Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup With Kale and Italian Sausage
By Ethan Parker
Prep
5 min
Cook
25 min
Total
30 min
Servings
10
Level
Easy
Thirty minutes takes this sausage tortellini soup from raw ingredients to bowls, with one soup pot handling the main cooking. Ground Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, kale, broth, and cream make a filling soup with a creamy base and subtle heat from hot sauce and cayenne.
The sausage and onion cook first, building the base before garlic and flour go in. Basil, oregano, hot sauce, mustard powder, pepper, cayenne, and red pepper flakes are stirred in before chicken broth and heavy cream. The flour gives the broth body, while hot or mild Italian sausage lets you choose the starting level of heat.
After boiling, the soup drops to a simmer before kale and tortellini are added. Look for softened kale and tender tortellini after three to five minutes, with creamy broth clinging to each spoonful. The key timing issue is the pasta: if its package needs longer cooking, start it first and add kale only during the final five minutes.
Serve the soup in bowls with Garlic Bread with Cheese, as suggested in the recipe. For planned leftovers, cook tortellini separately and add it to individual bowls, since pasta continues absorbing broth during storage and changes the soup's consistency.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Saves a weeknight because the full soup reaches the table in 30 minutes, combining sausage, greens, pasta, broth, and cream in one bowl.
- Uses one soup pot for browning, seasoning, and simmering, so cleanup stays limited while the flour builds body directly in the pot.
- Keeps shopping straightforward with Italian sausage, onion, garlic, broth, cream, kale, and tortellini forming the backbone of the ingredient list.
- Makes refrigerated or frozen tortellini workable because the instructions flag how to adjust its timing before the kale enters the simmering broth.
- Builds flavor quickly from dried herbs, hot sauce, and mustard powder, which are used in small amounts to support the sausage.
- Handles planned leftovers more neatly when tortellini is cooked separately, preventing the pasta from drawing as much broth from the stored soup.
Ingredients
- •1 lb ground Italian sausage (hot or mild)
- •1 small yellow onion (diced)
- •3 cloves garlic (minced)
- •3 Tbsp flour
- •1 tsp dried basil
- •0.5 tsp oregano
- •1 pinch cayenne (optional)
- •1 tsp hot sauce
- •0.5 tsp mustard powder
- •0.25 tsp 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
- 1
Remove the casings from the sausage if using links.
- 2
Cook and crumble the sausage and diced onion over medium-high heat until the onion is softened and the sausage is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
- 3
Drain the grease.
- 4
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- 5
Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- 6
Add the basil, oregano, cayenne, hot sauce, mustard powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes, then stir to combine.
- 7
Add the chicken broth and use a silicone spatula to clean the bottom of the pot.
- 8
Slowly stir in the heavy cream.
- 9
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer.
- 10
Add the kale and tortellini and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. If the tortellini needs longer cooking, add it first and add the kale during the last 5 minutes.
- 11
Taste the soup and add salt if desired, starting with 1/4 teaspoon and adding more as needed.
- 12
Transfer to serving bowls and serve.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
314
Protein
12g
Fat
23g
Carbs
15g
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