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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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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!