This delicious sausage tortellini soup is a perfect meal to make if you need something simple. It’s a great family friendly comfort food.
Jump to Recipe
Hello hello.
It’s been a beautiful week, weather wise. But even though the weather is warming up, I still find myself craving all the comfort foods. And any meal that includes big fat chocolate chip cookies for dessert, of course.
Home-cooked food tastes so good any time, but especially now.
And this sausage tortellini soup is the perfect comfort food to make. It’s easy and so delicious.
We tasted this soup at a family gathering a few months ago and immediately fell in love. I had made a few tortellini soup recipes before but I loved the simpleness of this one and the striking flavor. Brandon’s cousin’s wife Vanessa B. was kind enough to share it with us and it’s become a staple around here.
So let’s talk about the recipe…
What kind of sausage works best?
I prefer sweet Italian sausage in this recipe, but if you like things spicy, go for the hot. If the sausage comes in links, I always remove the casing first for recipes like this. Or you can use freshly ground bulk Italian sausage too.
A few homemade substitutions I use…
For the Italian dressing mix (the original recipe called for the Good Seasons brand), I use this homemade Italian dressing mix that’s quick and easy to make (and super delicious).
Then instead of the bouillon, I use this MSG-free homemade vegetable bouillon substitute. Have you tried it yet? I use this stuff in SO many recipes.
What kind of tortellini should I use?
Well in the spirit of making do right now, I’ll answer that question by saying use whatever tortellini you have on hand. I’m really trying to avoid extra trips to the grocery store during this time and I’m sure you probably are too. 🙂
To be honest, I’ve never tried this with dried tortellini but I expect it will still work if that’s all you have.
I prefer to use refrigerated cheese tortellini, as I think it has the best flavor. But when I was shooting these pictures all I had was this package of frozen tortellini that was buried deep in my freezer.
No one noticed and every smidgen of leftovers got gobbled up fast. So there you go.
One more thing to note about the tortellini. Usually the package calls for quite a bit longer cooking time than you’ll see in the recipe. I’ve found that the tortellini still cooks in the soup after you remove it from the heat. So it’s better to err on the side of under cooking it just slightly in this soup or it will be overcooked and fall apart.
We like to serve this soup sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a crusty loaf of bread that you can dip in the soup (these baguettes are always a huge hit).
How about you? What foods are you craving right now? Have a great weekend, my friends.
Sausage Tortellini Soup
This delicious sausage tortellini soup is a perfect meal to make if you need something simple. It's a great family friendly comfort food.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage see note
- 1 ½ cups minced onion ½ large onion
- 2 cups diced celery about 4 large stalks
- 2 cups diced carrots about 3 to 4 large carrots
- 6 cups water
- 2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons or 1 packet Italian dressing mix see note
- ½ teaspoon vegetable or beef bouillon see note
- 19-20 ounce package refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
- freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
-
In a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add Italian sausage, minced onion, diced celery, and diced carrots. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, breaking up sausage with a wooden spoon, until sausage is browned through and vegetables are starting to soften.
-
Stir in water, tomato sauce, Italian dressing mix, bouillon and increase heat to medium high until soup begins to boil.
-
Turn down heat to maintain a low simmer and cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are tender.
-
Add tortellini and cook until just barely tender (about 4-5 minutes for refrigerated or 2-3 minutes for frozen, see note).
-
Serve immediately topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese in individual bowls, if desired.
Recipe Notes
1. I prefer using either the sweet Italian sausage found in links (remove the casing first in this recipe) or the bulk Italian sausage that’s been ground fresh.
2. For the Italian dressing mix I use this homemade Italian dressing mix that’s quick and easy to make (and super delicious).
3. I use this MSG-free homemade vegetable bouillon substitute.
4. Usually the tortellini packages calls for quite a bit longer cooking time than this but I’ve found the tortellini still cooks in the soup after you remove it from the heat and it will fall apart if you overcook it. So err on the side of under cooking it just slightly in this soup.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, adapted from a recipe shared with me by a family member Vanessa B.
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains a few affiliate links for items on Amazon.
