Creamy Tortellini Soup Recipe
This creamy tortellini soup is packed with tender tortellini pasta, fresh kale, and Italian sausage. If you enjoyed Zuppa Toscana, you will love this! Italian tortellini soup is super flavorful, made in just 30 minutes, and will warm you up.
As the crisp fall air rolls in, we have soups on our regular rotation like Creamy Tomato Soup, and Chicken Noodle Soup. This tortellini soup is hearty, satisfying, and healthy at the same time.

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Italian Creamy Tortellini Soup
This soup uses simple pantry and refrigerator staple ingredients so it is perfect for busy weeknight dinners or as a starter for an Italian feast paired with Focaccia Bread. It’s also a great option for when you’re having an intense pasta craving but don’t want to fill up on a heavy serving of carbs. The creamy broth and tortellini taste so decadent but are light enough that you won’t feel like you need to take a nap after having a bowl.
Ingredients
- Italian Sausage – try mild Italian sausage or a spicy sausage to add some heat
- Garlic – add the garlic to taste, but use fresh garlic versus garlic powder
- Onion – we prefer yellow onion for caramelized sweet flavor but you can use white or red onion instead.
- Salt – add salt to taste since sausage is naturally fairly salty
- Chicken broth – use homemade Bone Broth for the best flavor or any store-bought variety.
- Tomato sauce – we used plain canned tomato sauce
- Cheese tortellini – found in the refrigerated or frozen aisle at most grocery stores. Trader Joe’s and Costco both have awesome tortellini
- Kale – You can use fresh or pop a bag of frozen straight into the broth for a quick shortcut
- Heavy cream – Full-fat, heavy cream gives this soup its signature texture. Refrain from using milk, as it won’t make the broth as creamy and is prone to curdling.

How to Make Tortellini Soup
You can make homemade tortellini soup with 10 ingredients and 30 minutes. Here’s a quick overview of the recipe before you dive in:
- Cook sausage – In a heavy soup pot over medium heat, brown the sausage.
- Add onion and garlic – sautee onion until soft then press in garlic and season lightly with salt.
- Pour in broth & tomato sauce and allow the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Add tortellini and lightly boil 5 minutes until cooked through.
- Stir in kale and cream and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until the kale is softened. Season to taste.

Helpful Tips
- Adjust the salt. Depending on the broth and tomato sauce you use, you might want to add more or less salt. If you’re not sure, refrain from adding any extra salt until the soup is finished.
- Like a spicier soup? Add in a dash of red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper.
- Try different tortellini. You can change the soup up with different tortellini varieties including meat stuffed, spinach stuffed, and more.
- Don’t overcook the tortellini. Overcooking tortellini can make it mushy. Make sure to have your kale and heavy cream prepped and ready to add immediately after the tortellini is cooked.

Make-Ahead
- Refrigerating – Once the soup has cooled to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-5 days. It’s important to note that as the soup sits in the fridge, the tortellini tends to absorb the broth. You can remedy this by adding extra broth to the soup as you reheat to thin it out.
- Reheating – You can reheat tortellini soup in a saucepan over medium heat or by popping it in the microwave for a couple of minutes until warmed through.

Serve With
In terms of garnishes, this Italian Tortellini Soup is delicious with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil. For a well-rounded lunch or dinner, serve the soup with bread, sandwiches, or a fresh salad.
Italian Creamy Tortellini Soup

Ingredients
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 6 oz tomato sauce
- 12 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 1/2 bunch kale, chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat a deep heavy pot over medium heat. Add in the Italian sausage and cook it until it turns a light shade of brown.
- Add in the diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add pressed garlic and season with 1 tsp salt or to taste.
- Add chicken broth and tomato sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the tortellini and simmer for about 5 minutes. You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your tortellini.
- Stir in the chopped kale and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until kale is tender. Remove the heat and serve.
this is fantastic and quick!! I had some chicken thigh meat so I used that and added red pepper flakes. I also used spinach instead of kale as it goes over more w my family. It’s a keeper.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Christine! Thank you for your lovely review!
This soup is a family favorite. I use hot Italian sausage for my husbands need for some heat. Thank you for sharing these great recipes!
Hi Victoria! That sounds great. Thank you for sharing.
great easy recipe and delicious.quick and easy prep. tastes like spent hours tho. declicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Mark!
This soup is really easy to make and it tastes great! I make it all the time. Thanks for posting this recipe.
You’re very welcome, Beth! I’m so glad you loved the soup.
This soup is really easy to make and it tastes great! I make it all the time. Thanks for posting this recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Beth!
Hi,
this soup was really great. I was surprised about the kale but it was sooo god. I used frozen kale and I prepared it in the IP. I added the frozen kale together with the broth and the tomatoe and cooked it under high pressure for 5 minutes with 10 minutes natural release. After this I added the tortellini and cooked them on sear/sauté and in the end I added the cream.
Thanks for your great input
You’re so very welcome! Thank you for trying the recipe. I’m glad you loved it. 🙂
I made this with the Focaccia. Thank you! Can’t wait to try the chicken marsala.
You’re going to love the Marsala! I hope you try more and more recipes soon!
I just made this for the second time. We love it. I do use baby spinach instead of kale. You have gotten to be my go to recipe site. Thank you.
Hi Donna! Thank you! So glad you find your recipes here. 🙂
Hi, Natasha! The soup looks amazing! Can I use spinach instead of kale?
Hi Tracy, yes, spinach will work well in this recipe.
Oh my goodness, I just made this and eating it as I write this. This soup is so deliciously good, and with fresh baguette bread drizzled with olive oil, butter and we can’t forget parmigiana cheese . Thank you so much Natasha. By the way my husband calls me Betty burn it, but not tonight he didn’t lol. He raved about this dish and went back for seconds!!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, DaLee! Thank you so much for sharing that great review with me.
How could I forget to rate this recipe! 5-star all-the -way baby!
Thank you, Carrie!
This is a wonderful recipe! I made it tonight (a double-batch)! I used spinach instead of kale! Side bowls of shredded parm and croutons! Even my honey liked it!! Love this recipe…thank you for sharing it!
So glad you loved it! I appreciate the feedback.
I made this last night for my family and it was so delicious! I had exactly 30 minutes to get dinner on the table and it was perfect. Thank you!
That’s great, Marcie! I’m so glad you tried my recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Made this last evening, but substituted escarole for the kale. Scrumptious!! Will add to my favorites!
I’m so glad you found a new favorite on my blog, Jeanie! That’s so great!
Made this recipe this evening, but substituted escarole for the kale. It was spectacular!!
Great to hear, Jeanie! Thank you for sharing.
We’ve been making this recipe for a while. It was wonderful using the original recipe, but over time we have tried variations and presently use vegetable stock, turkey sausage, a ton (😆) of spinach, a can of rotel and grating Parmesan over the top. Yum!
Natasha, I use a lot of your recipes. They are ALWAYS delish. My husband loves this soup. My kids don’t like the tomato. Would it make much difference if I omit it?
Hi Kelly, glad that you’re enjoying my recipes! I haven’t tested that to advise If you do an experiment, we’d love to know how you liked it!
Hi was checking if I made this ahead would the tortellini get mushy and fall apart?
Hi Gail, I have given some tips in the Make-Ahead portion of the recipe. Don’t overcook the tortellini as overcooking tortellini can make it mushy.
Made this tonight and swapped spinach for kale – YUM! Also topped with fresh grated pecorino Romano cheese. This was a hit in my house! Thanks for the awesome recipe
Hello Alaina, that’s great! Thanks for your good comments and feedback.
Delicious recipe but I found it a bit bland so I added one teasp of crushed oregano and one small butch of chopped fresh basil. I also subbed spinach for kale.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
YUMMMM , I love this recipe. I almost chose spinach, but so glad I went with the kale.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Robie!
I made this soup this evening and it was EXCELLENT! Even my picky husband and son who don’t like soup went in for seconds. THANK YOU for this great recipe.
So glad to hear that, Julia. Thank you for sharing.
It sounds delicious as all your recipes do and have made many. Hubby doesn’t like kale can I substitute spinach?
Hi Mary! Thank you. I’m glad to hear you enjoy them. Some of my readers have commented on using spinach instead of kale in this recipe with great results.
This soup is absolutely delicious! My entire family LOVED it! I’ll be making it again soon.
Glad to hear! Thank you so much for your great comments and feedback.
Delicious! I made it this weekend and it was loved by all. Great flavor…next time I’ll add 1/4 tsp of red chili flakes or Cayenne pepper. Not too much, just a bit. Very good! Even if you didn’t have Tortellini, you could sub a hearty noodle. I highly recommend!
Thanks for your recommend and good feedback, Michelle!
Used hot sausage, it really gives it a kick. I make this soup a lot and always use hot sausage
Great idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Donna!
Why did the soup look all curdly and seperated after I added the heavy cream. It never mixed together and looked creamy at all. Also seemed greasy!!!:(((
Hi Teresa, it’s hard to say what went wrong without being there. Was anything possibly altered or substituted in the recipe?
Just made this for Sunday supper and my grandkids loved it!!!! Definitely will be making it again!
Great to hear that the recipe was a hit, Pamela. Thank you for sharing!
I made this soup and both of my sons stopped by and ate two bowls each! It was delicious. And I forgot to put the cream in. Next time I’ll add the cream LOL.
Hi Sandra! Thank you for the 5-star review. I’m so happy you and your sons enjoyed this recipe. Definitely worth making it again with the cream!
Hi my favorite chef! This soup was amazing- can’t stop eating it but I did cheat a little- I sautéed thin slices Al Fresco apple flavored sausage links, ran out of chicken broth so added 2 cups beef broth, added par boiled baby carrots, spinach instead of kale and my favorite 1 cup hot water with 1 Tbls Better than boullion- soo good- thank you for this recipe- will be making it often! Even my picky niece LOVED it-you are the best!
I’m excited to try this tonight .. has anyone tried putting a Parmesan rind in the broth ?
And I’ll be using Swiss chard instead of kale
Hi Angela, I haven’t tried that but I think that’s alright. If you try this recipe, please share with us how it goes.
Of course, cream is the best flavor, but canned evaporated milk works in a pinch and is much less likely to curdle than fresh milk.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Made this yesterday, it was delicious. I love your recipes!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Joan!
Made today as noted…was delicious. Another great recipe Natasha. Will definately be in our soup rotation….thanks
Hi Sandee, glad to know that you loved this soup! Thanks a lot for the review.
Hi Natasha,
Couldn’t wait to try this recipe and made it for lunch today. I used both chicken and beef broth to have the 6 cups. The other change was adding a little bit of diced tomatoes in addition to the sauce, and reduced the amount of heavy cream to 1/4 cup. I love this recipe and it’s so full of flavor. Thanks for another great recipe!
You’re most welcome, Karen. Great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Making this delicious soup tonight. I added a few more tortellini and mushrooms to it also. Simply scrumptious. Thank you for this wonderful recipe
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Toni!
in case anyone asks or wants to know if any other vegetables can be added, I did add a whole carton of fresh mushrooms. It added some good flavor. I put the whole bunch of kale in it as well. My 5 year old grandson ate the “green” in it, and said that was the bestest part! 🙂
Hello Toni, thank you for sharing that with us. I’m happy to hear that it worked out well and that your grandson enjoyed it so much too.
Making this delicious soup tonight. Sounds wonderful for a cold night. I am using a bit more tortellini, and also adding some mushrooms. We love mushrooms in this family. Thanks for this easy recipe.
This is so perfect for a cold night! Enjoy!
I made this soup last night. Oh yum! It was absolutely delicious! I’d say this is now my favorite soup! Very easy to make. Thank you Natasha. Love your recipes and videos.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Barbara! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is a family favorite. I’ve made this twice now and each time it delicious
Hi Leslie, that’s awesome! Thanks for the good review.
This looks yummy. Can I substitute dry cheese tortellini and tomato paste for tomato sauce?
Hi Mia, I haven’t tried that myself but I bet that could work! I hope you love it Mia!
Looks delish, just wondering though if I could sub regular milk for the cream?
Hi Monique you can maybe try using half and half or half whipping cream and half whole milk. I’m not sure how it would turn out if you just use milk.
Scrumptous meal for a cold winters night! Simple, easy, delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Delicious delicious delicious!!!!
Will now be my go to recipe when I’m craving tortellini soup!
Lovely! I’m glad you found a new favorite recipe!
Love this soup! Thank you for all your recipes. Please keep them coming!
You’re welcome, Erin. I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
Natasha, this recipe is awesome and I will definitely make this recipe again in the future.
I did double the tortellini to make it heartier for supper. Yum!!
Hello David, great to hear that you loved the recipe! Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
Can I add celery and carrots instead of kale? We don’t like kale and spinach.
Hi Val! I bet celery or spinach will work here. I haven’t tried it with carrots, but I imagine that may work!
I just made this and it was amazing! My only complaint is that I wish there was more of the actual soup. Should I add equal parts of all the liquid ingredients to yield more soup? I don’t want my tortellini to get soggy!
Hi Jacqui, thank you for your comments and feedback. Maybe you can try adding half of the liquid ingredients first to test?
Simple and delicious! I substituted spinach for kale (it’s what I had available). Loved it, great flavor. Will definitely make again and again:)
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Mary! I’m glad you enjoyed that!
Looks delicious! If I substitute spinach for the kale, how many cups or oz of spinach should I use?
Hi there, you can use the same amount as recommended for kale. Hope you like it!
I made this and it was excellent. My family does not eat sausage, so I substituted with cooked ground beef seasoned with typical Italian sausage seasonings (fennel, Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder, paprika). Turned out very good. Thank you for this recipe.
I’m so glad to hear the family loved it, SVG! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made this for lunch today, and it is delicious! The flavors are fabulous, and it really is easy to make. I added extra tortellini, so it would be heartier for my son to have before going to work. We both LOVED it!
I’m so glad you also found this easy, Anna Marie! I’m so happy you both loved it!
I love your recipes, I make them all the time. And your videos are amazing Natasha. Ty for sharing. Judy
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Judy!
Made this tonight and substituted spinach for the kale. It was a hit! Hubby loved it and he normally doesnt like soup.
Hi Tracy, great to hear that the recipe was a hit! Love it, thank you for sharing.
My family doesn’t like Italian sausage could I use ground beef or pork instead?
Hi there, I think that’s alright. I hope you and your fam will enjoy the recipe!
I made more than one portion right away just by looking at the ingredients it looked almost identical to zuppa toscana, which is my to go easy, quick comfort soup. This soup was even easier to make! I love the little tomato sauce kick and tortellini (from aldi) was so delicious! Didn’t have kale so I used spinach. My husband was very impressed.
Wonderful recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.😊.
Hi natasha,
Do you mean tomato puree in the recipe? In Australia tomato sauce is ketchup.
many thanks
Hi Vicky, I’m not sure how it converts in Australia, but it’s definitely not ketchup. It sounds like it could be tomato puree since we don’t have anything really labeled tomato puree. I hope you love the recipe!
Making the creamy tortellini soup .can I use chopped spicy instead of kale.??l we don’t care for kale thank you.
HI Marilyn, you could use spinach instead of kale – I think that would work.
Delicious!!!!
This is such a tasty, hearty soup. Easy to follow direction & came together in no time.
I did substitute kale for spinach bc I had it on hand.
Kale sounds good, I’m happy to hear that you loved the recipe!
I LOVE your recipes! My husband always sends me new recipes to try and this cheese tortellini soup recipe was one of our favorites. I combined 1/2 lb of mild and 1/2 lb of hot Italian sausage and we were very pleased. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad to hear that thank you for the great review!
Could you omit the sausage? To make it vegetarian friendly.
Thanks
Hi Georgia, the sausage does add a lot of great flavor so you’ll have to season to taste.
You need to stipulate what a “serving size” is (i.e. – cups, ounces, etc) not just arbitrary total servings per recipe
Hi David, we don’t have that capacity with our system currently, but thank you for the suggestion.
Love your recipies.
I made this and it was so yummy! I used beef that I spiced with onion powder, paprika, and fennel seed. I also used spinach instead of kale. Will definitely make it again! Thank you for the inspiration.
You’re welcome, Kayla. Thank you for sharing that with us!
This was so yummy, everyone in my house loved it and it was so simple to make!
That’s so great when the entire family loves what we moms cook! I’m glad to hear this was a hit!
I made this tonight & it was fast, easy & delicious. Kids loved it!
I added 16 oz of tomato sauce 🥫 & Costco Tortellini are delicious.
Thank you 😊
Thank you for your good feedback, Liz!
Cette soupe est délicieuse, je regardes régulièrement vos recettes, merci !
Je vis au Québec ( Canada)
You are the best, thank you !
Gigi
Thank you so much, Gigi!
Could you omit the cream for a lower fat dish?
Hi Kathy, the cream really adds flavor to the recipe but I think you can omit it too but the flavor won’t be the same.
Would spinach be a good substitute for kale? Or other suggestions?
Hi Jenny, I haven’t tried that myself, but I bet that would work here! I hope you love this recipe!
Can you use Spinach instead of kale? Thanks!
Hi Lindsay, I bet that could work in this recipe! I hope you enjoy it!
Delicious soup! We got our tortellini from Aldi. Although, Trader Joe’s tortellini is definitely delicious! Nice and easy. Perfect with cheesy garlic bread! My kids loved this soup, too!
I wish we had an Aldi locally! We do have Trader Joe’s, though! I’m so glad you and your kids enjoyed this recipe, Betsy!
Can you substitute something else for the kale? That is the only veggie that I can’t tolerate.
Hi Carol, we love it with kale! Although I haven’t tried this substitution, spinach may work!
This is one of my all time favorite soups! So perfect for cold weather.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, April! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Such wonderful healthy soups! Thank you
Hi Joan, you are most welcome. I hope you love this tortellini soup.
Would this soup freeze well?
Hi Victoria, I haven’t tried freezing this yet to advise.
This soup is so good. The flavors are perfect together and I can’t wait to make it again this winter!
Hi Eden, it is such a comforting soup in the colder months.