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This Crockpot tortellini soup with sausage is a comforting and easy to prepare slow cooker soup! It has Italian sausage, tomatoes, cheese tortellini, a splash of cream, and spinach.
You may also enjoy my Italian Sausage Orzo Soup or this Easy Zuppa Toscana next.
Why you’ll love it
If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I’m a big fan of pasta and Italian sausage in soup like in my Lasagna Soup. It’s just such an undeniably tasty combo! In this slow cooker tortellini soup we’ve also got plenty of spinach in a rich tomato broth.
This cozy tortellini soup with sausage is the perfect meal to come home to. Get everything ready in the morning, and then pop the tortellini in while you’re unwinding after work. It’s really easy to make, and this soup will quickly become a family favorite.
What you’ll need
- Italian sausage – I chose mild. You can buy bulk meat, or take the sausage out of the casings.
- Onion, garlic, celery, and carrots – the aromatic foundation for many tasty soups. I like to use sweet (Vidalia) onions.
- Canned tomatoes – we’re using both crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes
- Chicken broth – for more savory flavor
- Tortellini – tortellini package sizes vary, so use anything around the amount I suggest. I use the refrigerated kind.
- Heavy cream – a touch of cream really enhances the texture and taste
- Spinach – for a pop of freshness and contrast
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is my 7-quart Crockpot slow cooker model.
- Here’s my favorite skillet for the sautéing step.
- My trusty can opener works great for the tomatoes, and this garlic press making mincing garlic effortless.
How to make slow cooker tortellini soup with sausage
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a skillet add the sausage and onions, and sauté until the meat is browned, breaking it up with a spoon. Discard any excess fat. Stir in the garlic until fragrant. Transfer the skillet contents to your Crockpot, and add in the celery, carrots, tomatoes, and broth.
Cook on low or high depending on your preference. When it’s about half an hour from being done, add in the tortellini, cream, and spinach. Stir occasionally. Season with salt & pepper as needed.
Pro tip
If you really need to, 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 if possible because it imparts more flavor into this dish. You can also drain some of the fat if needed.
Substitutions and variations
- I made this a creamy tortellini soup, but, with that said, you can leave the cream out, and it’ll still taste delicious. I don’t recommend subbing for something with a lower fat content like half-and-half because it could curdle, though.
- Use spicy Italian sausage if you want a little heat to this soup, or add in crushed red pepper flakes.
- Want to make it on the stovetop? Try my similar Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup.
What to serve with this soup
- This Crockpot Italian sausage tortellini soup is delicious served with fresh parmesan grated over top!
- I love to pair it with a big Caesar salad with my 10-Minute Caesar Dressing and Garlic Croutons. Spring mix with my Creamy Pesto Dressing works too.
- Round out the meal with a slice of fresh crusty bread or my Cheesy Garlic Bread.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers of this creamy tortellini soup for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- 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.
Hope you’ll love this tortellini soup with Italian sausage! Questions? Don’t hesitate to ask. Please leave a star rating and review below if you made it, or tag me on Instagram.
Crockpot Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Italian sausage see note
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium carrots sliced or chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped finely
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14 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 onions to a skillet. Sauté for about 7-8 minutes, breaking the sausage meat up with your spoon, until browned. If needed, spoon out some of the excess fat.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the sausage mixture to your Crockpot.
- Add the carrots, celery, canned tomatoes, and chicken broth 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. Or, add the tortellini in when reheating if you plan on having lots of leftovers.
- This is the 7-quart Crockpot I used to make this recipe. My Crockpot was pretty full by the time I added the tortellini.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Could you use ravioli instead of tortellini?
For sure!
Was a family favorite. Perfect for fall and winter!
Yay! So glad to hear it!
Absolutely delicious! My almost 4 year old loves it and my husband. I just kept hearing “it’s so good!” I totally forgot to put in the heavy cream – right when we finished our first bowl I remembered but honestly it was amazing without and I’m sure it is with! Pretty much every recipe I’ve tried of yours has been delicious. I am beyond thankful to run across your blog. I honestly feel like you’ve made me a better cook. And I love that I can come to your blog and be confident the recipe will work out. Thank you so much!
So glad it worked out even without the cream! And thank you for your kind words.. so glad you found me 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I finally made this on Sunday and my husband and I loved it! Another hit!
I did not have time to saute the sausage first but it still tasted great. I substituted Italian chicken sausage, plus I added 1 lb of the carrots and more celery. Used the heavy/whipping cream, but very nice to know that half & half is ok, since I always have that for my coffee.
Love, love, love your recipes so far. Thank you!!!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it!! 🙂
I made this tonight, exactly as written, and it was absolutely yummy!! I used spicy sausage, which I think really elevates the flavor. I put the whole package of tortellini in, so I know the leftovers will be a bit swollen, but I don’t care! Thanks for a great recipe; I will definitely be making this again. 🙂
I am so happy you liked it!!
Hi again Natasha!
This looks delicious and easy and I’m excited to make it soon!
When you say 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach – how does that translate to an 8oz bag of fresh baby spinach? Do I get 2 bags or put the raw spinach in a measuring cup? Are the 2 cups the raw spinach or cooked? I’ve googled and I’m still confused! LOL
Thanks in advance!
Hi!! I take the raw spinach and smoosh it down in the measuring cup. ☺️ One 8 once bag will leave you with plenty. ♥️
Hi there, I was trying to find where the ingredients are by using voiceover on my phone. I am visually impaired but I do you love to cook especially when I comes to using crockpots since they are so easy to use. And wondering where I can find the ingredients or what kind of ingredients I need to use or the measurements? Is there any way of looking at them? Thanks!
Hi! Just sent you an email. 🙂
Very excited for this meal tonight, it’s currently in the crock pot on low. I cannot believe how simple it was to prepare! Do you think cooking the tortellini on the side and adding each person’s desired amount would yield the same flavours? I’m thinking for storing left overs the noodles on the side would save the amount of broth?
Yay!! I hope you enjoy it! I think that should be fine. 🙂
I substituted an 8oz container of herb and garlic cream cheese for the cream. It was delicious!!! 😋
Great! 🙂
Made this soup after eyeing it up for awhile…so good and super easy to made. Everyone loved it and has asked me to make it again soon.
Yay!! So glad it was a hit! 🙂
What’s your recommendation for doing this stove top rather than crockpot?
I would do it in a similar way… just for step 2 cook it in a normal pot. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender (i would guess 15-20 min), then add the tortellini, spinach, and cream in and warm thru maybe another 10 min?
Crowd pleaser for sure! I did change the recipe a bit. I left out the celery and spinach. In their place I added baby portobello mushrooms, chopped zucchini and leeks. I also used spicy ground Italian sausage and deglazed it 3-4 times with white wine before putting it all in the crockpot. I didn’t want the spicy sausage taste to overwhelm the other flavors…deglazing helps with that. Thank you for this great recipe.
So glad you liked it! I love the white wine idea!