’m thinking of using ground beef instead of sausage and potatoes instead of the tortellini.
Looks delicious.
Jim, is the expectation that the rind will melt, or that we remove what hasn’t melted before serving?
Hi Lynn, it won’t melt entirely so whatever is left should be removed before serving.
Hello James,
Followed the recipe and used chicken sausage instead and it was Delicious! My family loved it!
Will be making again.
OMG! I made this last week and was thinking that you should make this. It is delicious and hits the spot on a cold day. The recipe I used didn’t have the celery and carrots (but it will the next time) but it did call for baby spinach which I will continue to use. I bet James loves this soup. Enjoy!