Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Crockpot Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Cheese tortellini and browned sausage make this tomato soup especially satisfying to spoon into. Spinach softens among the pasta, and an optional splash of cream rounds out the broth. The little filled tortellini catch plenty of the savory tomato flavor.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 480 min
- Total
- 500 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 13 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Slow cooker
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: over 60 minutes
- Dish type
- Soups · Soups & stews · Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Brown the sausage
Break the sausage into pieces as it browns with the onion, spooning off excess fat if needed.
2. Match the carrot size
Chop carrots finely for the shorter cooking schedule so they have time to soften in the soup.
3. Pasta goes in late
Add the tortellini, spinach and optional cream about thirty minutes before serving, then stir occasionally.
Get to know the ingredients
Sausage
Use ground sausage meat or remove whole sausages from their casings before browning them with the onion.
Tomatoes
Keep the juices from the diced tomatoes when adding them to the slow cooker with the broth.
Tortellini
Use refrigerated cheese tortellini and add it near the end so it cooks in the finished broth.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 4 steps completeMake room for Crockpot Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Taste the broth
Season with salt and pepper before serving, after the tortellini and spinach have cooked into the soup.
A little more help as you go
Plan for leftovers
Tortellini absorbs broth as it sits; add extra chicken broth to leftovers if they need loosening.
Keep the pasta separate for later
If planning plenty of leftovers, try adding the tortellini when reheating the soup.
A few questions you might have
Can I use spicy sausage?
Yes. You can use spicy sausage, using ground meat or sausage removed from its casings.
When should I add the tortellini?
Add it about thirty minutes before serving along with the spinach and optional cream, using high heat.
Why are finely chopped carrots suggested?
Smaller carrot pieces are needed for the shorter three to four hour cooking schedule so they soften in time.
Is the cream required?
The heavy cream is optional; add it with the tortellini near the end if you want it.
Why have my leftovers become thick?
The tortellini absorbs broth as it sits; try adding more chicken broth as needed.
Any more cooking tips?
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. Or, add the tortellini in when reheating if you plan on having lots of leftovers. This is the 7-quart Crockpot I used to make this recipe. My Crockpot was pretty full by the time I added the tortellini.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: saltandlavender.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
