This delicious sausage tortellini soup recipe combines Italian sausage, tomatoes, fresh cheese tortellini, arugula, and a perfect blend of herbs and spices. Fall is here, and with it comes all kinds of incredibly delicious soups.
I love to serve this family favorite with a garden salad tossed with a light vinaigrette and French baguettes with soft, creamy butter. This soup, Cabbage Roll Soup, Meatball Soup, Chicken and Rice Soup, and Vegetable Beef Soup are just a few of our many favorites.
Try this simple recipe for a satisfying and flavorful tortellini soup that will warm you up on a cold day. With just a few ingredients and minimal prep time, it’s the perfect meal for busy weeknights.
If your family is anything like mine, soup is the main meal category for most of fall and winter. It is my favorite time of the year, and soup warms our minds, bodies, and souls. Of course, we eat soup year-round.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Italian Sausage: I prefer sweet or mild. Try to purchase good quality Italian sausage from a local meat market. If it is only available in links, cut the casings off. Try chicken, ground beef, or pork sausage for Italian sausage substitutes.
- Vegetables: onion, garlic, fire-roasted tomatoes, arugula or spinach
- Seasonings: dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, dried thyme, red pepper flakes, fresh thyme, fresh basil. You can substitute a tablespoon of Italian seasoning for the dried herbs.
- Broth: low-sodium beef broth, vegetable broth, or low-sodium chicken broth
- Tomato paste: to give the soup flavor and thicken it
- Refrigerated cheese tortellini: can substitute frozen or dried
- Parmesan cheese: freshly grated is best
How To Make Sausage Tortellini Soup
This is just the summary version of the recipe. See the recipe card below for ingredients and full directions.
Brown the Italian Sausage in a Dutch Oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. When it is halfway through the browning process, add the onion and cook until the sausage is brown and the onion is soft.
Then, reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, and crushed red pepper, cooking for a minute. Whisk the tomato paste with a bit of beef broth to thin it out. Then add the vegetable broth, remaining beef broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, and thinned-out tomato paste. Increase the heat to medium and bring it to a low boil. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer.
Add the cheese tortellini and let everything simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the tortellini cooks to your desired tenderness. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir it in the arugula. Salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle each bowl with a bit of Parmesan cheese.
Preparation Tips
- You can substitute fresh baby spinach for arugula without changing the recipe. Remember to remove the large stems.
- Most grocery stores carry refrigerated pasta, although you may have to ask where it is in the store. You can always substitute frozen cheese tortellini or even dried tortellini.
- Dried herbs work best in soup, where their flavors have time to permeate the whole pot. I like to add them to the fat from the Italian sausage and cook for about a minute. This technique is known as blooming.
Serving Suggestions
- Bread: crusty French or Italian bread, cheese garlic bread, breadsticks, focaccia bread, or cornbread muffins.
- Salad: spinach salad, garden salad, or Italian salad
- Dessert: peach crisp, key lime pie, or banana cream pie.
How to Cook it in a Crock Pot
Brown the Italian Sausage in a Dutch Oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. When it is halfway through the browning process, add the onion and cook until the sausage is brown and the onion is soft.
Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, and crushed red pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer to a crockpot.
In a small bowl, whisk the tomato paste with about 1/2 cup of beef broth. Add it to the crock pot with the vegetable broth, remaining beef broth, and fire-roasted tomatoes. Cook on low for about 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
Increase temperature to high. Add the tortellini, cooking for about 30 minutes or until tender. Add the arugula and cook for about 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be careful not to overcook the pasta when reheating so it does not have a soggy texture. Reheat on low on the stovetop or in the microwave at reduced power.
More Soup Recipes
Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground Italian Sausage
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 pinches red pepper flakes
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth or low sodium chicken broth
- 10 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 3 cups arugula or spinach
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh thyme optional
- Fresh basil optional
Instructions
- Brown the Italian Sausage in a Dutch Oven or stockpot over medium heat. When it is about halfway browned, add the onion and cook until the sausage is done browning and the onion has softened.
- Turn the heat to low and add the garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, and red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- In a small bowl, whisk the tomato paste with about 1/2 cup of beef broth. Add the vegetable broth, remaining beef broth, fire-roasted tomatoes, and thinned-out tomato paste. Increase the heat to medium and bring it to a low boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Add the cheese tortellini and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the tortellini are cooked to your desired tenderness.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the arugula. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle each bowl with 1-2 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. If desired, garnish with fresh thyme or fresh basil.
Notes
- You can substitute fresh baby spinach for arugula without changing the recipe. Remember to remove the large stems.
- Most grocery stores carry refrigerated pasta, although you may have to ask where it is in the store. You can always substitute frozen cheese tortellini or even dried tortellini.
- Dried herbs work best in soup, where their flavors have time to permeate the whole pot. I like to add them to the fat from the Italian sausage and cook for about a minute. This technique is known as blooming.
Nutrition
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https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Ian
oh, hell….nooooo. It was so damn tasty I couldn’t stop eating it and I live alone. I must have gained 10 pounds.
Beth Pierce
LOL! Oh my! So glad that you liked it Ian!
KG
I always double the portions this soup is so good. I’m liberal with the Italian spices and put the raw spinach in each bowl before poring the hot soup over and finishing with fresh, grated Parmesan
Beth Pierce
Thanks for all the tips!!
Jeannine
I made this tonight.. it is delicious! I can’t wait for lunch tomorrow! Thank you!
CJ
Would you recommend adding cream to the recipe?
Beth Pierce
No. I do not think so on this soup.
Julie
We added a little cream and it was great
Janice Boettcher
I made this on Saturday and it was all gone by Sunday lunch!!! So easy and so good! I followed the recipe as written, I just used the small cheese tortetilini. Wonderful!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Janice! So glad that you liked it. We love this soup!
Allan
Made the soup today after seeing it on Facebook and I used Rahnaldi hot sausage and it was great.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Allan! So glad that you liked it!
Nancy
Great recipe! I did double the tomato paste as I didn’t have roasted tomatoes on hand, so substituted canned, diced tomatoes. Next time, I just may add sliced, browned italian sausage as well as the ground sausage.
Also, I used spinach in my soup… lots of it!
Great flavored soup! Easily could have been served in a nice, Italian restaurant! Definitely a keeper recipe!
Beth Pierce
Thank you! So glad that you enjoyed it!
Debbi
Can I use kale?
Beth Pierce
You can but it will take longer to wilt. Add it at the same time as the broth and tomato paste.
Loretta
I don’t do diary. What other pasta will work in this soup?
Beth Pierce
Most any pasta would work in this. Penne, ziti, shells, elbows. Just cook until tender.
Monica Rachwal
Can I make this soup without arugula or spinach. I like neither but this soup sounds delicious
Thank you
Beth Pierce
Yes you sure can!
Bobette Bryan
Thank you! I saw this in my FB feed and, luckily, I had the ingredients. I used dry Tortellini Soup Mix (8.25 oz) in mine, and it was fabulous!
Kevin Compton
We love this recipe! Made it e times now. Couple of modifications we make is to simmer the soup 30 to 45 minutes before adding tortellini. Long enough to let the tomatoes to cook down. Then add the pasta, mine takes only 4 minutes. Then I put the spinach in, lots of spinach with 2 minutes left.
This recipe is a keeper!
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tips Kevin! So glad that you like it!
Christine
Can you freeze this soup?
Beth Pierce
Yes but I would would add the arugula and tortellini when reheating it.
Kimberly Wheeler
How much tomato paste
Beth Pierce
1 1/2 tablespoons. The full recipe is down at the bottom of the post.
Denise
I love this recipe. Very tasty. I used spinach in mine and I added a couple cans of drained mixed vegetables at the very end to use them up. Really hardy.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Denise! So glad that you liked the soup!
Sandy
Can you substitute chicken sausage? Or would it alter the taste too much?
Beth Pierce
No I think it would be fine and still delicious.
Laura
I could only find tortellini in a bag (next to all the regular pasta) at my store. (Not frozen or refrigerated) do I cook the pasta according to the package before adding to the soup? Thank you.
Beth Pierce
No just add to the soup and it will cook right in there.