Easy, Satisfying, and Delicious
This Italian sausage tortellini soup for the crockpot satisfies a hungry appetite with nourishing protein and outstanding flavor. It’s made with ground Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, and cheese tortellini.
What Is Tortellini Pasta?
Tortellini is a dumpling made from small circles of fresh egg pasta. A small amount of filling is placed in the center of each circle. Then the dough is folded around the filling and pinched to form a little “hat” or “navel” shape.
Where can you find tortellini in your grocery store? For this recipe, I used dried cheese tortellini, which I found in the dried pasta aisle.
But dried tortellini is not our only choice for other recipes. Find it cold and tender in the refrigerated section or very cold and solid in the freezer section of your market.
Time-Savers for this
Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
The easy 10-ingredient prep is complete in 15 minutes. It takes a few minutes to chop the onion, mince the garlic, and brown the sausage.
Then the rest of the preparation moves quickly, especially when using time-saving but flavor-boosting dried herbs and crushed red pepper flakes.
Next, dried cheese tortellini is also delicious but time-saving. Since this option can be purchased weeks in advance, it can be a great choice for busy people on the go. Plus, keeping it on hand in your cupboard can mean one less item on your immediate shopping list.
Tortellini Added 15 Minutes Before Serving
But why? The tortellini will fall apart if it’s added at the start with the other ingredients. Consequently, it’s added at the end of the cooking, about 15 minutes before you are ready to eat.
Then expect tender, delicious bites of cheese-filled pasta nestled in a seasoned chicken broth with diced tomatoes and Italian sausage. It’s so delicious!
Dried Herbs Versus Fresh Herbs
In this recipe, I provided measurements for both dried and fresh herbs. But dried herbs withstand the long simmering and produce outstanding flavor when used in a crockpot. Therefore, dried herbs are preferrable for this crockpot soup.
However, if you prefer to use fresh herbs, they will yield their best flavor with a shorter cooking time. So, instead of adding them at the beginning, wait a few hours or even make this soup on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup Crockpot
Easy 10-ingredient recipe with 15-minute prep. It’s made with Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, and cheese tortellini: protein-rich and appetite-satisfying.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-6 hours LOW or 3-4 hours HIGH
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Method: Crockpot
Ingredients
Instructions
1. Brown: In a skillet, brown the Italian sausage, chopped onion, and minced garlic; drain off grease.
2. Add to a 6-quart crockpot: the browned Italian sausage mixture, diced tomatoes, and chicken stock/broth.
3. Add seasonings: Add the basil, oregano, parsley, crushed red pepper, and salt.
4. Cook: With lid on, cook on LOW for 4-6 hours (or on HIGH for 3-4 hours).
5. Add: 15 minutes before you are ready to eat, add the cheese tortellini and stir to combine. With the lid on, cook for 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
6. Garnish: Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
*If you enjoy spinach in your soup, you could add two handfuls of fresh baby spinach when you add the cheese tortellini.
