Sausage Tortellini Soup

Sausage tortellini soup is a hearty soup made with cheese tortellini, crumbled Italian sausage, and nutritious veggies. Cook up a batch of this creamy, flavorful soup in 30 minutes or less in a single pot!

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Author Heather

Ingredients

16 ounces ground Italian sausage
3 tablespoons olive oil *
1 medium onion diced
2 celery ribs diced
2 carrots diced
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
32 ounces chicken broth
12 ounces water **
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
10 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini uncooked
8 ounces whole milk

Instructions

In a stock pot over medium heat, crumble Italian sausage and cook until browned. Remove sausage from pan, set aside, and cover to keep warm.
Supplement leftover sausage grease with olive oil for a total of ¼ cup of grease/oil (you may not need all of the oil listed). Add onion, celery, and carrots to pan, cooking until lightly browned around the edges, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds.
Add flour, tossing vegetables to coat, creating a paste. Cook for one minute.
Whisk in chicken broth and water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and tortellini. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook tortellini according to package directions for al dente pasta (times will vary from brand to brand).
Remove lid and stir in milk and reserved sausage. Warm soup for one minute over low heat, then remove from heat and serve.

Notes

*You may not need all of the olive oil listed. This depends entirely on how much grease is released from the ground sausage. You'll need a total of ¼ cup of oil/grease in your pan. This oil is used to create a roux with the flour in a later step.
** If you intend to have leftovers: Omit the listed water in the recipe and cook your tortellini separately. Store leftover soup base and tortellini separately, then reheat individual portions together on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Storage: Leftover soup will keep for 2-3 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Tortellini will continue to soften and soak up liquid as it sits.
Freezing: Soup base freezes well (without tortellini) up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Tortellini can be cooked separately on the day of serving.

Nutrition