Some people, a few from my family, have a notion that soup can not be hearty enough to be the whole dinner. And those same people were proven wrong when I served up this very hearty Creamy Italian Tortellini Soup. It is a creamy soup loaded with kale, carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, sausage, and cheese tortellinis. Trust me, no one is walking away from their bowl hungry!
Before you say hey, that soup has two starches – potatoes AND pasta, let me explain. The potatoes are few and cut pretty small, which means that a fair bit of them dissolve into the creamy soup base. They actually work more as a thickener than as the main starch of the soup.
Substitutes and Variations:
This soup has a variety of vegetables that can be swapped out to suit your families likes. You can swap the kale for spinach. The carrots, celery, and potatoes are pretty integral to the main flavor. But you could add some bell peppers or other root veggies. If you wanted more meat in the mix you could use something other than just a cheese tortellini.
Suggestions for Sides:
The only real side you might add to this is a baguette or garlic bread. You have all your veggies and meats in the soup already.
Tools that may make this recipe easier:
You will need a large stock pot or Dutch oven to make this “vat” of soup. I suggest one around 7 or 8 quarts in size. This gives you plenty of room to stir without fear of spilling over.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Creamy Italian Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian Sausage
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 cup Carrot diced
- 1 cup White Onion diced
- 1 cup Celery diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 cup Russet Potato peeled and cubed
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3 cup Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Milk
- ¼ cup Corn Starch
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Dried Basil
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Grated Parmesan
- 20 oz Cheese Tortellini
- 2 cups Kale chopped
Instructions
- In a large stock pot over medium high heat, add italian sausage. Cook and crumble until no longer pink. Then remove to a bowl and keep warm. (DO NOT clean out or discard any grease left in the pot).
- Add butter to pot and once melted add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for around 5 minutes (onions should start to become translucent).
- In a large measuring cup, combine, milk, broth, cornstarch and remaining seasoning.
- Reduce heat under pot to medium and stir in milk mixture. Let come to a bubble and then return sausage back to pan. Let cook for 15 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Once the soup is bubbling again, add tortellini. Let cook another 15 minutes.
- Lastly, stir in kale and then remove soup from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
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Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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