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A creamy and comforting 30-minute soup featuring Italian sausage, kale, tortellini, broth, and a touch of cream, enhanced with subtle flavor boosters like mustard powder and hot sauce.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage (hot or mild)
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • ½ teaspoon mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups kale, chopped
  • 2 cups tortellini (just under 10 oz., refrigerated or frozen)
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions

  1. Remove casings from sausage links, if using.
  2. Cook and crumble the sausage with diced onion over medium-high heat until onions are soft and sausage is cooked through, about 8–10 minutes; drain excess grease.
  3. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1–2 minutes to remove raw flour flavor.
  5. Add dried basil, oregano, cayenne (if using), hot sauce, mustard powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes; mix to combine.
  6. Pour in the chicken broth, scrape up any browned bits from the pot, and slowly stir in the heavy cream; bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.
  7. Optional: Toss a Parmesan or Romano rind into the simmering broth for extra flavor, and remove the rind before serving.
  8. Add chopped kale and tortellini and simmer for 3–5 minutes until the pasta is cooked through (if tortellini needs longer, add it first and stir in kale during the last 5 minutes).
  9. Taste the soup and add salt as needed, starting with ¼ teaspoon and adjusting to taste.
  10. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm.
  11. Slow cooker method: Brown the sausage and onions on the stove and stir in the flour as directed.
  12. Transfer everything except the cream, tortellini, and kale into the slow cooker.
  13. Cook on high for 4–5 hours or low for 6–7 hours.
  14. Add kale toward the end of cooking and let it cook 10–15 minutes until wilted.
  15. Turn the slow cooker off, warm the cream briefly, stir it in slowly, then place cooked tortellini in bowls and ladle the soup over.

Notes

For deeper flavor, toss a Parmesan or Romano cheese rind into the broth while simmering; remove before serving., Swap kale for 2-3 cups fresh spinach, adding at the end and letting it wilt for about 30 seconds. For frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out excess water before adding., This recipe appears in The Cozy Cookbook (page 51)., Try swapping tortellini with gnocchi or small pasta shells, adjusting cook times accordingly., For a vegetarian option, use plant-based sausage and vegetable broth., Use half-and-half, whole milk, or full-fat coconut milk (with cornstarch slurry if needed) as dairy substitutes., Add diced carrots, sliced mushrooms, or bell peppers for extra veggies., Adjust cayenne, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce according to desired spice level., Cook tortellini separately if freezing leftover soup to maintain texture.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://gingerbaking.com/sausage-tortellini-soup/