Homemade soup without the hassle! This sausage tortellini soup with spinach features one-pot stovetop prep and easy measuring (a can of this, a carton of that) for a truly weeknight-friendly soup recipe. With lots of leafy greens, this tomato-y tortellini soup can be on the table in 45 minutes.
As the mom of a one-year-old, more often than not the afternoon gets away from me and I'm speed-running through dinner prep. Fast, filling, good dinner recipes save the day every time.
Soup recipes aren't usually on my radar for weeknights, but this tomato-y tortellini soup with Italian sausage is a rare exception.
I think this soup works so well because the ingredients chosen are inherently flavorful. You don't have to rely on using a lot of them, complicated techniques, or a long simmer time for the flavor to be there. Love a homemade-yet-speedy-and-convenient dinner recipe.
Even more good news I can share is that this sausage tortellini soup is also really forgiving for those evenings when your head is just not all the way together. Speaking from personal experience here! I've blanked out and added the cream before realizing my tortellini were still in the fridge. I've had a heavier hand than intended when pouring in the cream. I've forgotten to add the dried herbs until way later. This soup still manages to hit the spot.
P.S. Two more all-star weeknight recipes in my toolbox? Chicken sausage pasta, which sneaks in pasta, meat, and a green vegetable all in 35 minutes, and loaded burger bowls that don't skip the fries.
Why This Soup is a Dinner Superstar
- It's built for speed, with easy prep (just chopping up an onion and garlic), easy measuring (one carton, one package, one can, one tub...), and speedy pasta (3-minute tortellini).
- Better cheese tortellini flavor. Like sneaking mascarpone in stuffed shells, choosing a good-quality 4- or 5-cheese tortellini is super impactful on the flavor to elevate a simple soup into something WOW.
- Sweet Italian sausage. Hello, huge flavor shortcut. The sweet basil notes from this variety of sausage brings that classic Italian herb flavor without needing to contend with mushy out-of-season supermarket basil.
- Rich tomato-y broth. The combination of caramelized tomato paste and crushed tomatoes delivers different depths of tomato flavor, which pairs just right with chicken broth for a bold soup base.
Key Ingredients
- Sweet Italian sausage: While pork or turkey, mild or hot Italian sausage is fine to use, I *love* what the pronounced flavor of sweet basil in sausage does to the flavor here. Reminiscent of a good tomato basil soup. Random, but my usual grocery store doesn't carry ground sweet Italian sausage so I make the trip to stock up elsewhere. Some (most) weeknights I just don't want to be held up by snipping sausage link casings.
- Cheese tortellini: Other flavors would technically work too, but the contrast between the creamy cheese filling and the rich tomato-y broth is perfection. More thoughts on this below.
- Baby spinach: Like all greens, a five-ounce tub looks like way too much spinach going into the pot, but soon wilts up into a very manageable amount.
- Chicken broth: I use reduced-sodium chicken broth in this sausage tortellini soup (seen above is handy bouillon paste - affiliate link).
- Italian seasoning: A dried Italian herb blend (affiliate link) that usually includes the likes of oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram, but can differ slightly. The one I buy does not have garlic, pepper flakes, or added salt.
- Heavy cream: Not my usual move in everyday recipes but between one-third and one-half cup (or as much as you like, really) is the proverbial cherry on top to up the luxe factor.
Use High-Quality Cheese Tortellini
I didn't think I'd feel so strongly about sharing my cheese tortellini preferences, but here we are. Basic cheese tortellini are fine. They do the job in soup but can feel a bit one-note and not like anything special, especially alongside bolder ingredients like sausage and tomato.
Look to see if the refrigerated pasta case has any "fancier" cheese tortellini, with a mix of cheeses beyond ricotta/Parmesan. The kind I all-caps LOVE in this sausage tortellini soup recipe features Parmesan, asiago, provolone, fontina, and raclette (if you're scanning the store shelves, it's a blend for cheese lovers 😉) and holy smokes, are they good. The bolder cheese flavor and creaminess has a real impact and juxtaposes nicely with the flavorful broth.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Cook both the onion and sausage in the pot until the meat is fully-cooked and crumbled.
- Step 2: Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir to break up the paste and cook 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning and salt.
- Step 3: Deglaze with some broth, then add the rest along with the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Step 4: Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions (3 minutes for refrigerated, for mine). Take the pot off the heat and add the cream and spinach.
- Step 5: Stir over the next few minutes as the spinach wilts and the cream heats. Serve with grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Tips and Tricks
- Cook the tomato paste. Cooking the tomato paste in the pan for 5 minutes before adding the liquid provides a more layered tomato flavor and helps fond develop - big for flavor. It's especially impactful in a fast soup recipe like this - don't skip it!
- Top with Pecorino Romano or Parmesan. While I love simmering a whole piece in minestrone soup, the brief 15-minute simmer time here won't be enough for it to infuse the broth with flavor. Finely-shredded Pecorino or Parm quickly melt into bowls of soup when serving for a punchy, salty hit.
- Make it spicy. If you'd like some heat, you can use hot Italian sausage and/or add crushed red pepper or chopped Calabrian chili peppers along with the tomato paste. If using hot Italian sausage, I recommend adding chopped fresh basil leaves to the soup right at the end, along with the spinach, so that flavor is still front and center.
Frequently Asked Questions
This creamy sausage tortellini soup does have cream but not that much, so I was torn on whether it would handle the freeze/thaw/reheat cycle well. I tested it with a small container and found that yes, it freezes fine. It's best thawed in the fridge then reheated in a small pan set on the stove over low heat, though in keeping it real I've also chucked a frozen block of this soup in a pot (no thawing) and it handled just fine with no separation.
My go-to is a green salad and maybe fresh crusty bread for dipping into the broth. Sausage tortellini soup is pretty hearty so I usually don't go wild with making anything involved or fancy - just salad greens and whatever veggies and dressing we have in the fridge. It's a good day if we have homemade Caesar vinaigrette or maple balsamic vinaigrette hanging around!
Yes. You generally don't need to thaw frozen tortellini before cooking in soup, but the kind I get says to cook them for one minute longer if frozen (so four minutes instead of three). Check your specific packaging to be sure.
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Sausage Tortellini Soup with Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic finely-minced
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 32 ounces reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 10-ounce package refrigerated cheese tortellini or frozen, see note
- 5 ounces baby spinach leaves
- ⅓ - ½ cup heavy cream or to taste
- Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Set a soup pot over medium heat and add the ground sausage and onion. Crumble and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until the sausage is fully cooked and no pink remains. Stir occasionally. Drain some of the fat at this point if you'd like.
- Add the tomato paste and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, as the tomato paste begins to caramelize and darken. Stir in the Italian seasoning and salt.
- Deglaze the pot with a little bit of the chicken broth, then pour in the rest along with the crushed tomatoes. Stir well.
- Simmer soup for 15 minutes, then add the tortellini. Simmer and cook according to package instructions - mine say 3 minutes.
- When time is up, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cream (I usually do anywhere between ⅓ cup and ½ cup) and baby spinach leaves. Stir to combine - the spinach will wilt quickly. Serve with grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan to sprinkle over top.
Notes
- Sausage: If you can't find ground sausage, remove the casings from sweet Italian sausage links instead.
- Cheese tortellini: I highly recommend buying tortellini that feature a nice blend of 4-5 cheeses for a more impactful flavor in a bolder flavored soup like this.
- Frozen tortellini: These work and do not need to be thawed. Check your specific packaging but mine say to cook for 1 minute longer if frozen.
- Storage: Store leftover sausage tortellini soup in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This soup can be frozen in the same manner for up to 3 months for the best flavor, and it's best if thawed in the fridge before thoroughly reheating.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Plus receive periodic recipe newsletter emails.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Comments
No Comments