We love eating just about any variety of soup or stew — especially on cold winter evenings. And I love making soup because we always end up with lots of leftovers for later in the week or for the freezer… so yeah, we eat a lot of soup!
I “discovered” this recipe two years ago when I was making soup to take to school for Dave’s birthday lunch. I wanted something that was a little different than all the “traditional” soups, but still really hearty and delicious. Thankfully, this recipe was a huge hit and my pot was practically licked clean!
This soup is now a regular meal in our fall and winter meal plans. It stores well in the fridge for leftovers, it freezes wonderfully, it’s a complete meal all by itself, and of course, everyone loves it!
I love the idea of using stuffed pasta in a soup as I feel it makes the recipe more filling, and the sausage is a nice change from chicken or beef.
Recipe for Hearty Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup:
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground sausage
- 1 medium onion; diced {I used 2 small ones}
- 3 garlic cloves {or 1 t. garlic powder}
- 4 – 5 c. broth or water {I used 2 c. beef broth and 2 c. veggie broth}
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 4 carrots; peeled and chopped
- 1 green pepper; chopped
- 1 15 oz. can sliced mushrooms with liquid
- 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes {I just used 1 quart of my home-canned tomatoes}
- 2 t. white sugar
- 1 T. parsley
- 1 T. basil
- 1 T. oregano
- 1 19 oz. package frozen tortellini {I used cheese, but beef would be good too}
- Parmesan cheese
Directions
- In a large stock pot, cook sausage, onions, and garlic until meat is no longer pink
- Drain and return mixture to pot
- Add in all the rest of the ingredients {except the tortellini} and bring to a low boil
- Simmer until veggies are tender — about 15 minutes
- Add frozen tortellini and simmer until it is cooked through {another 10 minutes}
- Serve with Parmesan cheese on top
This soup only takes about 10 minutes of prep work and then 30 minutes of cooking/simmering — which means you can easily have dinner on the table in about 45 minutes! Or you could make this the night before and simply re-heat it when you get home at night.
I have also made this recipe in a crock pot, but I usually wait to add the tortellini until about 30 minutes before we’re ready to eat. YUM!!
What is your favorite soup?
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Kelly says
I just wanted to add my good review to this recipe. My family LOVED it! I used smaller sized tomato products (added in a bit of water toward the end) but kept the rest the same. It was so good!
Andrea says
oh good — it’s still one of my most favorite soups ever!
Ann says
I use a similar recipe that I found a few years ago on The Well Fed Newlyweds blog and it’s so good. I’ve made it vegetarian and with a spicy chicken sausage and our family loves it. I like to add riced cauliflower to it now to boost the vitamins and fiber. I usually use a pre-made Italian seasoning mix along with salt & pepper and then put the spinach in the bottom of the bowl and ladle the hot soup on top. It was finally a little bit cooler in Seattle this past weekend so I made a double batch and we ate it for lunch and dinner for 2 days. So good!
http://thewellfednewlyweds.blogspot.com/2009/12/tortellini-soup.html#more
Andrea says
yum thanks!
Joy says
I’ll have to try this version…. My version uses 1/2 block of cream cheese and a bag of spinach. Also yum. 😉 less healthy. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Andrea says
yum! I’m sure the cream cheese makes it really yummy — we’ll just say that the healthy spinach balances it out 🙂
Linda says
I just made this for the second time in two months. My husband LOVES it…and I do, too. I added a can of rinsed garbanzo beans to it just because I was emptying so many cans out of my pantry that I was on a roll. It’s out on the porch right now cooling and then it’s going in the freezer with the other soups and stews I’ve been making lately. I love having a freezer stocked with homemade foods. You’ve been an inspiration to me, Andrea.
Andrea says
yay — glad you love the soup! It’s one of my all-time favorites too! I make it several times every winter and it always hits the spot!
Sarah says
Made this for supper tonight – it was great! I will be adding this to our menu!
Andrea says
yay — thanks for letting me know you liked it! This soup is definitely one of our favorites!
Elizabeth says
How would this taste with ground turkey? I do not have sausage in the house! Looks yummy!
Andrea says
Well, you can definitely try it with ground turkey — but you might want to add some additional seasonings as the sausage flavor definitely adds some “kick” to the soup.
Sol says
Andrea,
I know you’re busy but I hope you see this before Christmas. I’m going to make this in a crockpot for a Christmas lunch party. I’m not sure how long it should cook? I’d like to get it going the night before but would that be too long?
Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Andrea says
Hi Sol, I’d say that 4-5 hours on high would probably be enough — overnight would be WAY too long! Also, you’ll want to wait to put the tortellini in until about 1 hour left.
Good luck! hope you love this soup as much as we do!
Sol says
Oh geez! I would’ve messed that up. Thank you soooo much! 🙂
Sol says
Made it and it was a huge hit!!! …I ended up transferring to the stove to add the tortellini. An amazing soup! Thanks for sharing it.
Amy says
I made this for supper and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe! Bonus- tortellini was on sale at Meijer. =)
Faith @ Artistic31Mama says
This sounds so good! I will definitely need to add this to my list of recipes I want to try. I agree; I love soups and stews as well.
Danita says
Looks Delicious! I love tortellini!