Creamy Sausage & Tortellini Soup
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Every bite is packed with delicious flavors in this 6-ingredient Sausage Tortellini Soup. With the help of the Crock Pot, this recipe comes together fast and easy. A total crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients Needed
As mentioned above, this recipe only has 6 ingredients!
- Ground Italian pork sausage – You can sub turkey or chicken sausage.
- Petite-diced, Italian-style tomatoes – If using plain diced tomatoes, add a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and dried basil to the soup.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – Here is how to make your own broth.
- Fresh Spinach – Kale would work instead.
- Frozen cheese tortellini – You could sub gluten-free tortellini or bowtie pasta.
- Cream cheese – Get the block so you can cut it into cubes. Also, don’t use low-fat.
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How to Make Creamy Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Brown the Sausage
In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium-high heat until there is no more pink showing, about 4 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
Add Ingredients to Crock Pot
Add the sausage, diced tomatoes (juices and all), and chicken broth into a 5 quart or larger slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Cook the Soup
Cover and cook the soup on LOW for 6-8 hours. You can also cook it on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
Slow Cooker Cooking Times Chart
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Add the Tortellini and Spinach
Turn the temperature to high. Stir in the frozen tortellini.
Next, stir in the chopped spinach.
Replace the lid, and cook for about 30-45 more minutes, until warmed through.
Prep the Cream Cheese Mixture
While the tortellini and spinach are cooking, it’s time to prep the cream cheese for the soup. Note: If you skip this step, the cream cheese won’t melt in, leaving you with little specks of cream cheese in the soup. While the taste is still good, it’s not very appealing.
- Place the cream cheese in a glass or ceramic bowl. Microwave in 10-second increments until softened, stirring in between. (Or use this water bath method.)
- Use a ladle or measuring cup to add a little of the hot soup liquid to the cream cheese.
- Stir until fully combined and smooth.
This is the same method for tempering eggs so you don’t scramble them when adding to a hot dish. It works to prevent the curdling of cream cheese too! You can see pictures of these steps below.
Add it all Together!
Stir in your cream cheese mixture and gently stir it until all the cream cheese has liquified. It should be smelling SO good! The cream cheese will continue to melt in and the soup will thicken as it sits.
Can I Freeze Sausage and Tortellini Soup?
While we have loads of delicious Crock Pot Freezer Meals, this recipe isn’t an ideal one for the freezer. The tortellini wouldn’t play nice being cooked, frozen, and then thawed.
If you’re determined to find a way to make this a freezer meal, you could follow steps 1 and 2. Don’t cook the soup though. Freeze it alongside the tortellini and have fresh spinach when serving.
What to Serve with Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup
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Creamy Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Finally, a slow cooker recipe that is SUPER easy to make yet packed with flavor. The creamy goodness of this sausage tortellini soup is a win with all ages and makes for great lunch leftovers.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian pork sausage (sub: turkey or chicken sausage)
- 2 (15-ounce) cans petite-diced, Italian-style tomatoes, juices and all*
- 1 (32-ounce) carton of low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 (19 oz.) bag frozen cheese tortellini (sub: gluten-free tortellini or bowtie pasta)
- 1 (8-ounce) block of cream cheese, cut into cubes (do not use low-fat)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
*If using plain diced tomatoes, add a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and dried basil to the soup.
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Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the sausage over medium high heat until there is no more pink showing, about 4 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the sausage, diced tomatoes (juices and all), and chicken broth into a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. Then, turn to HIGH. Stir in the spinach and frozen tortellini, replace the lid, and cook for about 30-45 more minutes, until warmed through (check a tortellini to make sure it’s warm in the middle).
- Place the cubes of cream cheese in a glass or ceramic bowl. Microwave in 10-second increments until softened, stirring in between. (Or use this water bath method.) Then, use a ladle or dry measuring cup to add a little of the hot soup liquid to the cream cheese. Stir until fully combined and smooth. Then, stir the cream cheese into the soup until blended smoothly.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes/Tips
Recipe Updates: On 10/5/22, we retested and updated this soup recipe so that it can work as an all-day slow cooker meal. We also wanted to make sure the spinach kept its color and the cream cheese melted well into the soup. We think this new method/recipe works much better!
Gluten-free option: Use gluten-free tortellini or bowtie pasta in Step 3. Check it sooner, to make sure it doesn’t get overdone.
Soup looks good and I know taste good; any food with that combination of ingredients would be in any person’s cravings?!.
★★★★★
Thanks Michelle!
I only used half the cream cheese and this was perfect. Best part I didn’t feel woozy from the richness. This is a very easy recipe.
★★★★★
So glad to hear this. Thank you for letting others know of the changes that worked for you!
Why does the recipe say “cook time: 5 hours”, but the directions say to cook for 6-8 hours??
Thanks for catching that mistake. I just fixed it. Appreciate it!
I did this on the stove tonight instead of the slow cooker and substituted bow tie pasta and sour cream for the tortellini and cream cheese (my husband is weird and won’t eat cheese). It’s flavorful and hits the spot after a field trip to the pumpkin patch!
★★★★★
Hi Morgan! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and let everyone know what substitutions worked for you.
The broth in this soup is delicious and it’s such an easy dump and go meal. Very filling too with the pasta in it. It’s a family favorite for us!
Thanks for the feedback, Renee. Glad you enjoyed it!
Do leftovers freeze? Making this this week!
I would not suggest freezing the leftovers of this, since it includes pasta. Cooked pasta can get mushy and fall apart in the freezer. I hope you enjoy the soup!
Need quantities for chicken broth and tomatoes????
I just updated the recipe to make it clearer. Sorry for the confusion, Lee.
My kids actually ate it! On purpose, without me nagging! Delicious, thanks for the ease and simplicity.
★★★★★
I made this soup for Superbowl and I didn’t allow myself enough time to use the crockpot, so I cooked it on the stove. I did make the following changes, I heated the chicken broth and melted the cream cheese and then added the cooked Italian sausage (I used turkey) , tomatoes and spinach. I simmered everything for 3 hours. I added the tortellini in the last 30 mins. DELICIOUS.. my husband had 3 bowls!
★★★★★
Awesome! Glad to hear it was a hit!