Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale

This easy Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale recipe is the perfect weeknight meal! It is a hearty soup that is packed with flavour.

If you’re looking for an easy and comforting soup recipe, look no further than this Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale. It’s simple to make and absolutely delicious.

One of the great things about cooking is that there are endless possibilities for recipes and flavors. You can never get bored with cooking if you keep trying new things.

This Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale recipe is a perfect example of a new, delicious dish to try. It’s easy to make and features some classic Italian flavors.

Cooking a big pot of soup is one of the best ways to make a delicious and healthy meal with little effort. This tortellini soup recipe features Italian sausage and kale for a hearty and satisfying dish. It’s perfect for warming up on a cold winter day.

Filled with flavorful ingredients like Italian sausage, kale, and tomatoes, this soup is sure to keep you cozy and satisfied all season long. Plus, it’s so easy to make – perfect for busy weeknights!

So if you’re looking for a cozy meal to warm up your tummy, this is the recipe for you. Enjoy!

Why You will LOVE this Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup

• It is super easy to make
• Ready in under an hour
• Loaded with flavour!
• It’s like eating your favourite pasta dish in soup form!
• It’s a complete meal
• Perfect cold weather comfort food!

Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Instructions

I think this soup is pretty quick to make and develop flavours so I typically just prepare it on the stove top.

If you want to make this in a slow cooker then you will need to cook the sausage and saute the onions as directed. Add everything to your slow cooker except the cream, tortellini, and kale. When getting ready to serve, add in your cream, tortellini, and kale and let it cook another 10 minutes, or until the tortellini is soft and tender.

For the Instant pot you can use the saute mode to follow the instructions as written. Once you have added the tomatoes and broth you will want to place the lid on the instant pot and set the valve to sealing. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes, then do a quick release.

You will then need to switch back to saute mode and add the fresh tortellini and cream. Allow it to cook for about 5 minutes, then stir in the kale.

Tips for Making this Sausage Tortellini Soup

• Use good quality, well seasoned sausage as it is the predominant flavour.
• If you have leftover rind from fresh Parmesan throw it in the broth too. It’ll slightly thicken the broth, and add some richness and extra flavour to the soup.
• Make sure you drain as much of the fat as possible from the sausage before continuing. Leave about a tablespoon for cooking the onions. If you do not drain the fat, the soup will be greasy.
• Do not season anything or add the onion, garlic, or herbs to the sausage prior to draining the fat. You will end up dumping a lot of flavour away with the fat.
• Add a few tablespoons of tomato paste for a more tomato-ey flavoured soup with a thicker broth.
• When cooking the sausage in my dutch oven I do not add any oil to the pot first. The sausage creates it’s own fat for cooking in.

Variations and Substitutions

This soup is pretty amazing as is but if you want to include additional ingredients here are some ideas:

• Add in a can of beans. Butter beans or navy beans (also known as northern beans or white beans) would work well!
• Chopped cooked chicken in addition to the sausage is perfect for any meat lover.
• Swap the kale for fresh spinach.
• Add in sliced mushrooms.
• Throw in some tender sautéed bell pepper.
• If you like it extra spicy, throw in some red pepper flakes.
• Swap the diced tomatoes for sun dried tomatoes.
• If you need a dairy-free soup try substituting with coconut cream or non-dairy yogourt. Make sure you swap the cheese tortellini for tortellini with dairy-free filling.
• For a gluten-free soup simply swap the tortellini for your favourite gluten-free pasta.
• For vegetarian soup use vegan Italian sausage and vegetable broth, and for a vegan soup you will also need to use coconut cream or non-dairy yogourt instead of heavy cream.
• If you do not like sausage then use ground meat of your choice and double the additional seasonings. You will need to add oil to your soup pot in order to brown the meat.

What can you Serve with this Creamy Soup?

This italian sausage tortellini soup is a very hearty soup, and a whole meal onto it’s on but if you’re looking for an accompaniment for your soup, a simple green salad would be perfect.

A side of garlic bread or buttered crusty bread works really well too.

How to Store Creamy Tortellini Soup

Store any leftover soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container . Cooked soup lasts for three to five days in the refrigerator.

Like other creamy soups, this soup should not be frozen, as this will cause the ingredients to separate when reheated. Pasta also gets a little weird after being frozen in soup, it gets too soft. If you absolutely need to freeze the soup then omit the tortellini and cream and add those only after heating the soup.

Tools Used for Making this Soup

Dutch oven – You can use your favourite soup pot here, I like to use my dutch oven. The one pictured in the photos is an Amazon Basics round dutch oven.

If using a dutch oven be sure to cook using a silicone or wooden spoon to avoid scratching the enamel.

You will also need a kitchen scale or measuring cup and measuring spoons.

About the Ingredients for Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup

Sausage – Swap with mild Italian sausage or sweet Italian sausage if you want to cut down on the heat. You can also purchase sausage meat from the butcher that is not in casings.

Onion – White or yellow onion.

Garlic – 6 cloves minimum guys.

Herbs – Can also use fresh herbs but add these towards the end when you add the kale instead. You can also substitute with Italian seasoning.

Tomatoes – Do not drain the tomatoes, you want to use the whole can.

Broth – I used beef broth for a richer flavour but you can substitute with chicken broth if desired. If you want to lower the sodium in the recipe, use low sodium broth and then adjust with additional salt to taste if needed.

Kale – Spinach is a good substitute for these leafy greens if needed. Curly kale or tuscan kale are both good varieties to use for making soup.

Tortellini – Use fresh store bought tortellini or homemade tortellini with cheese filling for the best flavour. You can use meat filled if desired but cheesy tortellini suits this soup best. Frozen tortellini will work but you will need to add a little more simmering time.

Salt & Pepper – Balances all the flavours, add to taste.

Cream – If you don’t have heavy cream, then light cream or half and half works.

Looking for More Comforting Soup Recipes?

Check out more of my favourite soup recipes!

The best Instant Pot Santa Fe Chicken Soup recipe for your pressure cooker, it is packed with flavour to warm you up from the inside out!

This Keto Tuscan soup recipe is a low carb take on the classic zuppa toscana. It’s hearty, creamy, full of flavour and made in just one-pot!

This Lasagna soup recipe is the ultimate in comfort food. It has all the cheesy-meaty goodness of lasagna with tender pieces of lasagna and a delicious tomato base that delivers all the flavours of lasagna without all the fuss.

How to Make Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale

Yields: 6 Servings | Prep time: 10 Minutes | Cook time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 lb (0.9 kg) Hot Italian Sausage, casings removed
• 1 Medium onion, chopped
• 4 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 28 oz (796 mL) Can diced tomatoes
• 6 Cups (1.4 L) beef broth
• 1 Bunch Kale, de-stemmed and sliced thin
• 8 oz (250 g) fresh cheese tortellini pasta
• 1 Cup (240 mL) heavy cream
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, add Italian sausage, breaking it up with your spatula and sauté until cooked through.

Drain excess fat then add the onion and cook until softened. Stir in garlic, basil, and oregano and saute one minute.

Pour in tomatoes and broth, bring to just a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes then stir in the tortellini and cream and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Stir in the chopped kale.

Serve with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.