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    Home

    Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup with Sausage

    Published: Nov 16, 2023 by Vinny and Marisa · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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!

    rustic italian tortellini soup topped with parmesan

    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.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
    • Step-by-Step Directions
    • Pro-Tips
    • Reheating and Storage
    • FAQs
    • Video Recipe
    • Other Favorite Italian Dishes in a Dutch Oven
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Reviews

    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 making it home. 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!

    Step-by-Step Directions

    Remove your sweet Italian sausage from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking. This will help with the searing process. The dutch oven won't lose its heat if the sausage isn't that cold.

    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.

    searing sausage in a patty
    sausage partially browned

    Remove with a slotted spoon and set it aside.

    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.

    sauteing carrots, onions and celery
    sauteing carrots, onions and celery with garlic

    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.

    Adding tomato paste to a well
    combining tomato paste
    adding broccoli to slightly steam

    Add the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper again.

    adding crushed tomatoes

    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.

    adding chicken broth

    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.

    tortellini added

    Remove the soup from the heat, stir in the heavy cream, and serve. Sprinkle parmesan on the soup when serving.

    heavy cream added

    Pro-Tips

    1. 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.
    2. 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.

    FAQs

    What do you serve with Tortellini Soup?

    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.

    Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear about what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.

    Video Recipe

    Other Favorite Italian Dishes in a Dutch Oven

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      Italian Lacinato Kale Recipe (Tuscan)
    • Italian cabbage with pancetta
      Italian Cabbage Recipe
    • Italian wedding soup
      Italian Wedding Soup
    • bison ragu in dutch oven
      Bison Ragu

    📖 Recipe

    rustic italian tortellini soup topped with parmesan
    Print Recipe

    Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup with Sausage

    A creamy tortellini soup with sausage and broccoli, filled with flavors of fennel, garlic, and onions. This soup easily feeds 6 and can be frozen if you cook the tortellini separate.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time45 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: soup
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 450kcal
    Cost: $15

    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

    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

    1. Make sure to sear the sausage to get the best flavor from the meat. 
    2. Season throughout the process with salt and pepper to avoid a bland soup. Crushed tomatoes NEED seasoning. 

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    Vinny DelGiudice, MS CCC-SLP

    My name is Vinny. I am a speech pathologist specializing in swallowing and voice disorders and an Italian who has been eating too much food his whole life. I want to share the recipes I grew up eating in an Italian-American home and the recipes that I cook in my home for my family. At Always From Scratch, we consider any food that we make at home a healthy meal for the family!

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