Go Back

Tomato Tortellini Soup

Tomato tortellini soup with cheesy tortellini simmered until just tender in a creamy crushed-tomato broth. Sautéed onion and garlic plus Italian sausage create a hearty Italian-American main-dish soup.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cheese tortellini
  • 20 oz cheese tortellini refrigerated
Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
Baby spinach
  • 4 cups baby spinach
Crushed tomatoes
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes 1 can
Diced tomatoes
  • 14 oz diced tomatoes 1 can
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 garlic, minced cloves
Chicken broth
  • 4 cups chicken broth
Heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Italian seasoning
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
Dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
Parmesan and fresh basil
  • 1 Parmesan and fresh basil for serving
Salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the sausage
  1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the Italian sausage, stirring often, until cooked through. Drain excess fat.
Build the tomato base
  1. Sauté the onion for 4 minutes, stirring, until softened. Add the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and dried basil and cook for 2 minutes.
  2. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth, then bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a steady boil so the flavors start combining.
Cook the tortellini
  1. Add the cheese tortellini to the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes, until just tender. Stir occasionally so the tortellini don’t stick.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in the heavy cream and baby spinach, then cook for 2-3 minutes until the spinach wilts. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer after adding the cream.
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with parmesan and fresh basil.

Notes

For best texture, don’t overcook the tortellini—aim for “just tender” and stop cooking as soon as they’re done. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove, adding a splash of broth or cream if needed. Freezing is not recommended because cream-based tortellini soups can separate and tortellini may become soft. If you want a lighter version, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream.