This Tortellini Sausage soup is a reader favorite and one of the most popular on Our Best Bites! It’s full of flavor from Italian sausage and hearty with vegetables and tortellini. We love this soup with a simple loaf of crusty bread for dipping, but you could also serve it with a heftier grilled cheese and side salad for a more filling meal. Try this once and it will become an instant hit at your dinner table!
Ingredients Needed
- Italian Sausage – Italian sausage is usually found either in links, or in a package like ground beef. If you guys links, you’ll need to remove the sausage from the casings. You can either use a sharp knife to cut all the way down the sausage and peel the casings off, or you can snip one end with a pair of kitchen shears and squeeze it out. Make sure to check your labels, as Italian sausage comes in sweet (which is mild) and hot (spicy) versions. I prefer sweet, but if you like heat, go for the spicy version.
- Fresh garlic
- Onion
- Chicken broth
- Apple Cider – Apple cider as in unfiltered apple juice, NOT apple cider vinegar. If you can’t find apple cider, apple juice will work just fine.
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Canned tomato sauce
- Carrots
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Zucchini
- Cheese Tortellini – Fresh works well, but be sure to check the freezer section of your grocery store; if you can find it there, it will almost always be way cheaper than fresh tortellini. Also, Barilla makes a great dry cheese tortellini.
- Dried parsley
- Kosher salt and black pepper
How to Make Tortellini Sausage Soup
- To get started, you’re going to need about 1/2 pound of sausage or 3 links of Italian sausage, an onion, and some garlic. Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and crumble the sausage into the preheated pot.
- If your sausage is pretty fatty, you’ll want to drain it when it’s about halfway cooked. Meanwhile, chop an onion and garlic and add to the sausage. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked. Your house will smell heavenly.
- Add a can of diced tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce, some apple juice (don’t forget this or leave it out because you think it’s weird–you’ll be sad if you do!), water, and a quart of chicken broth. Also add in a cup of chopped carrots and a teaspoon each of oregano, and basil.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. While that’s simmering, shred two medium zucchini, measure out two tablespoons of parsley, and round up 10 ounces of cheese tortellini. When the soup has simmered for 20 minutes, add the zucchini and parsley (NOT the tortellini). Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the tortellini and simmer for another 8-10 minutes or until the tortellini is tender.
- Serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- Freeze soup in individual portions for a quick meal on busy days.
- Tortellini sausage soup is great with these Homemade Breadsticks. If you’d like to make these, start the dough first, then prepare the first “phase” of the soup while the dough is rising. While the soup is simmering, twist the breadsticks, let them rise, and they’ll be done baking about the same time the soup is done.
- Other options for easy bread sides include homemade garlic bread using this Homemade Garlic Bread Seasoning, One-Hour Dinner Rolls, or this Easy No Knead Overnight Artisan Bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
Of course! Allow the finished soup to cool completely and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat small portions in the microwave, or reheat the whole batch on the stovetop.
Can I freeze this soup?
Yes! Soup in general makes a great freezer meal and this one is no different. For easy reheating, freeze individual soup pucks in silicone muffin trays or my favorite Souper Cubes, then store in a zip top bag in a freezer. Pull out as many as you need for a serving and heat in the microwave or on the stove top.
Tortellini Sausage Soup
Hearty and satisfying, this is one of our all-time favorite soups!
Servings cups
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 links Italian sausage
- 4 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 onion diced
- ½ cup water feel free to use broth or additional apple cider/juice here.
- 1 quart chicken broth
- ½ cup apple cider NOT apple cider vinegar
- 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup carrots sliced
- 1 teaspoon basil dried
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 2 zucchini, medium grated
- 8-10 ounce package cheese tortellini check the freezer section of your grocery store; if you can find it there, it will almost always be way cheaper than fresh tortellini. Also, Barilla makes a great dry cheese tortellini
- 2 tablespoons parsley, dried yes, that’s two tablespoons!
- kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- If you’re using link sausage, remove the casings and crumble into a large soup pot. To remove the casings, you can use a sharp knife to cut a slit down one side of the sausage and then peel back the casing.
- Chop onion and add to pot with garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. Continue cooking until onions are translucent and your sausage is cooked.
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, cider, water, chicken broth, carrots, oregano, and basil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Cover and simmer for ½ hour. Add parsley and zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes or so.
- Add the tortellini and cook until tender. Add additional salt and pepper until it tastes perfect.
- Serve with bread and freshly-grated Parmesan.
Notes
- If you need to thin out leftovers, just add a little additional broth.
- Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- Freeze soup in individual portions for a quick meal on busy days.
- Tortellini sausage soup is great with these Homemade Breadsticks. If you’d like to make these, start the dough first, then prepare the first “phase” of the soup while the dough is rising. While the soup is simmering, twist the breadsticks, let them rise, and they’ll be done baking about the same time the soup is done.
- Other options for easy bread sides include homemade garlic bread using this Homemade Garlic Bread Seasoning, One-Hour Dinner Rolls, or this Easy No Knead Overnight Artisan Bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 271kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 887mg, Potassium: 351mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 2779IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 271kcal
Cost: $8
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Questions & Reviews
My family and I have been making this soup for a couple of years now. It has become our “go to” soup for get togethers, when we are sick, when we need to feel “healthy” again, and any other reason. We all always add a couple of handfuls of chopped spinach at the end to give it more veggies too. This makes enough to eat on for several meals and is healthy as well! Thanks for giving all of us a tradition that we will hopefully pass on to our children!
Can you substitute the sausage with any other kind of meat? We are not pork eaters, but this sounds really good! Suggestions?
I make a soup similar to this and put red bell peppers in it as well. It gives it an extra kick but not too much spice. I like that this one calls for zucchini and I think I’ll mesh the two. YUM!
MMMM, thanks for inspiring me every day to cook for my family. Love the ideas!
Mmmmm this sounds really yummy. For those that have made it does have to be the tortellini? Can I use just bowtie or shell pasta and still have it be really good. Asking since I have to make everything dairy free (and there is not a single Tortellini option at our grocery store that doesn’t include cheese).
I make a similar soup with tortellini and I think it would be just as good with another pasta without cheese. I would use bow-tie.
Thanks Angela!
I usually keep a small pack of apple juice boxes on hand just for this soup, because my family won’t usually go through a whole bottle of apple juice 🙂
Can you use apple juice instead of cider? Or can you buy apple cider in smaller than a gallon jug? I am not a fan of drinking it and don’t want to have to buy a ton of it.
Recipe calls for apple cider, but the instructions don’t mention it! When does it go in??? Thanks!
It just goes in with all the other liquids. The instructions called it “juice” so maybe that’s why you missed it. I changed it to say “cider” so hopefully that’s more clear. Enjoy the soup!
Thank you for the awesome recipe. I just reposted it making it 100% shelf stable. You guys are such an inspiration!
I just want to say thank you for this amazing recipe! I’ve made it numerous times for numerous people (especially great to give to someone who just had a baby) and EVERYONE loves it! Even my super picky 4 year old actually eats this! Thank you!