Tortellini soup made with cheesy tortellini, sausage, and savory garlic in a creamy tomato based broth is about to be your new favorite dish!
Tortellini soup reminds me of my Italian grandma who always let me help in the kitchen as a kid. She would have loved that you can make this on the stove top or in the instant pot! Try it with an antipasto salad and quick yeast dinner rolls!
Tortellini Soup
Tortellini Soup
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Tortellini Soup Ingredients
- Ground Italian sausage – Sweet, mild, spicy, or even regular ground beef will work.
- Garlic – Fresh is going to give you the most potent flavor, but there’s nothing wrong with using pre-minced garlic to save time.
- Onion – I like to use sweet yellow onion or vidalia, but white onion is good also. If you need a shortcut, grab some pre-diced frozen onions from the market.
- Spaghetti sauce – Use whatever sauce you love (or if you’re like me whatever was on sale last time you went shopping). Make sure it’s spaghetti sauce and not plain tomato sauce. We want all that yummy seasoning!
- Stock or broth – Make broth at home or grab it from the market.
- Cheese tortellini – Find this in the refrigerated section of your market. I usually see it near the lunch meat.
- Heavy whipping cream – Heavy cream adds a deep richness to the soup, but if you’re in a pinch or trying to watch your waistline, this can be substituted for half & half or milk.
- Fresh baby spinach – I strongly prefer fresh spinach for this as it has a much nicer texture, but if you need use frozen spinach just make sure to chop it small so it doesn’t get too stringy.
- Optional – Grated parmesan and fresh basil for serving. It’s technically optional, but it really shouldn’t be!
top left: ground meat, top right: marinara sauce, bottom left: cream, bottom right: spinach
How do you make tortellini soup? (Step-by-step)
⭐ First, in a large stock pot, brown sausage and then drain off excess fat. Add garlic and onion to sausage and saute until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.
⭐ Then, pour in spaghetti sauce and stock. Bring to a simmer.
⭐ Next, stir in tortellini, cover and allow to cook about 8 minutes or until al dente.
⭐ Finally, stir in heavy whipping cream and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated parmesan and fresh basil.
You can make this recipe on the stove top (pictured), or in the instant pot!
Preparation
Can you make tortellini soup in the instant pot?
You absolutely can make this recipe in the instant pot! You’ll want to use the saute feature to start and then after adding the spaghetti sauce, tortellini, and broth cook on manual (high pressure) for 1 minutes. Do a careful quick pressure release (or a 10 minute natural pressure release), then stir in heavy cream and spinach.
Can you make it ahead of time?
You can prepare tortellini soup up to a few days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. If you want to prepare it farther in advance, store it in the freezer. Reheat on the stove top over medium-low heat or in the microwave on high power in 60 second increments.
We like cheese tortellini, but you can get them filled with all sorts of goodies. Gnocchi would be delicious too.
Leftovers and storage
How long will tortellini soup last in the refrigerator?
Leftovers will last 3 – 4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. If leftovers have been left out at room temperature in excess of two hours they should be disposed of.
Can you freeze it?
You can freeze the soup by allowing it to cool and then storing in a sealed container (make sure to leave adequate head space in the container as the liquid will expand when it freezes. It will keep in the freezer for several months.
Tips and tricks
🟢 Make it vegetarian by swapping the meat for mushrooms.
🟢 Lighten things up by swapping the heavy cream for light milk.
🟢 Make a double batch and freeze half for an easy homemade lunch or dinner later.
This soup is filling and could totally be served as a main course.
Serving suggestions
As a lunch or main course, try this soup with a batch of crusty french bread, and helping of strawberry spinach salad.
If you’re enjoying it as a starter, follow up with some Italian dressing chicken, easy beer bread, and a side of oven roasted broccoli.
And definitely don’t forget dessert! Enjoy a refreshing scoop of no-churn pineapple ice cream or creamy lemon pie.
More fantastic soup recipes
- Crock pot corn chowder
- Easy sausage potato soup
- Quick corn soup recipe
- Puttanesca soup with chicken
- See all our easy soup recipes!
More Italian inspired dishes to love
- Caprese skewer appetizers
- Instant pot spaghetti with meat sauce
- Antipasto pasta salad
- Quick garlic knots
- See all our Italian recipe ideas!
I like to finish mine off with some fresh basil, cracked black pepper, and parmesan cheese.
Suggested tools
- Santoku knife – My favorite knife for cutting vegetables! This knife is the perfect size and shape, handles great, and is super reasonably priced. Also, I just love that it’s fun and colorful!
- Garlic press – Need fresh minced or sliced garlic, but don’t want to peel or chop your garlic? A garlic press is the bessssssst. We’ve had ours for as long as I can remember (maybe a wedding present?), and I use it several times a week!
- Dutch oven – An enameled cast iron dutch oven can go from stove top to oven, and look beautiful doing it. Perfect for chilis, roasts, breads, and stews. Mine is yellow, what color will you choose?
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How to Make Tortellini Soup
Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage or ground beef
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 24 ounces spaghetti sauce
- 4 cups stock or broth vegetable or chicken
- 16 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 - 4 ounces fresh baby spinach about one large handful
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional grated parmesan and fresh basil
Instructions
STOVE TOP DIRECTIONS
- In a large stock pot, brown sausage and then drain off excess fat. Add garlic and onion to sausage and saute until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in spaghetti sauce and stock. Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in tortellini, cover and allow to cook about 8 minutes or until al dente.
- Stir in heavy whipping cream and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated parmesan and fresh basil.
INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS
- Using saute mode, brown sausage and then drain off excess fat. Add garlic and onion to sausage and saute until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in spaghetti sauce, stock, and tortellini.
- Set to sealing and cook on manual (high pressure) for 1 minute. Do a very careful quick release (close the valve if it begins to sputter), or a 10 minute natural pressure release.
- Remove lid and stir in heavy whipping cream and spinach. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with grated parmesan and fresh basil.
SLOW COOKER DIRECTIONS
- In a large stock pot, brown sausage and then drain off excess fat.
- Add browned sausage, garlic, onion, spaghetti sauce, and broth to your slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook low 3 - 6 hours or high 2 - 3 hours.
- About 30 minutes before you're ready to serve, stir in tortellini. Cover.
- Right before serving, stir in cream and spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top individual bowls with grated parmesan and fresh basil.
Notes
- Cook time - Most electric pressure cookers take about 10 - 15 minutes to come to pressure. The inputted cook time will begin after the pot is pressurized.
- Natural pressure release - Hit cancel and walk away from the pot. It will slowly naturally depressurize. Depending on the contents this can take anywhere between 10 - 20 minutes for a full natural release.
- Quick release - Turn the dial at the top of your pot to allow the pressure to release quickly. Always use a long handled utensil for this to avoid steam burns. Do not quick release under cabinets or you may cause steam/water damage. If there is sputtering, quickly turn dial back to 'sealing' and allow it to naturally depressurize a few minutes before trying again.
Nutrition
Tortellini Soup
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Hollis Ramsey says
Sounds great! i’ll use a whole onion and at least 4-5 cloves of garlic becase I like it like that! And for this soup I’ll buy fresh spinach and fresh basil. (P.S. I love the 1c. heavy cream. Now you’re talking!)
Aly Gray says
OH MY GOSH! I just made this last night and it instantly became my absolute favorite soup. It is so good and super easy to make. I’ll absolutely make this regularly.
Lauren says
This was amazing!! I made this last night for me, my husband, and my 15 month old and we all loved it. Adding the cream is a game changer!