One Pot Sausage Tortellini Soup with Cream Cheese
Looking for a cozy weeknight dinner that practically cooks itself? This One-Pot Sausage Tortellini Soup with Cream Cheese is a busy-family lifesaver—quick, hearty, and irresistibly creamy. This easy sausage tortellini soup delivers tender pasta, rich sausage, and a creamy broth the whole family will love. It’s a quick, one-pot dinner that’s perfect for busy nights!
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We love soup season, and this sausage tortellini soup couldn’t be any tastier or easier! If you love belly-warming soups that require just one pot and come together in 28 minutes or less, be sure to check out our 20 minute taco soup, lasagna soup with ground turkey, and delicious white bean soup, to name a few!
Why We Love this Soup
- One Pot! Our cozy sausage tortellini soup with cream cheese comes together in just one pot and with minimal chopping. It’s one of our best dump-and-go dinners, made with plenty of reliable pantry staples.
- Quick! Like all of our recipes, this sausage and tortellini soup can be made in 28 minutes or less!
- Flavor-packed! Savory sausage, creamy broth, tender tortellini, and cozy herbs are all simmered together for maximum flavor.
🛒 Ingredients
Notes on key ingredients are provided below. Please see the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
Italian sausage- Ideally, ground, Italian pork sausage. While we prefer mild, medium or spicy also work, depending on your heat preference! If only sausage links are available in your grocery store, simply slit the casing and remove the sausage inside.
Chicken broth- We love Better than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base because it delivers big flavor, lasts a while, reduces waste, and takes up hardly any space in the fridge.
Cream cheese– We love Philadelphia cream cheese sold as bricks for easy measuring. For quicker melting, we recommend that you soften cream cheese to room temperature before adding it the soup.
Cheese tortellini– We love premade, refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini, like Giovanni Rana 5 Cheese Tortellini.
Spinach– Adding spinach to this soup boosts nutrition with almost zero effort. It wilts quickly, blends into the broth, and delivers a mild flavor that even picky eaters hardly notice.
👨🏼🍳 Instructions
Step 1. Cook onion and garlic in oil.
Step 2. Add ground sausage and cook until no longer pink. Drain and return to pot.
Step 3. Add liquid ingredients, seasoning and cream cheese, and stir until cheese is melted.
Step 4. Bring to a simmer, add tortellini and simmer for 2-4 minutes.
Step 5. Stir in spinach and serve!
Enjoy topped with parmesan!
✔️ Expert Tips and Tricks
Soften your cream cheese first! Bringing it to room temp helps it melt faster and gives the soup a super smooth, creamy finish.
Pop a lid on the pot — it helps the soup come to a simmer faster so you can add the tortellini sooner.
Don’t overlook tortellini — if you cook it longer than the package recommends, it can quickly turn soft and squishy.
Don’t forget to drain the sausage! Getting rid of the extra grease keeps your soup from developing an oily layer on top.
🔄 Variations and Substitutions
Try a different sausage! Mild Italian sausage is our go-to for a balanced, kid-friendly flavor, but sweet or spicy sausage, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage all work great.
Add more veggies! This soup is super flexible — toss in peas, corn, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, or even some kale for extra color and flavor.
Change up the pasta. While we love classic cheese tortellini, feel free to use any variety you like — mushroom, spinach or other veggie-stuffed tortellini.
Swap out the cream cheese– Not a cream cheese fan? Try Greek yogurt, Mascarpone, Boursin or even sour cream (stirred in at the end) in its place.
Spice it up! For an extra kick, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or swap in spicy Italian sausage.
Tips for Picky Eaters
- Ditch the spinach. If your kids can’t stand the green color spinach brings to their soup, consider omitting the spinach completely. Or, scoop the soup into your kids’ bowls before you add the spinach to the pot.
- Ket kids pick the carbs! You can have some bread, toast, or crackers with this soup.
- Ice cubes! My kids act like their soup is molten lava! If yours do too, let them toss in a couple of ice cubes and give it a good stir.
🧊 Storing and Reheating
Store– Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–5 days. The tortellini tends to soak up the broth, so plan to stir in a little extra when you reheat it. Note: We don’t recommend freezing this soup, as cream-based soups and pasta tend to separate or get mushy after freezing. It’s best fresh.
Reheat– Warm gently over low heat and add extra broth or water as needed. High heat can cause the creamy base to separate.
❓ FAQ
We recommend serving this soup with a side of bread! We are huge fans of the good ol’ frozen Pepperidge Farm Garlic Bread Loaf and Pillsbury Grands! You can also serve tortellini soup with croutons, crackers, or parmesan crisps for dipping!
This usually happens when the cream cheese is added cold or in large chunks. For a silky broth, soften it to room temperature and add it in small pieces while stirring.
Definitely. Just add a couple more minutes to the cook time and taste for doneness so the pasta doesn’t get mushy.
Yes, but the tortellini will continue to absorb liquid. If making ahead, consider cooking the tortellini separately and adding it right before serving.
Craft For This Recipe
Heart-Shaped Parmesan Crisps
Use extra parmesan to make these adorable cheesy crisps with your kids! Our heart-shaped, baked cheese crisps are perfect for snacking, topping soups, salads and more! These golden bursts of crunch and flavor are ready in just 10 minutes!
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One Pot Sausage Tortellini Soup with Cream Cheese
Equipment
- 1 soup pot large
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion (diced or finely chopped )
- 1 tsp garlic (minced )
- 2 lbs ground sausage
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup tomato paste (or 8 Tbsp )
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 oz cream cheese (or half a block, ideally brought to room temperature )
- 20 oz cheese tortellini
- 5 oz spinach (or 2-3 heaping handfuls)
- freshly grated parmesan cheese (for serving )
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot at medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for two minutes.
- Add ground sausage and cook for 4-6 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking it up into smaller chunks as it cooks. Drain sausage and return to pot.
- Add liquid ingredients (diced tomatoes, tomato paste and broth), seasoning, and cream cheese, stirring until soup becomes creamy and cream cheese is completely melted.
- Bring to a simmer and then add tortellini and cook for 2-4 minutes, or according to the pasta's cooking instructions.
- A few minutes before you're ready to serve, add spinach to pot & stir. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
