This soup is so good it's truly perfect any time of the year! It's honestly that good.
Most of us love a good bowl of soup, right? There is just something so comforting about soup, especially when it's homemade. You could use homemade chicken broth to make this even more delicious, but, just regular good-quality store-bought will work wonderfully, too. And this soup comes together in just a little over 30 minutes!
How To Make Creamy Tortellini Soup with Spinach and Sausage
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The Ingredients You Will Need
The ingredients in this soup are very pantry-friendly, and chances are, you'll probably already have a lot on hand! Here's what you'll need to make this amazing soup:
Italian sausage - Sweet, hot, or mild. Go with your favorite. If the sausage is in links, simply use a knife to cut through the casing and crumble the sausage into a bowl.
Onion, Celery, and Carrot - This is your mirepoix. You'll need each vegetable chopped. You can find pre-chopped vegetables in the produce section of many well-stocked supermarkets.
Garlic - Minced.
Seasonings - Salt, pepper, dried oregano, dried basil. Italian seasoning can be used in place of the oregano and basil, if you have that on hand.
Tomato paste - You'll only need three tablespoons. Leave the rest for another use.
Flour - All-purpose.
Chicken broth - Homemade or store-bought.
Red pepper flakes - Half a teaspoon will give just a little zip to the soup, not much heat at all. If you want extra heat, go with 1 to 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes.
Cream - We use half and half, but you could also use heavy cream (or double cream) or whole milk.
Tortellini - Find fresh tortellini in your supermarket. Often it is near the prepared food/deli area. It will be refrigerated. We use cheese tortellini, but you go with your favorite.
Spinach - We recommend using mature spinach (usually in bunches in the produce section of your local supermarket). Baby spinach can be substituted. Frozen will work in a pinch, just thaw and squeeze out all excess water.
Parmesan cheese - We love to grate a block of fresh Parmesan on top of the served soup for an amazing garnish.
EXPERT TIP: You will build the soup in stages, allowing each component to meld with the others. Check the cooking instructions for the tortellini for how long to simmer. Usually fresh will only take about 5 minutes. If using frozen, it will take longer.
Tips for Making Perfect Creamy Tortellini Soup
Allow Enough Time to Meld the Flavors - Although this soup does not require extensive time on the stove, you do need to allow enough time for the simmering to let the flavors develop and meld together. 15 minutes is the minimum, but 30 minutes to 1 hour is even better (this is before the cream goes in).
Use Good Broth - If you want to have the best of the best, then we recommend making the chicken broth from scratch. This can be done in advance. However, store-bought stock will work perfectly fine. Just go with a quality brand, if possible.
Don't Overcook the Tortellini - Though you want to let the simmer long enough to meld the flavors, you don't want to simmer the tortellini longer than what is recommended on the package. If you simmer too long, the tortellini will become too soft and fall apart.
EXPERT TIP: The spinach, along with the cream and tortellini goes into the soup in the final minutes of simmering. We recommend mature spinach. Remove the stems and give the spinach a rough chop. Baby spinach can be used. If using frozen, be sure to let it completely thaw and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
How To Serve and What to Serve it With
This soup is filling on its own and makes for a perfect lunch. Fresh, warm, Italian bread is the perfect accompaniment. Homemade country white bread is amazing, too.
Grated parmesan is a must for garnishing. If possible, use a block of Parmesan cheese and a zester or microplane to grate it directly over the soup. Allowing guests to add their own cheese is a great choice.
If looking to pair the soup with a nice glass of wine, we recommend a chilled Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.
The soup reheats easily on the stove over medium heat. Remember not to overcook, as the tortellini could become too soft.
Other Classic Soup Recipes to Try
We love soup so much and the following is a collection of our all-time favorites. We love to make several of these and invite friends and family over for an amazing soup lunch! Here are recipes you'll want to make over and over again:
Classic Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken Pho
Rustic Lentil
New England Clam Chowder
Corn and Potato Chowder
Matzo Ball Soup
Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
Broccoli Cheddar
French Onion
Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle
Italian Wedding
Portuguese-Style Clam Chowder with Sausage
Chilled Carrot Ginger Soup
Best-Ever Gazpacho
These are all amazing soups, without a doubt. And making them homemade is even better. But, in the meantime, isn't this catching your eye?
If you love soup, this may become your most beloved soup of all time. It's honestly that good.
It's also guaranteed to be a hit with the family. We have found that even our picky eaters love the soup.
And, of course, you can adapt the soup to your own likes! This soup is so good that we sometimes make an extra batch. It goes fast!
Ready to make the best soup in town? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Creamy Tortellini Soup with Spinach and Sausage
Video
Equipment
- 1 Large pot cast-iron is a good choice, or a Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage if in links, casings removed
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp basil dried
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1½ cups half and half or heavy cream
- 12 oz cheese tortellini fresh
- 10 oz spinach mature, washed, stems removed, roughly chopped
- Parmesan cheese grated, for garnish
Instructions
- Crumble the sausage into a pot over medium heat. Cook until no longer pink.1 lb Italian sausage
- Stir in the onions, carrot, and celery and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.1 cup onions, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup celery, 4 cloves garlic
- Stir in the oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute or so. Sprinkle on the flour, stir, and cook for 1 more minute.1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, 1½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 3 tbsp tomato paste, ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Slowly stir in the broth and bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes (or up to 30 minutes).6 cups chicken broth
- Stir in the cream, tortellini, and spinach. Simmer for as long as the tortellini package says to cook the pasta (usually about 5 minutes).1½ cups half and half, 12 oz cheese tortellini, 10 oz spinach
- Ladle into bowls and serve with grated Parmesan for topping.Parmesan cheese
David says
This soup is amazing! A perfect combination of flavors. Hearty but not heavy. I used spicy Italian sausage because I like the heat. Don’t be stingy with the spinach. 10 oz of spinach looks like a lot going into the pot, but it cooks down, and it add so much great flavor. Fantastic!
Kris Longwell says
Woo hoo! We LOVE that you made the soup and LOVE it so much, Davey!!! Thank you for sharing! You are the BEST!!!!!
Mark Loehr says
Another great creation from the Loon. Followed the recipe as is, with the exception of cornstarch vs flour (keep it gluten free) and a very good, fresh GF tortellini. Keep the amazing recipes coming!!
Kris Longwell says
Mark! You are the bomb! We LOVE that you made the soup and enjoyed it! Thank you (as always) for sharing and for the glowing review. That truly means the world to us! Have a GREAT weekend! Kris & Wesley