The best part this one-pot tortellini soup recipe doesn’t require additional pans or dishes, so clean-up is incredibly easy. Preparation is also quick and simple, thanks to prepackaged tortellini! You’ll have a filling cozy meal on the table in half an hour If you’re looking for more comforting soup recipes, try my lentil soup recipe, pasta fagioli soup recipe, or chicken tortilla soup recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Italian Sausage – depending on your spice preference, use one pound of sweet or hot Italian sausage links (4-5 links) with the casings removed. Pork sausage, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage all work. You can also purchase bulk, or ground and uncased, sausage. Aromatics – chopped yellow or white onion, minced garlic cloves, and fresh basil give this soup a heavenly aroma and dimensional flavor. Chicken Stock – adds a rich flavor and silky smooth texture to the soup. Alternatively, you can use chicken or vegetable broth. Tomatoes – gives the soup a delightful, mildly acidic and slightly sweet flavor. Use a can of diced, drained tomatoes for easy prep. If you don’t have diced tomatoes, use 2 tablespoons of tomato paste or 1/3 cup of plain tomato sauce to lend the same flavor to the broth. Tortellini – cheesy pasta is the star ingredient for this dish! I recommend using refrigerated packaged cheese tortellini in this recipe for the easiest and quickest prep. Parmesan Cheese – freshly shredded parmesan cheese adds a savory, creamy topping to each bowl of soup. Grate the cheese from the block instead of pre-grated cheese if possible!
How to Make Tortellini Soup
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork sausage, and cook, stirring often until browned and broken up, for about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender, for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the broth, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium heat and continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, and stir in the tortellini. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender.
- Stir in the fresh spinach and basil until wilted, for about 1 minute.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
Incorporate more aromatics. Enhance the earthy notes by adding chopped fresh thyme, fennel, parsley, or a dash of dried Italian seasoning. Or, add a spicy kick by sprinkling red pepper flakes in with the onions and using spicy Italian sausage. Tortellini cooking time. Reference the tortellini package for cook times, as brands can call for different ranges. My tortellini took 7 minutes, but some will need more or less time. Add veggies. Easily sneak in extra veggies to this hearty soup for added color and flavor. Try diced carrots, celery, kale, zucchini, or even sweet peppers for a heartier dish! Make the soup vegetarian. You can easily make this cheese tortellini soup vegetarian by omitting the sausage and swapping the chicken broth 1:1 for vegetable broth. Make a creamy soup! To make creamy tortellini soup, stir in 1 cup of heavy cream or half-and-half when you add the spinach and basil. It will also add a deliciously velvety texture to the soup. Use more tortellini. Some tortellini packages come in larger sizes, often 10 to 20 ounces. You can use up to 20 ounces in the soup, or add your desired amount and freeze the leftover pasta. Place leftover pasta on a baking tray until firm before storing it in a freezer-safe container.
If you’ve tried this Tortellini Soup recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
