Sausage Tortellini Soup
This creamy sausage tortellini soup is a 30 minute meal that’s easy to make with sausage, kale, simple seasonings, broth, and cream!
Be sure to serve this with a side of Garlic Bread with Cheese or Biscuits!

Sausage Tortellini Soup
Wait until you taste this soup. This is one you will undoubtedly add to your favorite list of soup recipes, especially because it’s a 30-minute meal that’s got vegetables, protein, and pasta all in one bowl!
You may scratch your head when you see that I’ve got hot sauce and mustard powder on the ingredients list, but trust me. They enhance the other flavors in the recipe and add a very subtle touch that creates a great base for this soup. Once you try it, you’ll see what I mean!
Check out my PRO tips below on how to add even more flavor to this soup, and what you can use if you don’t have kale on hand!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook the sausage, onions, and garlic. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add basil, oregano, hot sauce, mustard powder, and pepper. Stir to combine.
Add chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.

Add kale and tortellini. Cook 3-5 minutes. Taste and add salt if desired. Transfer to serving bowls and add a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Pro Tips
- For even more flavor, add the rind from a block of Parmesan or Romano cheese when you add the broth and let it simmer and flavor the soup. If any remains at the end of cooking, it can be discarded. Salt will likely not need to be added if you do this.
- 2-3 cups of Spinach can be used instead of kale, stir it in once the tortellini is cooked and let it wilt, about 30 seconds. If you use frozen spinach, let it thaw and pat it dry prior to adding it.
- I use RANA refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini for this recipe. I also use Texas Pete hot sauce or Frank’s Hot Sauce.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 51!
- For a similar recipe with a twist, try my Sausage Gnocchi Soup! And be sure to try my Marry Me Chicken Soup as well- it also has tortellini!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3+ months.
- Note that the tortellini will continue to absorb broth during storage. I recommend boiling the tortellini separately and add it directly to serving bowls if you plan on having leftovers.
- Be sure to try my chicken tortellini soup recipe next!
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- 4 quart Soup Pot: The perfect size for this recipe.
- Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.)
- Kitchen Scale: In case you need to weigh the sausage. (I use this all the time.)
- Measuring Spoons– To measure out the seasonings.
- Pinch Bowls– I measure out my seasonings ahead of time and add them to these small bowls so they’re ready to go when it’s time to add them.
- 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
Try These Next
- BEST Clam Chowder
- Tomato Basil Pasta
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
- Pasta Primavera
- Meatball Soup
- Marry Me Chicken Pasta
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sausage Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage, hot or mild
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 1 pinch cayenne, optional
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups kale, chopped
- 2 cups tortellini, just under 10 oz. (refrigerated or frozen)
- Salt/ to taste
Instructions
- Note: The mustard powder and hot sauce are so subtle in this soup but help enhance the other flavors, so although you may be hesitant to add them, I highly recommend it!
- Remove the casings from the sausage if you purchased links. Cook and crumble the sausage and diced onions over medium-high heat until the onions are softened and the sausage is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Drain grease. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Add basil, oregano, cayenne, hot sauce, mustard powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
- Add the kale and tortellini and simmer for 3-5 minutes. (If your tortellini needs longer cooking time, add the tortellini first, then the kale during the last 5 minutes.)
- Taste the soup and add salt if desired. Start with ¼ tsp and add more after that if needed.
- Transfer to serving bowls and serve! (This is great with Garlic Bread with Cheese!)
Notes
- I use RANA refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini for this recipe. I also use Texas Pete hot sauce or Frank's Hot Sauce.
- For even more flavor, add the rind from a block of Parmesan or Romano cheese when you add the broth and let it simmer and flavor the soup. If any remains at the end of cooking, it can be discarded. Salt will likely not need to be added if you do this.
- 2-3 cups of Spinach can be used instead of kale, stir it in once the tortellini is cooked and let it wilt, about 30 seconds.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 51!
- For a similar recipe with a twist, try my Sausage Gnocchi Soup! And be sure to try my Marry Me Chicken Soup as well- it also has tortellini!
Crock Pot Method:
- Brown the sausage/onions on the stove top and add the flour as outlined in steps 2 + 3.
- Transfer everything except for the cream, tortellini, and spinach to the slow cooker.
- Cook it on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-7.
- Stir in the kale toward the end and let that heat up for 10-15 minutes.
- Turn heat off. Temper the cream in the microwave for 45 seconds and stir it in slowly>
- Add cooked tortellini to serving bowls and ladle soup on top!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for 3+ months.
- Note that the tortellini will continue to absorb broth during storage. I recommend boiling the tortellini separately and add it directly to serving bowls if you plan on having leftovers.
- Be sure to try my chicken tortellini soup recipe next!
Nutritional information an estimate and is per serving. Each serving is 1 cup, and this recipe makes approximately 10 cups.
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Wouldn’t change a thing about this recipe. Absolute perfection!
Wahooo! Thanks so much Kelly, that make me so happy!🩷
Made this last night. It was amazing!! I will probably add more sausage next time. I also added spinach instead of kale. Soooooo good!!!!!
I’m so happy you liked it! Spinach is a great sub. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!🩷
We LOVED it! I make copycat Zuppa Tuscano alot and this was better. Yes I did a double take with the mustard powder and hot sauce but it works so well
I’m so happy you went with the mustard powder and hot sauce Anita, sounds crazy but really builds the flavor. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!💖
While I usually only leave reviews when I don’t make any substitutions, I only made it because my grocery store was out of Italian sausage. So I used Jimmy Dean’s regular sausage and it tasted perfect to me. This recipe won a soup contest today! It was so comforting and so good, everyone asked for the recipe, so I sent them to The Cozy Cook’s recipe. Thanks for posting a winner!!
Hi Amy!! I am sooo happy that you loved the soup! I use Jimmy Dean’s regular sausage for this recipe often and I LOVE it too! I’m so excited that this won a soup contest today! Thank you so much for sharing my recipe with them, you’re the best!! 🙂 -Stephanie
I made this recipe for the second time now. I love it. It is very easy to prepare and it comes out delicious. I LOVE SOUP. It’s 14 degrees today, so it was nice to have something to warm me up. I did a double batch of this soup because the fresh tortellini I used had more than the required amount. I used hot chicken italian sausage and some plant based sausage just because I had it thawed and had to use it up. The bag of kale I bought was huge and I dumped it all in. Yum. Thanks, Stephanie!
You’re very welcome Renee! Sounds like you’re having our weather, it’s freezing! I’m so happy this helped warm you up. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review💗
So easy to make and my family loved it. Thank you.
You’re very welcome Nancy, I’m so happy the family loved it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!💗
Made this today in a cold night; and omg. Did not disappoint. In my opinion no additional salt needed. The sausage is salty enough!! Will definitely be making this again
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and review Monica! Can’t beat a cozy soup on a cold night, the best!🩷
Hi there! I made this soup 2 weeks and it was delicious! I do have a question…if I use the 18oz bag of Rana tortellini, how much more broth and heavy cream should I use to have more liquid for the soup ? Thanks!!
Hi Anong, if you’re using 18 ounces instead of just under 10 ounces, you’re basically doubling the tortellini. So I would double everything else 🙂
We love this soup!! I make it with mild Italian chicken sausage. That way I don’t have to drain off grease, just some of the liquid. It’s delicious! A cozy soup on a cold night. Or anytime, for that matter! I’m going to try the crockpot method for a women’s luncheon
Thanks so much for the great comments Sandra🩷, I’m so happy you enjoyed it with chicken sausage, yummm!
It’s been sub-zero weather and soup has sounded good. I saw this recipe on Instagram and came to the website to print it out. I made it today for lunch and it was absolutely delicious! It was quick and easy and, most importantly, didn’t make a huge mess in my kitchen! I made the recipe exactly as written but for one slight change. My husband and I like spicy food so I used Bob Evan’s Zesty Sausage and 1/4 a teaspoon rather than just a pinch of Red Pepper Flakes. My husband said it had “just the right amount of heat.”. To make it even easier, I pre-cooked the sausage a day ahead and put it in the refrigerator. Today, I pulled it out, put it in the soup pot with the raw onions and a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to heat and cook the onions. From there, I followed the recipe to a T. I used Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini. We didn’t have the soup with anything else, just some homemade sourdough bread. We both had two bowls and there are two bowls left over for lunch tomorrow. Just the right amount of soup for 2 hungry people who wanted a little, but not a lot, of leftovers. The soup was so good that I transferred it to one of my “special” recipe cards for placement in our soup rotation! Thank you, Stephanie!
Nice work! The Zest Sausage sounds so good, my husband would definitely like the extra kick! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!🩷