The Best Tortellini and Sausage Soup (reader favorite!)

I know, I know. I did the thing. I did the blogger thing where I labeled yet another recipe as “THE BEST.” Yes. Guilty as charged, I am. But you see, this is definitely the Best Tortellini and Sausage Soup I have ever made, tried, or laid my hungry eyes upon. It’s got a couple of MKL flavor-boosting tricks, and it’s really easy to make. This Best Tortellini and Sausage Soup stands and one of the most popular, reader-loved recipes on this site. My friends, if calling this golden bowl of creamy goodness ” the best” is wrong … then I for sure don’t want to be right. Not even a little bit. Not even at all.

So what makes this the Best Tortellini and Sausage Soup?

Alright. I’m honestly thrilled you asked. This recipe is all hacked up – a hacker’s delight, if you will. Instead of adding heavy cream and cheese to the soup, I just use one of my favorite My Kitchen Little tricks and throw in a thing of Boursin cheese spread (or Alouette). This really really makes for a creamy and flavorful soup base and helps get things tasty in a hurry. Win-win.

The second hack is the fact that we’re going to essentially doctor up a boring box of tomato-red pepper soup. I’m not a big fan of simple, pureed soups if I’m being totally honest with you. They’re just not very compelling to me. I don’t drool over a baby food looking bowl of every-bites-the-same-as-the-last soup. Not really my deal.

BUT. I do love using a good quality pre-made soup as a base for building a much more interesting, much more texture-filled soup. That is a notion I can really get on board with. And that’s what we’re doing today. I’m serving up not one, but two very effective soup hacks for you here today, ladies and gents. And I so hope you love my Best Tortellini and Sausage Soup as much as I do. It’s just really good.

Vegetarian Creamy Tortellini Soup

Also, I think the sausage makes it really unbelievably tasty, so any tortellini soup that lacks the sausage component is sort of less-than, you know? Unless, of course, you are a vegetarian. Then of course the sausage would be a no-no. In that case …

Let’s make a vegetarian version!

All you have to do to accomplish this, is leave out the sausage in the beginning. You know, right after we drizzle in the olive oil and get the pan screaming hot. Yes – that part. When you get to that step, just add about 12 ounces of sliced fresh mushrooms into the pan, followed by the onions, spinach and garlic. Then just sauté everything together until tender and cooked.

The mushrooms, as we know, will mimic the meaty texture that we’ll be lacking by nixing the sausage and they’ll come in with their own earthy, umami-like flavor. It’s not the same, but … you know … they’re meaty. It’s a (mushroom) tale as old as time. Of course, use veggie stock in place of the chicken, and you’re good to go.

What you’ll need for this Creamy Tortellini Soup Recipe

This soup recipe is simple, so far as the ingredients list goes. Nothing odd or hard-to-find going on here – which we always strive for in every MKL recipe. The trick, however, is in the sneaky addition of Boursin or Alouette – garlic and herb cheese spread. This is one of a handful of store-bought ingredients that I do tend to keep around for their incredible flavor-boosting powers.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
• 1.5 cups diced onion 
• 5 oz. fresh spinach (I use several big handfuls, this amount is approximate – use as much as you like)
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or ground oregano is fine)
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced or grated
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
• 32-oz. box roasted red pepper and tomato soup
• 6-ounce package of Boursin cheese spread (or Alouette, any flavor works)
• 10-oz. package of cheese tortellini (I use Rana)
• Chicken or vegetable stock, as needed

How to make the Best Tortellini and Sausage Soup

One pot recipes are true kitchen gems aren’t they? Valuable and shiny and happy and just so attractive on busy weeknights. This Best Tortellini and Sausage Soup recipe is an absolute ringer, too. It’s sort of better than it oughta be, but that’s mostly due to the ease with which it can be prepared as compared with the flavor payoff in the end. She’s tasty, what can I say?

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the oil to a large, deep-sided skillet or pot set over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, break it up a little and let it get really brown on one side before you turn it; takes a few minutes. Add the onion, spinach, and Italian seasoning. Flip the sausage, breaking it up more as you do, and let it finish browning as you cook it along with the onion.
2. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
3. Add the soup and the cheese spread, stirring to combine. When everything is bubbling away, add the tortellini, stirring to cover. At this point, the soup is ready to eat once the tortellini is cooked (according to package directions). You can make a thinner soup by adding some stock, or keep it like this. That part is totally up to you, and just depends on your preference. Just remember the longer it simmers, the softer the tortellini will get (so don’t let them sit too long), and the more the liquid will reduce. 
4. Season to taste and serve your Best Tortellini and Sausage Soup warm.

If you like the looks of this Best Creamy Tortellini and Sausage Soup, you might also enjoy:

Unstuffed Mushroom and Tortellini Skillet

Toasted Garlic Zuppa Toscana

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