This Tuscan soup with tortellini is easy enough for a busy weeknight, yet fancy enough to serve to dinner guests! Featuring cheesy tortellini, a creamy broth, and Tuscany-inspired ingredients, this flavorful soup is sure to become a family favorite.
When the weather starts cooling down, this creamy Tuscan tortellini soup is exactly the kind of dinner you want waiting for you at the end of the day!
It's rich without being too heavy, packed with tender cheese tortellini, savory Italian sausage, plenty of garlic, fresh spinach, and sundried tomatoes, all swimming in a creamy parmesan broth that's impossible to resist.
It's cozy, hearty, and tastes like something you'd order at your favorite Italian restaurant - but here's the kicker: it's SO easy to make at home!
Why You'll Love It:
- Easy prep, big flavor. For how delicious this soup tastes, you would expect it to take a lot more work! This recipe is the perfect example of food not needing to take a long time to be delicious.
- Perfect for the whole family. Everyone in the family loves this meal! Whether your family members love all things beige (like my 7-year-old) or have bougie taste buds (like me!), this hearty soup is the perfect way to make everyone happy.
- A complete meal. Soup gets a bad rap for being a side dish, but this satisfying soup is a complete meal! Featuring protein-rich Italian sausage, tender tortellini, and a few grocery store staples, this dish is perfect for the Winter months and even better the next day!
Ingredients:
- Italian sausage: This can be purchased as ground Italian sausage (mild or hot, depending on your preferences) or in casings. If you purchased the type with casings, cut the casings, remove them, and squeeze the sausage into the pot. Easy peasy!
- Tortellini: We recommend fresh tortellini (sold in the refrigerated section), but frozen works just as well (it just takes a bit longer). We've had good luck using gluten-free frozen tortellini as well!
- Parmesan cheese: The flavorful umami broth from this soup is thanks to a good dose of real Parmigiano Reggiano. We recommend using freshly grated parmesan for the silkiest, smoothest texture. Pre-shredded types can contain grainy anti-caking agents.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Oil-packed sundried tomatoes tend to have more flavor than simple dried tomatoes, and so we strongly recommend you purchase these. Be sure to drain off any oil from the tomatoes and slice them before measuring.
- For extra tomato flavor, try adding some double-concentrated tomato paste.
You will also need:
- Baby spinach
- Heavy cream
- Onion and garlic
- Chicken broth
- Olive oil (and a bit of butter)
- Seasonings (crushed red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, dried basil, paprika, black pepper, and salt)
- Fresh basil, for garnish (optional)
How to Make Tuscan Soup with Sausage and Tortellini
This delicious soup is made with flavorful Italian sausage, tender tortellini, and fresh spinach. The base of the soup is kissed with creamy Parmesan goodness, and will leave everyone begging for seconds!
Finish with fresh herbs (we recommend basil) to make an already great soup even better.
- Add the Italian sausage and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a Dutch oven.
- Cook over medium heat, crumbling the meat with the bottom of a wooden spoon as it cooks. Once browned, drain off any excess fat and transfer the browned meat to a plate.
- Add the onions and cook until soft, then add the garlic, seasonings, and sundried tomatoes. Cook briefly to activate the herbs and spices.
- Pour in 5 cups of broth and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pour in the heavy cream and add in the parmesan cheese, stirring until the cheese melts.
- Add the tortellini to the soup pot and cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and floats to the top. The soup should thicken slightly as the tortellini cooks.
- Add in the baby spinach, and stir until the leaves wilt from the residual heat (1-2 minutes).
- Remove from the heat and taste, adjusting salt, pepper, and other ingredients/seasonings as needed. Serve with additional fresh Parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Yum!
Parmesan rind anyone?
A little Italian trick is to add a Parmesan rind right into the soup! If you have some extra rinds - go for it! I don't personally find it makes enough of a difference to go out of your way, but it's definitely worth doing if you have some on hand.
Can I Make This in a Slow Cooker?
Yes! It's so easy to make Tuscan soup in the slow cooker:
- Brown the sausage in a large pot, and drain off any excess grease. Add in the onion and garlic. Saute until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the browned meat and aromatics into your slow cooker insert, along with the seasonings, sun-dried tomatoes, and broth.
- Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours, or on HIGH for 2.5-3 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes, stir in the cream, parmesan, and tortellini. Continue to cook until the pasta is tender.
- Stir in the spinach until it wilts with the residual heat, then taste and add extra salt, pepper, or other ingredients as needed. Serve with fresh basil and extra Parmesan cheese.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Transfer any leftover soup to an airtight container and transfer to the refrigerator. The soup will keep well for up to 3 days, but will thicken as it cools.
Reheat portions with additional broth and/or cream to help thin the consistency during heating.
Expert Tips
- Use freshly grated parmesan. For the smoothest, silkiest broth you'll want to use freshly grated parmesan cheese. Pre-shredded types often contain anti-caking agents, which can leave a grainy texture after melting. An alternative would be to purchase freshly grated parmesan cheese in the deli department, which contains no additives.
- Add the spinach at the end. The secret to keeping that beautiful green hue is to add the spinach at the very end. It only needs residual heat to cook down, so keep it out until it's time to finish the soup.
- Don't boil after adding the cream. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer once you've added the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. This helps to thicken the soup, but boiling will cause separation and curdling. Keep the heat slow and low.
Substitutions and Variations
With chicken sausage: If you're not a fan of pork sausage, use your favorite Italian chicken sausage in place! With chicken, I find that sometimes you need to add a little extra fat to prevent burning as it browns.
With beans: Feel free to use some drained cannellini beans in this soup! Either in addition to the tortellini, in place of some of it, or in place of all of it. Just be sure to season a little extra to taste, as beans need a bit more salt than tortellini.
Tuscan kale soup: Swap the spinach for chopped kale leaves instead. Just be sure to add them a little earlier than spinach, as they take a bit more heat and time to cook than the latter.
Different types of pasta: Feel free to swap the tortellini for your favorite type of pasta (we are dreaming about gnocchi and cavatappi).
If you loved this recipe for creamy tuscan soup, let me know by leaving a 5-star review in the recipe card or comment below! You can also tag me on Instagram @dashfordinner.
Creamy Tuscan Soup with Tortellini and Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage ground, or casings removed (mild or hot)
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes oil drained before measuring
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese about 2 cups loosely packed
- 18-20 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini or frozen
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Fresh basil for garnish
- Extra Parmesan for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the Italian sausage. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or heavy-bottomed soup pot) over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Continue to crumble the meat. Once the meat is fully browned, drain off any excess grease and transfer it to a plate.
- Add the aromatics. To the empty pot, add the diced onion and sauté for about 4-5 minutes until softened (add butter if not enough fat remains in the pot). Stir in garlic and cook for another minute, or until fragrant.
- Add the seasonings. Mix in the Italian seasoning, basil, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and chopped sundried tomatoes. Let everything cook together for another minute to wake up the spices.
- Making the soup base. Pour in the chicken broth and return the sausage to the pot. Bring the pot to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes so the flavors can come together.
- Make it creamy. Reduce the heat to low and slowly stir in the heavy cream. Add the grated Parmesan a handful at a time, stirring continuously until it's completely melted into the broth. The soup should be smooth, creamy, velvety.
- Add the tortellini. Add the refrigerated tortellini and cook according to the package directions, usually about 4 to 6 minutes, until they're tender and floating to the top.
- Finish with spinach. Stir in the butter and fresh spinach. The spinach will wilt in just a minute or two. Give everything one final stir, taste, and add salt until everything tastes "bright" and flavorful, stirring well in between additions.
- Serve and enjoy. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh basil, and plenty of cracked black pepper. Serve it warm with crusty garlic bread, or a simple green salad for the ultimate cozy dinner.
Notes
Nutrition
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Dorothy Bigelow says
So creamy and delicious! Everyone in my family loves it – even the chicken nugget kid.