30-Minute Dinners
Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
A cozy, tomato-cream soup packed with sausage, pillowy tortellini, and spinach—one pot, 35 minutes.
Directions
Brown the sausage
Cook sausage in a Dutch oven over medium-high, breaking it into crumbles. Spoon off excess fat.
Build flavor
Add onion and cook 4 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning for 1 minute.
Simmer
Add crushed tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes.
Cook tortellini
Add tortellini and cook according to package timing, usually 3 to 5 minutes.
Finish
Lower heat and stir in cream, spinach, and Parmesan. Warm until spinach wilts; do not boil hard.
Why this works
Swaps & notes
Easy swaps
- Use turkey sausage.
- Add kale 5 minutes before tortellini.
- For a lighter soup, replace cream with half-and-half.
Cook notes
- Cook tortellini only until tender; it continues softening in hot broth.
- Parmesan adds salt—taste before seasoning.
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days. Tortellini absorbs broth; add extra broth when reheating. For freezing, freeze the soup base without pasta or cream.
Questions
Can I use frozen tortellini?
Yes. Add directly from frozen and follow the package cook time.
Why is my soup too thick?
The pasta absorbed broth. Add broth until it reaches your preferred consistency.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Use dairy-free tortellini, unsweetened cashew cream, and omit Parmesan.