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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 (overview)
- Add the sausage meat 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
- 16 ounces Italian sausage 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
- Add the sausage meat and chopped onion to a skillet. 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
- Use ground sausage meat or whole sausages (take the sausage meat out of the casings). Feel free to use 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Such a delicious soup and so easy!! The whole family loved it.
I’m so happy to hear that!! 😀 Thank you!
This soup is a staple in our house! My family loves it and I’ve made it several times for guests and they always ask for the recipe. So delicious!
Wonderful!! Thank you, Piper!
If you’re making this and think it will last more than one meal, do you think it’s better to cook the tortellini separate and add it in before eating the soup?
Yes indeed!
Can I use kale and if so should I cook it differently?
Hi! Sure, kale would be good. I think it probably should be ok if you add it in during the last 30 minutes of cooking time, but I haven’t tested so I’m not entirely sure how long it’ll take to soften up as it does take longer than spinach. Maybe give it a 15 min head start before adding the tortellini etc.?