Description
A creamy, cozy, one-pot soup loaded with juicy Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, and tender kale in a herb-infused broth. Perfect for chilly nights.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage, hot or mild
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 2 cups (about 10 oz) cheese tortellini, refrigerated or frozen
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Remove casings if using sausage links. In a large pot, cook and crumble the sausage with diced onion over medium-high heat until browned and onions are softened, about 8–10 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Sprinkle flour over the sausage and stir well. Cook for 1–2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Stir in basil, oregano, cayenne, hot sauce, mustard powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix until combined.
- Pour in chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any bits. Slowly stir in the heavy cream. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Add kale and tortellini. Simmer for 3–5 minutes, until tortellini is tender and kale is wilted. (If using frozen tortellini, cook it first before adding kale in the last few minutes.)
- Taste the soup and season with salt as needed. Start with ¼ teaspoon and adjust to preference.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread or garlic bread with cheese.
Notes
Add a Parmesan rind while simmering for extra flavor. Swap kale with spinach for a quicker wilt. For a lighter version, use half-and-half instead of cream.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 980mg
- Fat: 36g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 21g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
Keywords: tortellini soup, sausage soup, creamy soup, comfort food