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A quick and comforting 30-minute soup featuring Italian sausage, tortellini, kale, and a creamy broth with flavor boosters like mustard powder and hot sauce.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage, hot or mild
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • 1 pinch cayenne, optional
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • ½ teaspoon mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups kale, chopped
  • 2 cups tortellini (approximately under 10 oz; refrigerated or frozen)
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. If using sausage links, remove the casings.
  2. Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage and diced onion, breaking up the meat, until the onions soften and sausage is browned, about 8–10 minutes.
  3. Drain off excess grease.
  4. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  5. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes to remove raw flour taste.
  6. Add dried basil, oregano, cayenne (optional), hot sauce, mustard powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes; stir to combine.
  7. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
  8. Add chopped kale and tortellini, simmer for 3–5 minutes until greens are softened and pasta cooked. If tortellini requires more time, add it first and stir kale in during last 5 minutes.
  9. Taste and season with salt to taste, starting with about 1/4 teaspoon and adjusting as needed.
  10. *Slow-Cooker method:* Brown sausage and onions on stovetop and add flour as above. Transfer mixture (exclude cream, tortellini, and greens) to slow cooker. Cook on high 4–5 hours or low 6–7 hours. 10–15 minutes before serving, stir in kale to warm through. Warm cream and slowly stir into slow cooker to avoid curdling. Cook/reheat tortellini separately and add to bowls, then ladle soup over tortellini.

Notes

Add a Parmesan or Romano cheese rind during simmering for richer broth; remove rind before serving., Swap kale for fresh spinach (2-3 cups), added after tortellini cooks, wilting for about 30 seconds., Frozen spinach can replace kale; thaw and pat dry before using., Try swapping heavy cream for half-and-half, whole milk, or dairy-free alternatives like full-fat canned coconut milk or cashew cream (use dairy-free pasta accordingly)., For variation, substitute tortellini with gnocchi or other pasta., Include shredded Parmesan or mozzarella cheese at the end for extra cheesy flavor., Add white beans or sautéed mushrooms for added nutrition and umami., To preserve tortellini texture for leftovers, cook or add it fresh when serving, not before freezing or refrigerating the soup.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://mamapantry.com/sausage-tortellini-soup/