This Creamy Crockpot Sausage Tortellini Soup is an easy comforting meal. It's so delicious with turkey sausage, spinach and more!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil Āā or another neutral cooking oil like canola or avocado oil.
- Italian turkey sausage ā you could also make your own homemade turkey sausage using ground turkey and spices.
- Yellow onion ā white onion or shallots can be used instead.
- Garlic ā freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic can be used in a pinch.
- Italian seasoning Āā make your own using a blend of dried basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and sage.
- Salt & pepper ā to taste.
- Canned diced tomatoes Āā a can of crushed tomatoes would also work.
- Chicken broth ā vegetable broth is the best substitute here.
- Tortellini Āā three-cheese tortellini is best but you can use pretty much any variety.
- Heavy cream ā half-and-half or regular milk can be used, but the soup wonāt be as creamy.
- Baby spinach ā kale would also be good in this recipe.
- Grated parmesan ā nutritional yeast is a great dairy-free substitute.
- Chili flakes ā leave these off if you donāt like spice.
How to make tortellini soup in the crockpot
Step 1: Remove the sausage from its casings.
Step 2: Brown the sausage.
Add the sausage to a skillet, break it up with a spoon and cook until lightly browned.
Step 3: Cook in the crockpot.
Add the turkey sausage and all the remaining ingredients to the crockpot except for the heavy cream, tortellini, spinach and garnishes. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
Step 4: Add in the tortellini.
Add the tortellini during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
Step 5: Stir in the cream and spinach.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Ladle into bowls and top with desired garnishes. Enjoy!
Variations of this tortellini soup
There are lots of different ways you can customize this crockpot tortellini soup with sausage:
- Vegetarian: Swap out the turkey sausage for your favourite meatless substitute, and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Tortellini: I like using three cheese tortellini for this soup, but you can use any kind of your choice like rainbow, chicken or spinach tortellini.
- Lighter Option: For a bit of a lighter option, you can use half and half instead of heavy cream, but the soup won't be as creamy.
- Veggies: Swap out the spinach for kale and add in any other veggies of your choice like carrots, bell peppers, celery, mushrooms and more.
- Sausage: Use spicy Italian sausage to spice up this soup!
- Stovetop: Brown the turkey sausage, sautƩ the onions, then add everything to the pot except the cream, tortellini and spinach. Simmer for 20 minutes, adding the tortellini during the last 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and spinach and serve!
Frequently Asked Questions
I typically like to use three cheese tortellini for this soup, but you can use any packaged tortellini of your choice like rainbow, chicken or spinach tortellini.
The heavy cream will make this crockpot tortellini soup nice and thick! If you want it to be even thicker, add in a bit more heavy cream.
To keep the tortellini from getting mushy, stir the tortellini in during the last 30 minutes of cooking time. This will ensure that the tortellini is cooked through without getting all mushy! If you're planning on meal prepping this recipe, I'd recommend not adding in the tortellini until right before serving, since the tortellini will soak up all the liquid as it sits in the soup and get all soggy.
This soup would be delicious with some garlic bread, brussels sprouts salad or even some homemade focaccia bread!
Storing and reheating
If you plan on storing this crockpot tortellini soup to enjoy throughout the week, hold off on adding the tortellini until youāre ready to eat it. The tortellini will get soggy while it sits in the soup, and you donāt want that! The soup will last in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in airtight glass containers.
When youāre ready to enjoy, reheat the soup in a pot on the stovetop. Stir in the tortellini, let the soup simmer for a bit, then serve! You could even pop it back in the slow cooker for a bit on low.
Freezing this recipe
You can freeze this tortellini soup without the tortellini, cream or spinach for up to 3 months. The tortellini and spinach will get soggy and the cream will curdle when reheating, so you'll want to leave those ingredients out for freezing.
Follow the recipe instructions until the portion where you add the tortellini. Once the soup has cooled completely, you can freeze it in glass bowls or Ziploc bags for up to 3 months.
Let it defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat as normal, adding in the tortellini, spinach and cream following the recipe card instructions.
More easy slow cooker soups
Meal Prep Tools
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this soup into your weekly lunches.
- If you don't already have a crock pot, make sure to pick one up!
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Crockpot Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 Italian turkey sausages casings removed
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 (14oz/396mL) can diced tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 (10 oz/300g) package tortellini any kind, preferably 3 cheese
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups baby spinach chopped
- Grated parmesan cheese optional, for serving
- Chili flakes optional, for serving
Instructions
Crockpot instructions
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet over med-high heat. Add turkey sausage, breaking up with a spoon, cooking for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned.
- Add turkey sausage and remaining ingredients except for heavy cream, tortellini, spinach and optional garnishes. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours.
- Add in tortellini in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Stir in heavy cream and spinach at the end of cook time, then ladle into bowls and top with desired garnishes. Enjoy!
Stovetop instructions
- Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large pot over med-high heat. Add turkey sausage, breaking up with a spoon, cooking for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Add onions and saute another 2-3 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients except for heavy cream, tortellini, spinach and optional garnishes. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes, then add tortellini in the last 5 minutes of cook time.
- Stir in heavy cream and spinach at the end of cook time, then ladle into bowls and top with desired garnishes. Enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Tara says
I did the Stovetop method: This Sausage Tortellini soup is AMAZING!!! I was concerned about the the HOT turkey sausage that was purchased, figuring my 9yo son wouldn’t even attempt it. But we were all so surprised that he loved it! Everything about this was fabulous. The heat was so š!! Will be making this again and again! S/O & I had 2 servings each because it was so yummy. Looking forward to lunch tomorrow š