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side view shot of tortellini soup in a bowl with a spoon in it
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4.76 from 29 votes

Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup

Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup made with Italian sausage, cheese tortellini and spinach in a fire roasted tomato broth softened with half and half. One pot and ready in 45 minutes.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: tortellini soup
Servings: 8
Calories: 534kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound Italian sausage casings removed
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 medium carrot chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 14.5 ounce fire roasted tomatoes
  • 2 cups tomato passata
  • 14 ounce cheese tortellini
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 cup fresh spinach chopped
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the 1 pound Italian sausage with casings removed and cook 3 to 5 minutes, breaking it into small pieces.
    Broken pieces of raw Italian sausage in a white Dutch oven, followed by the sausage browned into golden crumbles.
  • Add the 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot and 2 chopped celery stalks. Cook about 5 minutes, until softened.
    Sliced carrots, celery and chopped onion added to browned Italian sausage, then stirred together in a white Dutch oven.
  • Stir in the 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.
    Garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper added to sausage and vegetables, then stirred through in a white Dutch oven.
  • Sprinkle in the ¼ cup all purpose flour and cook 1 minute, stirring. Gradually add the 6 cups chicken broth, then the 14.5 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes and the 2 cups tomato passata. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook 15 minutes.
    Flour sprinkled over cooked sausage and vegetables, followed by chicken broth and tomatoes added to build the soup base.
  • Stir in the 14 ounces cheese tortellini and the 2 cups half and half. Cook about 10 minutes, until the tortellini are al dente.
    Cheese tortellini and half and half added to tomato broth, then stirred together and simmered until the pasta is tender.
  • Stir in the 1 cup chopped spinach and cook 2 minutes, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    Chopped spinach added to creamy sausage tortellini soup, followed by the finished soup with spinach wilted into the broth.
  • Serve with grated Parmesan and fresh basil.

Video

Notes

  1. Don’t drain the sausage. The rendered fat is the base of the broth.
  2. Use fire roasted tomatoes rather than plain. The faint smoke is what makes this taste slow cooked.
  3. Add the flour dry and cook it 1 minute before any liquid goes in, or you’ll get lumps and a raw flour taste.
  4. Half and half rather than heavy cream. Add it with the tortellini and keep the soup at a simmer afterward, since a hard boil can split it.
  5. Fresh or frozen tortellini both work. Frozen goes in straight from the bag and may want an extra minute.
  6. The tortellini keeps absorbing broth, so this thickens overnight. Add broth or milk when reheating, and reheat gently.
  7. For make ahead, stop after the tomato stage. Add the tortellini, half and half and spinach fresh when you reheat, about 12 minutes.
  8. Freeze the base only, before the tortellini and dairy, up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1187mg | Potassium: 664mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2232IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 4mg
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