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    How to Make Sausage and Tortellini Soup Recipe: Step-by-Step, Photos

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    There’s nothing quite like a warm, hearty bowl of soup when the weather starts to cool down — especially one that’s easy enough to throw together on a busy weeknight.

    As fall approaches, I’ve been seeing recipes for sausage and tortellini soup all over social media. With savory Italian sausage, cheesy tortellini, and a rich, comforting tomato base, it looked like exactly the kind of low-effort recipe I’d reach for after a long day.

    The recipe called for just a handful of standard ingredients I could find at the grocery store, along with a few pantry staples.

    I was impressed by how quickly everything came together — the soup was cozy, filling, and surprisingly easy to make, with enough flavor to feel like I’d spent far more time in the kitchen than I actually had.

    After trying it for myself, I can see why sausage and tortellini soup has become such a viral recipe. Here’s how I made it and what I thought.

    I started by gathering the ingredients for the soup.


    Packaged tortellini, sausage, tomatoes, cream, cheese, and chopped onions are arranged on a kitchen countertop.

    The ingredients for the tortellini soup.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    The ingredient list was pretty straightforward. While I’ve seen many versions of this tomato, sausage, and tortellini soup online, I followed a recipe from Here’s Your Bite, which was first posted on TikTok in 2024.

    To make it, you’ll need:

    I cooked the mirepoix in butter and olive oil first.


    Chopped carrots, celery, and onions sauté in a large pot on a stovetop.

    I added the carrots, celery, and onions to a large pot.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    In a large Dutch oven, I melted the olive oil and butter together before adding the diced celery, onions, and carrots over medium-high heat.

    While the mixture cooked down and became fragrant, I added my seasonings.


    Chopped carrots, onions, and celery with seasonings cooking in a large pot on a gas stovetop.

    I seasoned the vegetables in the pot.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    The recipe called for Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. These were all standard seasonings I already had in my pantry.

    I sautéed the vegetables for about 5 minutes.


    Diced vegetables sauté in a large pot on a stovetop with a wooden spoon resting inside.

    I cooked the vegetables down until they began to soften.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    After a few minutes, the vegetables started to soften and lightly caramelize around the edges.

    Next, I added garlic to the vegetables — I always add minced garlic to the pot later than other vegetables, as I find it starts to burn much more quickly.

    By now, my kitchen was already smelling heavenly.

    I browned the Italian sausage directly in the pot.


    Browned ground meat and chopped vegetables cook in a large pot with a wooden spoon on a stovetop.

    I then added the Italian sausage to the pot.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    I used spicy Italian sausage for an extra kick. As it cooked, I broke the sausage into smaller pieces and mixed it with the vegetables to combine everything.

    The recipe said to cook it until it was no longer pink, which took about 10 minutes.

    Once the sausage was cooked, I cleared a space in the middle of the pot for the tomato paste.


    Ground meat, diced vegetables, and tomato paste cook in a large pot on a stovetop with a wooden spoon.

    I cooked the tomato paste in the center of the pot.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    The recipe recommended adding the 3 tablespoons of tomato paste right in the center of the pot and letting it cook on its own for about a minute before mixing it into the sausage and vegetables.

    After that, I stirred the tomato paste into the sausage and vegetables.


    A wooden spoon rests in a large pot of simmering red sauce on a stovetop.

    I mixed the tomato paste into the sausage and vegetable mixture.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    The mixture became much richer and more tomato-forward.

    I sprinkled the flour evenly over the sausage mixture and stirred until it disappeared into everything else. The recipe called for cooking it for a minute or two to remove any raw flour taste.

    I then poured in the white wine and used a wooden spatula to scrape up any bits that had stuck to the bottom of the pan.

    This is where the mixture really thickened and congealed into a delicious-smelling base for the rest of the soup.

    After a couple of minutes, I added the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth.


    A large pot of red tomato sauce simmers on a stovetop burner in a kitchen.

    I added the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    I seasoned the mixture with more salt and pepper, and poured a bit of water into my can of crushed tomatoes to make sure every drop was added to my pot.

    Instead of using store-bought chicken broth, I made my own using Better Than Bouillon chicken base and boiling water. I find that it makes for a richer, more flavorful broth.

    The pot finally started looking like soup.

    I added a Parmesan rind while the soup simmered.


    A rectangular block of yellow hard cheese rests on a scratched wooden cutting board.

    I used a Parmesan rind I had in my fridge.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    The Parmesan rind was optional, but I decided to use it. As someone who goes through a lot of Parmesan cheese, I luckily already had a nearly-used-up block in my fridge, so I just cut it down to remove the rind.

    I dropped it directly into the tomato broth and also added a bay leaf for extra flavor. Then, I let the soup simmer uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes.

    As it simmered, the broth darkened and concentrated.

    I added the tortellini and spinach near the end.


    Tortellini simmer in red tomato sauce with leafy greens inside a large pot on a stovetop.

    I added the tortellini pasta and spinach to the pot.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    Once the broth had simmered, I removed the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind.

    Then, I added the tortellini directly to the pot and stirred in the spinach at the same time. The tortellini only needed a few minutes to become tender, and the spinach wilted almost immediately into the hot broth.

    After the tortellini had cooked, I added the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese as a final touch.


    Cream is poured into a pot of red tortellini sauce simmering on a gas stovetop.

    I added the cream and Parmesan cheese as the last step.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    The heavy cream and grated cheese made the soup noticeably thicker. The finished soup looked creamy, hearty, and packed with tortellini.

    The sausage was evenly distributed throughout the soup, and bits of spinach added color to each spoonful.


    Tortellini cooks in a red tomato sauce with greens in a pot on a stovetop.

    The finished soup looked hearty and creamy — perfect for an early fall day.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    The cream made the tomato base look especially rich. It looked much more indulgent than the simple steps it took to prepare.

    I topped my bowl with a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan.


    Tortellini in red tomato sauce with grated cheese served in a patterned bowl on a wooden table.

    The finished dish was somewhere between a standard pasta sauce and a soup.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    The cheese started melting as soon as it hit the hot soup, and added even more savory flavor to the tomato broth, while the tortellini and sausage made every spoonful feel substantial.

    It looked exactly like the kind of meal I would want on a cool fall night.

    The finished dish landed somewhere between a traditional pasta with sauce and a soup.


    A spoon lifts a piece of pasta from a bowl of red tomato-based sauce on a wooden table.

    The soup was cozy, filling, and surprisingly easy to make.

    Erin McDowell/Business Insider

    The tomato-and-cream base was thicker and richer than a typical broth, but still loose enough to eat by the spoonful. The tortellini and sausage also made the soup feel hearty and substantial, almost like a saucy pasta dish with extra liquid.

    The recipe was enough to feed four people with plenty left over, which was a bonus.

    I would happily make this again for an easy weeknight dinner.

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