This Crockpot tortellini soup with sausage is a comforting, hearty, and easy to prepare slow cooker soup. Italian sausage, tomatoes, cheese tortellini, a splash of cream, and spinach make this one delicious soup.
This post was originally published on September 17, 2018. I periodically go through old posts and revise them to improve the recipes and update the photos.
Clearly I'm a fan of pasta and Italian sausage in soup because this Crockpot Italian sausage soup, my lasagna soup, this Zuppa Toscana, and this creamy Italian sausage tortellini soup come to mind. I'm sure there's more since Italian sausage is one of my very favorite things to cook with.
This is the perfect soup to come home to. Get everything ready in the morning, and then pop the tortellini in while you're unwinding after work. Or let it cook overnight if that's your thing.
I decided to give this recipe a bit of a facelift because it's been bugging me for a while. It's not that I didn't like it, but I thought it could definitely be improved upon. I added more tomatoes, some cream, more sausage, and new photos. I hope this gives the recipe new life, since I don't think many people have made the old version of this recipe, and that made me a little sad. I can always do better!
How to make slow cooker tortellini soup with sausage
- Crumble the sausage and add it to a skillet along with the onions and sauté for about 7 minutes (add the garlic just before it's done). Drain most of the fat. Add the sausage mix and the remaining ingredients except for the cream, spinach, and tortellini to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low 7-8 hours.
- About 30 minutes prior to serving, add the cheese tortellini, cream, and spinach. Season to taste.
This soup is delicious served with fresh parmesan grated over top!
A few recipe notes:
- Use spicy Italian sausage if you want a little heat to this Crockpot tomato tortellini soup with sausage.
- You could skip the step where you sauté the sausage and onion (I have tested similar recipes where I've just thrown raw sausage into the slow cooker), but I do recommend that step because it imparts more flavor into this dish, and you can also drain some of the fat.
- Anything around the amount of tortellini I added in should be fine. I know tortellini package sizes vary, so feel free to add anything around that ballpark amount.
- Keep in mind that the pasta will soak up the soup the longer you leave it, so if you are reheating leftovers, you may need to add more chicken broth if needed.
- If you want to make this soup ahead (or freeze it), I suggest waiting to add the tortellini, cream, and spinach until you're ready to eat it.
- I made this a Crockpot creamy tortellini soup, but, with that said, you can leave the cream out and it'll still taste delicious.
Love tortellini? Try these recipes:
- Creamy Spinach Tortellini Soup with Chicken
- One Pan Tortellini with Sausage
- Tomato Tortellini Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
- Cheese Tortellini with Butter, Mushrooms, and Crispy Sage
Hope you'll love this slow cooker tortellini soup with sausage!
Questions? Don't hesitate to ask in the comments below.
Crockpot Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 (17.6 ounce) package Italian sausages see note
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots sliced or chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (28 fluid ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream optional
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Take your sausages out of their casings and crumble them into a skillet. Add the chopped onion. Sauté for about 7 minutes. Add the garlic in towards the end so it doesn't burn. Spoon out most of the fat (you don't need to be precise... fat gives the soup more flavor). Add the sausage mixture to your Crockpot.
- Meanwhile, chop your carrots and celery. Add all ingredients except for the tortellini, spinach, cream, and salt & pepper to the Crockpot. Keep in mind that if you want the soup to cook in 3-4 hours, the carrots will have to be chopped pretty finely. If you're cooking it for 7-8 on low or 4-5 hours on high, you can chop them larger.
- About 30 minutes prior to serving, add in your cheese tortellini, cream, and spinach (I set the heat to "high"). Give it a stir occasionally. Season with salt & pepper as needed prior to serving.
Notes
- I used a 5-pack of Johnsonville mild Italian sausages. Anything in that ballpark will work quantity-wise (you can even use ground sausage meat if that's easier). Also, feel free to sub with spicy sausage!
- The leftovers of this soup do soak up the broth a lot, so this soup is best eaten when it's fresh. I suggest adding more chicken broth to leftovers if you need to.
- This is the 7-quart Crockpot I used to make this recipe. My Crockpot was pretty full by the time I added the tortellini.
- You can make this soup without the cream and it'll still taste good.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Trisha A. says
This reminds me of a soup that Bertolli pasta put out there for a short bit. Loved it and then poof, it was gone. This is the closest thing I’ve found to that. This is delicious!! I go a bit easy on the tortellini (just personal preference), and cook some grilled cheese to go along with it. Chef’s kiss!
Natasha says
Well that's awesome to hear!! I'm so glad it's a close match to your old favorite. 😀
Erikka says
Made just as written and it came out fantastic! 5'year old loved it despite diligently picking out every piece of spinach. Husband loved it. We have enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow. Only thing I'll do different next time is bake a loaf of crusty bread to go with it. Might also play with some different veggies like zucchini in the last 30 minutes. Overall, tasty, easy recipe!
Natasha says
"Diligently picking out every piece of spinach" hahahaha. So glad it was a hit overall! Thanks for your review! 🙂
Xenon says
Best soup ever! A big hit at my home, even the teenage boys give it 2 thumbs up.
Natasha says
I love that!! Thank you!!
Cheryl Fraser says
This is a wonderful no-fail recipe. Since I hate the texture of cooked spinach I put a handful of spinach in the soup bowl before serving and top with the hot soup which warms the spinach just enough. I serve this soup a lot of a warm crusty loaf of bread.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you love it, Cheryl!! Thanks for your 5-star review! 😀
Kristie says
This has become one of our favourite dishes to make! So easy to make and we freeze half of it for another time!
All members of the family enjoy it!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
That's fantastic to hear! So glad your family enjoys it, Kristie.
Jana says
How many people does this recipe serve? I am cooking for a small group of about 10 or so.
Jana says
I know the recipe said it served 6, but is that 6 adults?
Natasha says
I would double the recipe for 10. 6 is an approximation and really depends on how much people eat and what else it's served with.
Jana says
Thank you! 5 of the 10 are big guys!
Heather says
My favorite soup of all time! So delicious and full of flavor! I don’t put celery or the carrots in. Sometimes I leave out the spinach. Love this soup!
Natasha says
So glad you like it, Heather!!
Jackie says
Really delicious. I always try to stick to original recipe first time around making it, simply because I feel that it’s a more honest review that way. Only changes I made (LOL) were using light cream cheese, and I cut the heavy cream down to half a cup. This was a beautiful bowl of comfort and hugs. Thank you so much - it will be a regular in our cold months rotation. And it freezes beautifully. Bonus!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for your review, Jackie!
J says
How would you recommend moving forward if your tortellini is frozen?
Natasha says
It only takes a few minutes to thaw frozen tortellini, so I wouldn't do anything different, actually.
Maureen says
Love this recipe and glad to meet a fellow Canadian
Natasha says
So happy you liked it, and hello neighbor! 😀
Lisa says
I swapped ricotta cheese for the heavy cream
Will make this again (and again)
Natasha says
Fabulous!
Mikayla Jennings says
I don’t like crushed tomatoes because there are still chunks. How much tomato paste do you think I should substitute for similar results?
Natasha says
Hi! Crushed tomatoes should be totally smooth (they are with the brands I've tried, anyway). It's diced tomatoes that have the big chunks, so I recommend for this recipe using a 14 oz can of tomato sauce instead of the diced tomatoes... that would be an easy swap. Tomato paste is much more concentrated, and diced tomatoes come with liquid, so I don't really want to guess on what measurements to use. If you go that route, you'd want a combo of tomato paste and water, but I couldn't tell you how much. Let me know how it goes!
Deborah Mooney says
Can this be made in a large pot? My crockpot is too small. Thank you.
Natasha says
Yes - I will link the stovetop recipe here: https://bit.ly/3DAN24B
Kc says
Have to sub dry tortellini for fresh…will this change cooking times? Should I precook? Please advise.
Natasha says
Hi! Yes, in that case I think pre-cooking is best.
Stina Goucher says
This sounds amazing! Would it be good with this recipe and added shrimp put in near the end? The mix has my taste buds dancing in my mind.
Natasha says
Yes! I think that could be quite delicious. Let me know if you try! 🙂
Regena says
I love trying new recipes and this one rocked. Family loved it and I will definitely be making it again. I did not know spinach was so yummy. Thanks
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
So happy it was a hit with the family, Regena! We're big fans of spinach over here too.
Joy says
This was a huge hit with all 4 of us in my family!! Absolutely delicious!!! I didn’t have heavy cream so I used 5 oz cream cheese instead, but it worked! Seriously loved this- thanks for sharing!! It’ll be a regular in our home now!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! I'm so happy it's a new regular in your rotation, Joy! 😀 Thanks for your 5-star review - I really appreciate you taking the time to write me one!
Keisha says
This is a family favorite! I've made it many times for my family, but also made it for dinner one night for some friends. I make a garlic ciabatta bread with it and it makes a delicious meal! I do add a little Italian seasoning blend to mine, and it compliments the flavors well.
Natasha says
I love that!! I'm so pleased it's a hit. 🙂
Kyra Hartman says
Love this! So easy to make. I’ve made this for my family as well as two of my friends for newborn meal trains. This past time I prepped ingredients before hand and it turned out great the next day!
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that!! 🙂 That's so nice of you to cook for your new mom friends!
Tessa says
I just made this tonight and it was delicious! Thank you for posting this recipe. The only thing I did differently was omitted the carrots—as I'm not a fan—but made up for them with more onion and celery.
Natasha says
You're welcome! I'm so happy you liked it! 🙂
Regena says
I love trying new recipes and I adore this one. I used a spinach and kale mixture and it was a hit. Loved the taste and textures. Highly recommend.
Natasha says
Yay!! Thank you, Regena!
Jennifer says
I liked the flavor of the sauce with the veggies or with the pasta. Combining the two was not to my taste. It was ok, would I make it again, No. Whenever I come across a recipe that I'm unsure about I ask myself would I order it in a restaurant, No. It was a very complicated crockpot recipe and at the end I was very disappointed 😞
Natasha says
Sorry you didn't enjoy it, Jennifer.
Heidi says
I’ve made this recipe a few times, our family loves it!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
So happy it's a hit with your family, Heidi!
Caroline Lorejan says
Amazing!!! I will definitely make it again.
I made some changes. I didn’t have crushed tomatoes so I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes instead, add some italian seasoning, used kale instead of spinach and half and half instead of heavy cream. It turned out delicious.
Natasha says
Fantastic! 🙂
unbidden says
I followed the recipe to a T and used quality ingredients. I find this soup to be a little bitter, too much tomato product in it. The next time I'll cut back on the diced and crushed tomato.
Elizabeth says
I’ve made the original recipe many times, my family loves it! I’m making this new version tomorrow night.
Natasha says
Wonderful!! 🙂
Barbara H says
This was absolutely delicious! I used sweet Italian sausage and added some extra garlic (no vampires here!) and finely diced bell peppers (they needed to get used up) and everyone practically liked their bowls clean. Thanks for the great recipe!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Extra garlic is right up our alley! So happy everyone enjoyed the soup, Barbara 🙂
Sheila says
This was the absolutely delicious! Other than using the ground sausage and adding a small amount of red pepper flakes, I made no changes. Excellent.
Natasha says
Wonderful! 🙂
Serina says
Wow! Ten out of ten. This is such a great soup. I literally cannot stop eating it.
Natasha says
That's what I like to hear!! Thank you, Serina! 😀
Natalie says
I made this last night, and it was delicious. I did make a few changes. Instead of the canned tomatoes I used canned tomato sauce. I used half skim milk and half heavy cream. I increased the Italian seasoning to 2 tsp, and used garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard powder along with the salt and pepper. I also added some garlic and onion powder to the sausage as it cooked. I added finely chopped carrots, and the soup did have to cook longer than usual before adding the cream to cook the carrots. I left out the spinach. My husband and our toddler and I all loved the soup and I will definitely make it again.
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it, Natalie! 🙂
Sue says
This was soooo good. And yes, let sit so it thickens. We just loved it so much, unfortunately didn't have leftovers. Have to make again this weekend!! Thank you!
Natasha says
Fantastic! I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Sue!! 😀
Haley says
Loved this! Followed the recipe except subbed coconut milk for heavy cream and it was delish!
Natasha says
Excellent!!
Wendy Hamilton says
Really delicious!! I did not use the cream. I used 2 hot sausages and 3 mild and it was yummy!!!
Natasha says
Wonderful! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it.