Look no further for the hearty and creamy soup you need for the cold months. This Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup with Sausage is filled with flavor and fills up the whole family!
If you love this soup, you may want to give some of these a try like our, White Bean Lentil Soup, Curry Chicken and Rice Soup, or Italian Wedding Soup.
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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Sweet Italian Sausage. This is one of the most important ingredients. If you buy a low-quality sausage, that's what the soup will taste like. Try going to the butcher and buying their sweet Italian sausage or make your own homemade Italian ground sausage. It's super easy. Sometimes I use my ingredients for Italian Ring Sausage (Chevalatta) and just make it at home!
- Broth. Of course, homemade broth is amazing but we all don't have unlimited time. I usually use Trader Joe's or Costco-brand chicken broth.
- Tortellini. This is another one in which quality matters! The Trader Joe's tortellini is okay but if you have a local pasta shop or market that sells fresh tortellini, I highly recommend it because the better the quality the better the taste! You can also try tortellini in our Chicken Tortellini Soup.
- Parmesan rind. I always add a parmesan rind in my Italian soups for extra flavor. I also do this in my Escarole and Bean Soup!
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.
Step-by-Step Directions
Remove your sweet Italian sausage from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. This will help with the searing process. The dutch oven won't lose its heat if the sausage isn't that cold.
Step 1: Bring a large dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the ground sausage into the pan in a very flat patty. Let it sear for 3 minutes untouched.
Step 2: Then use a wooden spoon to break it up and continue cooking until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
Step 3: If oil is left in the pot, no need to add more. If not add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the carrots, onions, and celery. Saute until softened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and stir throughout the mixture.
Step 4: Then create a small well in the center of the vegetables and add the tomato paste. Let it caramelize on the pan for 2 minutes then stir into the vegetables.
Step 5: Add the broccoli while the tomato paste is caramelizing. Stir the broccoli.
Step 6: Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper again.
Step 7: Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer again. Once simmering, return the sausage to the pot and add the cannellini beans and the parsley.
Step 8: Simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the tortellini. Cook as directed on the bag but add a minute or 2 since you are simmering and not boiling.
Remove the soup from the heat, stir in the heavy cream, and serve. Sprinkle parmesan on the soup when serving. This soup is so hearty and delicious. If you love soup like this, try our Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms.
Pro-Tips
- Make sure to sear the sausage to get the best flavor from the meat. Start by removing the sausage from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to cooking to bring it closer to room temperature. Let the dutch oven get HOT before you place the sausage in. Leave it untouched once you place it in the pot for 3 minutes. The more surface area the better, so form it into a big flat patty and then break it apart.
- Season throughout the process with salt and pepper to avoid a bland soup. Crushed tomatoes NEED seasoning. Season in layers as they say, and always taste the soup at each step to see if you need more salt. This soup relies on the flavor of the sausage and the vegetables, so you need good quality sausage and you need to season well!
Reheating and Storage
Store this soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. This soup does well in the refrigerator, but the tortellini will absorb some of the broth.
I don't recommend freezing unless you cook the tortellini separately. The tortellini will fall apart upon reheating from the freezer.
Reheat the soup in a pot on medium heat until heated through completely.
Recipe FAQs
This soup goes well with Ricotta Bruschetta, Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters, and Easy Steamed Artichokes.
I also love to serve it before dishes like Chicken Francese, Chicken Marsala, and Chicken Saltimbocca.
Tortelloni is just a larger version of the same pasta shape. They can both have the same ricotta filling or a variety of different fillings including, meat, spinach, and parsley.
Cooking any pasta directly in a soup will let the pasta soak up more flavor, but it will also soak up more soup. Sometimes upon reheating, you may need to add more broth to the soup if the pasta soaked up a lot of the broth.
Video Recipe
Other Favorite Italian Dishes in a Dutch Oven
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
📖 Recipe
Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Equipment
- 1 Large Dutch Oven or Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb tortellini
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, ground
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 can cannellini beans
- 1-3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 Head Broccoli, chopped
Instructions
- Remove your sweet Italian sausage from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking. Bring a large dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the ground sausage into the pan in a very flat patty. Let it sear for 3 minutes untouched. Then use a wooden spoon to break it up and continue cooking until brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set it aside.
- If there is oil left in the pot, no need to add more. If not add 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the carrots, onions, and celery. Saute until softened, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and stir throughout the mixture. Then create a small well in the center of the vegetables and add the tomato paste. Let it caramelize on the pan for 2 minutes then stir into the vegetables. Add the broccoli while the tomato paste is caramelizing. Stir the broccoli.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper again. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer again. Once simmering, return the sausage to the pot and add the cannellini beans and the parsley. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add the tortellini. Cook as directed on the bag but add a minute or 2 since you are simmering and not boiling.
- Remove the soup from the heat, stir in the heavy cream, and serve. Sprinkle parmesan on the soup when serving.
Notes
- Make sure to sear the sausage to get the best flavor from the meat.
- Season throughout the process with salt and pepper to avoid a bland soup. Crushed tomatoes NEED seasoning.
Michelle Campbell
The recipe sounds real great.
But, I would add some fresh spinach to wilt down with the broccoli or take broccoli out. Plus some basil; shredded mozzarella cheese; & parmesan cheese added to soup at the end.
* a little cayenne pepper powder when fixing would not hurt either.*
(Need som kind of buttery garlic bread to eat along & sop-up the bottom of bowl when finished; num-nums are not to be wasted or left.)= ♡♡♡
Denise
I just tried this recipe for the first time. It was amazing. I highly recommend this to others. Thank you for sharing!