Description
This Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup is a rich and comforting dish featuring spicy Italian sausage, tender sweet potatoes, and cheesy tortellini in a flavorful broth finished with fresh spinach and cream. Easy to prepare and perfect for a cozy meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Seasonings
- 12 oz spicy Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika (regular or smoked)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (plus extra to taste)
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 4 oz fresh spinach
- 4 tablespoons fresh thyme
Liquids and Pasta
- 6 cups water
- 8 oz three-cheese tortellini (refrigerated, Buitoni brand recommended)
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Cook Sausage: Heat olive oil in a large, high-sided pot over medium heat. Add crumbled sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until fully cooked through. Drain excess grease. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and paprika over the sausage and stir to combine.
- Add Vegetables and Seasonings: Add peeled and cubed sweet potato, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste to the pot. Stir well to mix all ingredients.
- Add Water and Simmer: Pour in 6 cups of water, stirring to dissolve the tomato paste completely. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cook Potatoes: Once boiling, reduce heat to maintain a visible simmer. Cover the pot partially with a lid and cook for 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Cook Tortellini: Add tortellini to the pot, cover, and boil over medium heat for 10 minutes or according to package instructions until tortellini are cooked through.
- Add Spinach: Stir fresh spinach into the hot soup until it wilts slightly.
- Finish Soup: Remove the pot from heat and stir in the heavy cream. Season with salt if needed (about ¼ teaspoon or less) and additional red pepper flakes for extra spice if desired. Garnish with fresh thyme before serving.
Notes
- Cream may appear separated or grainy as the soup cools or if refrigerated, but reheating and stirring restores creamy texture.
- Use spicy Italian sausage for more heat, or adjust red pepper flakes accordingly for your preferred spice level.
- Salt addition depends on sausage saltiness; taste before adding salt to avoid over-seasoning.
- Three-cheese tortellini works well but feel free to use your favorite variety of filled pasta.
- This soup reheats well but add cream fresh if possible to maintain best texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approx. 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
