Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Kale
This creamy sausage, kale, and tortellini soup is my absolutely favorite soup to make as soon as the weather starts to change! Made with hot Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, and Tuscan kale, all cooked in a creamy tomato broth, this is the perfect hearty soup for cold nights and it will become an instant favorite! AND it’s one of my favorite soups to make while camping in the fall, winter, or early spring while it’s still chilly at night.
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The BEST Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Tortellini soup is the perfect comfort food for cozy nights in. I love this soup for how flavorful it is, even with simple ingredients. You don’t need a ton of fancy spices or ingredients to make the perfect winter meal. This soup gets its depth of flavor from hot Italian sausage and mire poix – a mix of onion, carrot, and celery. It’s the perfect soup to warm you up on a chilly day, and it’s incredibly easy to make.
The best part about this recipe is that it’s a one-pot meal! The sausage, vegetables, and pasta are all cooked in a single pot, so that means less dish cleanup for you (arguably the worst part of cooking). I make this soup as soon as the weather starts to get chilly (yes, it gets cold in Los Angeles). I also like to meal prep this soup and eat it all week long!
Why you’ll love this soup
- Made in One Pot: You will LOVE this soup because of how simple it is! It’s a one-pot meal, so you won’t have to dirty a bunch of dishes to make it.
- FULL of Flavor: It is packed full of flavor from the hot Italian sausage and mire poix, so it’s incredibly satisfying to eat.
- Well-Balanced: This meal is balanced with protein, fats, carbs, and vegetables for micronutrients.
- Easy Meal-Prep: It also makes a great meal prep soup. If I’m meal-prepping, I will slightly undercook the tortellini and store the soup in a container in the refrigerator until I’m ready to eat it.
- Customizable: This soup is also customizable. You can use plant-based Italian sausage for a vegetarian meal, substitute the kale for spinach or chard, or add zucchini for even more veggies. I made this soup with zucchini when I first posted it to Instagram in 2021!
- Great for Camping: This soup makes a great camping meal, too, because or how easy it is and requires minimal cleanup.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Hot Italian Sausage: This adds so much flavor to the broth, and a bit of heat, too! Substitute with turkey sausage or plant-based sausage instead of pork, or use sweet Italian if you can’t tolerate much heat.
- Mire poix: The combination of onion, celery, and carrot cooking in the fat from the sausage creates an aromatic base that gives the soup a ton of flavor.
- Garlic: You can never go wrong with garlic!
- Tomato paste: Adds rich flavor to the soup.
- Crushed tomato: Thickens the soup and adds so much tomato flavor to the broth.
- Chicken broth: If you’re using plant-based sausage to create a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth instead.
- Cheese tortellini: I suggest using cheese tortellini for this recipe for extra cheesiness! You can use fresh or frozen tortellini. I include an amount range in the ingredients listed on the recipe card. Add more tortellini for a more dense, hearty soup, or less tortellini for a more broth-y soup. If you need a dairy-free alternative, use gnocchi instead!
- Tuscan Kale: Adds some greens and micronutrients to your soup. You can use regular kale, too. You can also use spinach or chard.
- Heavy cream (optional): This optional ingredient makes the soup rich and creamy! You can use half and half or Greek yogurt, too. If you need a dairy-free alternative, choose a dairy-free creamer or yogurt. The flavor will change slightly, but it will still be delicious! You can also skip the addition of cream and still have a very flavorful soup.
How to make Creamy Tortellini and Sausage Soup
Making this sausage, kale, and tortellini soup is SO easy because it all comes together in one pot! All of the ingredients are combined in a pot and simmered to meld all of the flavors together to create a rich and delicious soup.
How to Store and Reheat Tortellini and Sausage Soup
I often make this Italian sausage soup as an easy meal-prep for quick lunches and dinners throughout the week. It makes a great make-ahead meal because as the flavors sit in a container, they get more delicious over time! This soup can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerator Storage: If you are not serving this tortellini soup right away, store the broth in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you store the soup with the tortellini, the tortellini will absorb a lot of of the liquid, so it is best to keep tortellini and broth separate. If you need to store the soup with the tortellini for meal-prep lunch for work, then add extra broth to your soup and undercook the tortellini so it reheats perfectly and all of your broth doesn’t get absorbed.
- Freezer Storage: Store the broth without the tortellini in an air-tight freezer-safe container for up to 3-4 months. Before you cook, defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight. Then, you’ll reheat the soup on the stovetop and add your tortellini to cook in the broth!
- Reheating: Bring the broth to a boil on the stovetop, then add your tortellini and cook according to package instructions.
Variations of Creamy Sausage and Tortellini Soup
- To make this soup dairy-free, you can swap out the heavy cream with a dairy-free creamer or yogurt, or just omit the cream instead. Swap out the cheese tortellini and use your favorite regular pasta (I suggest gnocchi).
- For a vegan soup, instead of using pork sausage, use a plant-based Italian sausage instead. Omit or swap the cream for a dairy-free alternative, and use a vegan pasta instead of cheese tortellini.
- If you want to add more veggies to your soup, mushrooms, red bell pepper, or zucchini are great options!
- To make a gluten-free version of this oup, swap out the tortellini for a gluten-free tortellini or pasta shape.
- To make a lower-fat version of this soup, omit the cream and instead of using Italian pork sausage, use turkey sausage instead.
I hope you enjoy this Tortellini Soup and try out more of Dope Kitchen’s recipes!
Equipment for this Recipe:
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Sausage, Kale, and Tortellini Soup
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: One-Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
A hearty soup that is perfect for cozy winter nights or an easy dinner to make while camping! This soup gets its depth of flavor from hot Italian sausage and the aromatic combination of onion, celery, and carrot. It’s a delicious recipe to add to your winter dinner rotation, whether you’re cooking something simple for a busy weeknight or meal-prepping to plan for busy nights ahead!
Equipment for this Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb Hot Italian sausage links, casings removed
- 1/2 cup diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 14oz can crushed tomato
- 3–4 cups chicken broth
- 10–19 oz cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale, ribs removed, chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, for topping
Instructions
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat 1 tbsp oil. Then cook sausage, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon and cooking until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside. If there is a lot of excess fat in the pan, use a paper towel to soak up some of it.
- Reduce the heat to medium, then add onion, carrot, and celery. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until onions are translucent and vegetables are fragrant. Add garlic and a generous pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper, then cook for another minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste to coat the vegetables. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sausage back to the pot along with crushed tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
- Add the tortellini and cook according to package instructions. About 2 minutes before the tortellini is al dente, add the kale and cook until the tortellini is cooked and the kale is wilted. Then stir in the heavy cream.
- Serve the soup and top with freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you truly want this to be a one-pot meal with less to clean, you can also just add the onion, celery, and carrot directly into the pot with the cooked sausage. Don’t add until the sausage has browned because the water from the veggies will steam the sausage, leaving the meat to look grey instead of browning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 413
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 1772 mg
- Fat: 20.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.8 g
- Protein: 24.9 g
- Cholesterol: 69 mg
