Description
This creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup is a comforting, easy-to-make meal featuring savory Italian sausage, tender tortellini pasta, nutritious kale, and a rich cream-based broth infused with simple herbs and spices. Ready in just 30 minutes, it's perfect for a satisfying dinner served alongside garlic bread.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meat and Aromatics
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage (hot or mild)
- 1 small yellow onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
Dry Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 pinch cayenne (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
Liquids
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 cups chicken broth
Produce and Pasta
- 2 cups kale (chopped)
- 2 cups tortellini (just under 10 oz., refrigerated or frozen)
Seasonings
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook the sausage and onions: Remove casings from sausage if using links. In a large pot over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the sausage with diced onions until onions are softened and sausage is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
- Add garlic: Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Make the roux: Sprinkle flour over the sausage mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste, stirring constantly.
- Season the soup base: Add dried basil, oregano, cayenne, hot sauce, mustard powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine evenly.
- Add liquids: Pour in chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot, loosening any browned bits. Slowly stir in heavy cream.
- Simmer the soup: Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let it simmer gently.
- Add kale and tortellini: Stir in chopped kale and tortellini, simmering for 3-5 minutes until kale is tender and tortellini is cooked through. If tortellini requires longer cooking, add tortellini first and kale during the last 5 minutes.
- Adjust seasoning: Taste the soup and add salt starting with ¼ teaspoon, adjusting as needed.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and serve immediately, optionally with garlic bread topped with cheese.
Notes
- The mustard powder and hot sauce subtly boost the flavor without overpowering the soup, so it’s recommended to include them.
- Use refrigerated or frozen tortellini for convenience; adjust cooking times accordingly.
- For a spicier soup, increase cayenne or red pepper flakes to taste.
- Drain sausage grease well to avoid overly greasy broth.
- Pair this soup with garlic bread for a complete meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 314 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 836 mg
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 73 mg
