I Guarantee This One-Pot Soup Is The Coziest Thing You’ll Cook All Month

Soup is my ultimate comfort food. It’s cozy and warming, and best-case scenario it comes together in just one pot with a handful of basic ingredients. While I love a good brothy soup (looking at you, chicken noodle!) as well as a thick veggie version like carrot soup, absolutely nothing beats soup that’s hearty enough to be a meal — especially when it also happens to be creamy.

This sausage tortellini soup has it all: Meaty chunks of sausage, pillowy cheese tortellini, a whole package of leafy greens, and a rich, super-creamy broth packed with flavor. The best part is that it’s a true weeknight soup. There’s minimal prep, mostly hands-off cooking, and, because the tortellini cooks directly in the soup, you only need one pot.

Why You’ll Love It

• Incredibly cozy! It doesn’t get any cozier than a pot of deeply flavorful creamy soup loaded with pillowy cheese tortellini.

• It’s a one-pot meal that cooks in just 30 minutes. Everything happens in the same pot (that includes browning the sausage and cooking the tortellini right in the broth!). This means maximum flavor and as few dirty dishes as possible. With no more than five minutes of prep and 30 minutes on the stove, this is totally doable on a weeknight.

Key Ingredients in Sausage Tortellini Soup

• Italian sausage: Take your pick between mild or spicy. If you can find it, buying raw bulk sausage minimizes the prep work so you don’t have to remove the casings.

• Low-sodium chicken broth: The whole carton is going into the pot.

• Cheese tortellini: Stick with the refrigerated kind; it’s the best tortellini for this soup and cooks in just a few minutes.

• Baby spinach: Good news! You’ll use the whole five-ounce package, so there’s no need to prep or measure anything — just dump it all in the pot.

• Half-and-half: Here’s where the soup gets that rich creaminess from.

Helpful Swaps

• Want to keep your pot of soup vegetarian? Plant-based sausage crumbles also work here. And if there’s another type of sausage you love, give it a try here; it’ll be great.

• Low-sodium vegetable broth can be used as a substitute for chicken broth.

• An equal amount of heavy cream can be used as a substitute for half-and-half for a richer soup.

• Basically all leafy greens are fair game. If you like something a little heartier, chop the leaves from a bunch of kale, Swiss chard, collards, or escarole.

• I call for cheese tortellini because it’s the most widely available, but any variety works here.

• If you already have a bag of frozen tortellini on hand, you can absolutely use that in place of refrigerated. We’ve found that the packaging sizes don’t typically match up, so plan to use about 2 1/2 cups frozen tortellini.

Sausage Tortellini Soup Recipe

This one-pot meal cooks in just 30 minutes.

Prep time 5 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Makes Makes about 8 cups

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw mild or spicy Italian sausage, casings removed if needed

• 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 (32-ounce) carton low-sodium chicken broth (about 4 cups)

• 1 (8- to 9-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini (about 2 1/2 cups)

• 5 ounces baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)

• 1 cup half-and-half

Instructions

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1. Cook 1 pound raw Italian sausage in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Stir in 1 diced medium yellow onion, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 cup all-purpose flour over the sausage mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to cook the floury taste out.

3. Stir in 1 (32-ounce) carton low-sodium chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any stuck-on bits. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a lively simmer.

4. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes to let the flavors meld.

5. Stir in 1 (8-ounce) package cheese tortellini and 5 ounces baby spinach. Cook for 1 minute less than the package instructions for the tortellini. Stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed.

Recipe Notes

Substitutions: You can substitute refrigerated tortellini with 12 ounces frozen cheese tortellini (about 2 1/2 cups).

Storage: The soup is best immediately after cooking, but leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

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