Italian Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup

Published October 31, 2015. Updated July 23, 2024

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Sausage Kale and Tortellini Soup is a hearty flavorful soup packed with cheesy tortellini, nutritious kale and stewed vegetables, and tasty bits of herbed Italian sausage. A great dinner to cozy up to after a long cold day!

Italian Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup

Tortellini Soup with Sausage and Kale

That time of year has come too quickly โ€“ the time where Iโ€™ve had this cold for two weeks and the only thing I want to eat is soup. Speaking of I need some breakfast soups in my life. Are those a thing? They should be.

So this soup, it is similar to some of the other tortellini soup recipes Iโ€™ve made, like this Spinach Tomato and Garlic Tortellini Soup and this Tuscan Tortellini Soup, but of course, this one has plenty of meat. And my husband is not complaining!

This soup is a breeze to make and itโ€™s a soup youโ€™ll want to make again and again. I mean it has tortellini, how could it go wrong? I could live on tortellini, I absolutely love the stuff and it makes for some of the best soups!

Italian Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup | Cooking Classy

Sausage Tortellini Soup Substitutions

If you happen to have some fresh Italian herbs on hand like basil, thyme, marjoram, oregano, or rosemary you can use some of those in place of some of the Italian blend to add more fresh flavor. But since itโ€™s fall I decided to just go with the dried herbs because thatโ€™s likely what most of you have on hand right now.

Using the Italian herb blend worked perfectly for this soup rather than listing out 5 or 6 different herbs to add to the soup. You can also add red pepper flakes for some heat! Adding a parmesan rind is the traditional way to flavor Italian soups, and I highly recommend it!

You can swap the pork sausage with ground beef, ground turkey, turkey sausage, or no meat at all if you want it to be vegetarian. To keep it gluten-free you can find special tortellini or leave the pasta out altogether. Donโ€™t have kale? Fresh baby spinach works well, too!

Add heavy cream toward the end of simmering to make this a creamy sausage tortellini soup.

This hearty soup is just the comfort food I needed today and I canโ€™t wait to make it again! I hope you enjoy it too!

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4.80 from 24 votes

Italian Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup

This Sausage Kale and Tortellini soup is such a hearty and flavorful soup! It's packed with cheesy tortellini, nutritious kale, and tasty bits of herbed Italian sausage. A great dinner to cozy up to after a long cold day!
Servings: 6
Prep15 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Ready in: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into pot and brown, stirring and breaking up sausage occasionally, until cooked through.ย 
  • Drain sausage onto a plate lined with several layers of paper towels while reserving 1 Tbsp rendered fat in pot (if there's not a tbsp just add 1 more tbsp olive oil to pot).ย 
  • Add onions and carrots and saute 3 minutes then add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.ย 
  • Stir in beef broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste.ย 
  • Bring to a light boil, return sausage to pot, cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer until carrots are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.ย 
  • Stir in tortellini and kale then cover and cook 7 - 9 minutes longer. Serve warm with parmesan cheese if desired (note that as the soup rests the tortellini will absorb more broth so you can add more broth or water to thin as desired).
Nutrition Facts
Italian Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 502 Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Fat 30g46%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 1521mg66%
Potassium 1242mg35%
Carbohydrates 35g12%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 23g46%
Vitamin A 7315IU146%
Vitamin C 48.5mg59%
Calcium 189mg19%
Iron 4.5mg25%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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88 Comments

  • Sara

    Loved it! I did add another tablespoon of Italian seasoning and 1/4th of cup of heavy cream. I cooked the tortellini separately so I cold eat or freeze it the next day. Thanks!

  • Gail Nelson

    I followed the recipe with a minor change to turkey sausage soup was delicious ๐Ÿ˜‹ was wondering how white beans might be next time I make it!Easy to make and super tasty ๐Ÿ˜‹!!

  • Cowboy Koko

    So delicious! Used Turkey sausage and tomatoes and garlic from my own garden. Didnโ€™t change a thing (well, I did omit the salt), used plenty of organic baby kale and it was perfect! So healthy! Thanks for recipe!!!!

  • Christine OConnor

    I had some leftover tortellini from a dinner earlier in the week. It wasnโ€™t enough for another meal so I searched for a creative way to use it up and landed on this recipe. I only had one can of diced tomatoes so I used more sauce and some reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes, along with a generous handful of grated parmesan in the soup itself to help thicken it and some crushed red pepper flakes for heat. Otherwise, I prepared it as written. With some crusty bread on the side, it made for a tasty, filling meal on brutally cold Chicago day. And we have a ton left for another meal. Yay!

  • Nicole

    I never liked kale but I get a lot of it in my CSA box. I gave a bunch to my friend and she brought me this soup. Now I make it all the time and my family and friends love it.