Dreamy and Creamy Tortellini Soup is stuffed full of heavenly sausage, fresh baby spinach and plump tortellini all in a luscious cream broth. This soup is made right in the Instant Pot for a hearty and tasty dinner. Includes stove top and pressure cooker instructions.
We dream of soup, especially this easy tortellini soup. If you love soup like we do, you will want to cook Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup or Roasted Garlic Potato Soup. For another Instant Pot soup idea make this Italian Lentil Soup.
Instant Pot Tortellini Soup
Normally, I am sharing healthy recipes at this time of year, but this soup recipe was too good to resist. It had to be shared! I had to get it into your recipe craving little hands.
How could you resist a soup that is bursting with cheese tortellini, mild Italian sausage, tender spinach leaves, and heavy cream?
This soup is kind of rich and not exactly healthy, but it is FULL of flavor.
I mean it does have spinach in it, that should count for something, right?
Creamy Tortellini Soup with Spinach and Sausage
Plus we all need a great soup recipe and that’s what this is, great soup! It’s cold out and this is the perfect way to warm up your insides.
I could eat this soup all. year. long. and we do because it is just that delicious. Who needs to wait for the cold to enjoy good soup? Not us!
It is also super creamy, I like to use half heavy cream and half milk in this soup. That way it’s not quite as heavy, but still pretty decadent. You could definitely use just milk or half and half if you want to cut down on some calories.
This would be the perfect soup to take to a sick neighbor or a friend that is having surgery or someone having a baby. It is filling, delicious, and loved by anyone who eats it.
This will become your go-to soup to make for company or family that is coming over.
What is Tortellini Soup?
Tortellini soup is soup that has tortellini cooked into it. There are varying ingredients that include tortellini, of course, a meat, and vegetables all in a hot broth. There are also tomato based soups, but this soup has no tomatoes
This is not a tomato based soup and also there are also tomatoes in it. There is also no added oil or flour to thicken the soup. But, you could make it thicker (or add tomatoes).
What to Serve with Tortellini Soup
The best thing to serve with this soup is dinner rolls (we like these because they cook quickly), but you could also make your own homemade French bread or pour it into a bread bowl. Soup always pairs well with a large healthy salad, we always have a good salad with our soups to get all those good veggies in.
You can serve Instant Pot Tortellini Soup with roasted parmesan asparagus, air fryer broccoli, or even these brown sugar sliced carrots.
Can I Make Tortellini Soup Vegetarian?
Yes, it is simple to make this Instant Pot Tortellini Soup into a vegetarian soup. All you need to do is leave out the sausage or use Impossible sausage. Instead of sautéing the chopped onion and garlic in the sausage grease, use 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Can Tortellini Soup be Frozen?
As far as freezing Instant Pot Tortellini Soup with sausage, well the answer unfortunately is no. I don’t recommend freezing this Instant Pot Tortellini Soup because it has pasta in it and because it is a cream based soup.
Cooked tortellini or pasta of any kind will continue to soak up liquid as it sits in it. After freezing the pasta and then thawing it, it basically turns to mush.
Cream based soups tend to separate when they are frozen. This results in a gross, grainy texture that probably won’t taste very good.
What Tortellini to Use?
Any flavor of tortellini may be used in this soup recipe. Use any thing from mushroom, 3 cheese, 7 cheese, to sweet Italian sausage, or spinach tortellini. All of them will work well here.
For this soup, I use fresh, refrigerated tortellini (I like Buitoni tortellini) not dried or frozen. It will give the best results to use good quality ingredients.
Pressure Cooker Tortellini Soup Ingredients
- Sausage: I use a mild or sweet ground pork or turkey sausage.
- Onion: A small white or yellow onion.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is a must for this soup.
- Stock: You will want to use a low or no salt chicken broth or stock.
- Tortellini: Fresh, refrigerated tortellini. I use Buitoni tortellini.
- Heavy Cream: I like the creaminess that heavy cream adds. You could use half and half instead of substitute it all with milk.
- Milk: Low fat or whole milk can be used.
- Spinach: Fresh baby spinach gets added after the soup has cooked.
How to Make Tortellini Soup in an Instant Pot
- Set Instant Pot to the sauté setting.
- Cook the sausage until nice and brown making sure to chop it up as it cooks. Using a slotted spoon pull all the sausage out and place onto a plate or bowl lined with a few paper towels.
- Add finely chopped onion to the sausage oil in the instant pot. Cook until soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
- Add in chicken stock. Put the lid on, lock it, and seal the valve. Set the pressure to high and cook for 2 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, immediately release the pressure by moving the valve from the sealing position to the venting position.
- Open the lid once all pressure has been released and turn the Instant Pot off.
- Stir in the heavy cream and milk. Then add in the spinach. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
How to Make Tortellini Soup on the Stove Top
If you don’t have a pressure cooker it is not a problem. Here is how I make tortellini soup on the stove instead.
- In a large pot, cook the sausage over medium heat making sure to break it up as it cooks. Cook until well browned. Using a slotted spoon to pull all the sausage out and place onto a plate or bowl lined with a few paper towels.
- Add small diced onion to the sausage oil in the pot. Cook until soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
- Pour in chicken stock and bring up to a nice simmer. Add in the sausage, spinach, heavy cream, and milk and bring up to a simmer again. Add the tortellini and cook for 3-5 more minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper as needed. Allow soup to cool a little before serving.
Can I Make Tortellini Soup Ahead of Time?
You could make parts of this Instant Pot tortellini soup in advance, but I don’t recommend assembling it all and expecting it to taste like it did when it was fresh.
You could cook the sausage ahead of time and place it in an airtight container, keep in the fridge. Cook the onion and garlic in the sausage oil and store those with the sausage. You can also measure out the ingredients to get them prepped.
I would wait to fully incorporate all of the ingredients until the day you are ready to serve the soup.
Instant Pot Tortellini Soup with Sausage Tips
- Less salt. Use reduced or no salt added chicken broth otherwise the soup will be too salty. If you feel it is not salty enough you can always add salt after the soup is done cooking.
- For reduced calories. Replace the heavy cream with all low fat or whole milk. Soup will still be creamy just not as decadent.
- Thicker soup. I love the broth in this soup but if you find it a little too thin you can thicken it up. Pull out 1/2 cup of the broth and mix in 1-2 tablespoons of corn starch or all purpose flour. Pour back into soup.
Tortellini Soup Instant Pot Variations
- Make it spicy. It is super easy to make this into a spicy tortellini soup instead of mild one. All you need to do is use spicy Italian sausage instead of mild sausage. You will also want to add in 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper to the soup.
- Vegetables. Add in some chunks of carrots, chopped up celery, bell pepper, zucchini or use kale instead of spinach.
- Add chicken. To make chicken tortellini soup add in. You can even use precooked, shredded rotisserie chicken
- Use different tortellini. I make this recipe with cheese tortellini, but it would be good with sweet Italian sausage tortellini, three cheese tortellini, mushroom tortellini or spinach tortellini.
- Smoked sausage. Instead of Italian sausage, use smoked sausage (we like smoked turkey sausage). Or try chorizo for a little different flavor.
- Cream cheese. For extra decadence add in 2 tablespoons of cream cheese before cooking.
Instant Pot Tortellini Soup Frequently Asked Questions
Is Instant Pot Tortellini Soup healthy? This particular recipe for Instant Pot Tortellini soup is not particularly healthy. It has sausage and heavy cream which are both pretty fattening.
What is tortellini soup made of? This tortellini soup is a cream based soup filled with yummy ingredients. The tortellini is the star of the show, with most of the flavor coming from the sausage. It is also made with onions, garlic, broth, milk, heavy cream, and spinach.
Is tortellini healthy? Tortellini can be part of a healthy diet if eaten in moderation. It is a great source of carbohydrates and can be a source of protein if it is a cheese tortellini.
Cheese Tortellini Soup Storage Instructions
How to refrigerate Instant Pot Tortellini Soup? Let the soup cool and put in an air tight container. It should last about 4-5 days in the fridge.
How do you reheat Instant Pot Tortellini Soup? Reheat soup on the stove over medium heat until desired temperature is reached.
How to freeze tortellini soup? I do not recommend freezing this soup. Since this tortellini soup recipe has pasta in it and is cream based, it will not freeze well.
Try these dinner recipes!
- Leftover Turkey Pot Pie with Cheddar Bacon Biscuits
- Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce
- Bean Tostadas
- Cornish Hen in the Air Fryer
- Low Carb Zucchini Lasagna
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Instant Pot Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 16 ounces mild Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion small dice
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 4 1/2 cups chicken stock no salt added or low sodium (36 ounces)
- 9 ounces cheese tortellini refrigerated
- 3 cups baby spinach fresh
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- salt and pepper as needed
Instructions
How to Make Tortellini Soup in Instant Pot
- Set Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Cook the sausage until nicely browned making sure to chop it up as it cooks. Using a slotted spoon to pull all the sausage out and place it onto a plate or bowl lined with a few paper towels.
- Add finely chopped onion to the sausage oil in the instant pot. Cook until soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add in chicken stock, the sausage and tortellini.
- Put the lid on, lock it, and seal the valve. Set the pressure to high. Let the Instant Pot come up to pressure and cook for 2 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, immediately release the pressure by moving the valve from the sealing position to the venting position. Open the lid once all pressure has been released and turn the Instant Pot off.
- Then add in the spinach, allowing it to wilt. Next, stir in the heavy cream and milk.
- Season with salt and pepper as needed. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
How to Make Tortellini Soup on the Stove Top
- In a large pot or dutch oven, cook the sausage over medium heat making sure to break it up as it cooks. Cook until well browned. Using a slotted spoon to pull all the sausage out and place onto a plate or bowl lined with a few paper towels.
- Add small diced onion to the sausage oil in the pot. Cook until soft and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.
- Pour in chicken stock and bring up to a nice simmer. Add in the sausage, spinach, heavy cream, and milk and bring up to a simmer again. Add the tortellini and cook for 3-5 more minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper as needed. Allow soup to cool a little before serving.
Notes
- Use reduced or no salt added chicken broth otherwise the soup will be too salty. If you feel it is not salty enough you can always add salt after the soup is done cooking.
- Replace the heavy cream with all low fat or whole milk. Soup will still be creamy just not as decadent.
- I love the broth in this soup but if you find it a little too thin you can thicken it up. Pull out 1/2 cup of the broth and mix in 1-2 tablespoons of corn starch or all purpose flour. Pour back into soup.
- Instant Pot tortellini soup will last about 4-5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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OMG!! Made a this yesterday for lunch (doubled the recipe in a 8qt Instant Pot, fits perfectly). Thank God I doubled it, with 4 adults it was gone by evening.
My husband hates Tortellini and refuses to eat no matter how it is made and never compliments my cooking. He ate 3 bowls and raved that this was the best thing I have ever made. Anyone who knows me, knows that I don’t eat vegetables – I ate two bowls of this soup, to include the spinach.
Followed the recipe to the letter and only had to add black pepper at the end (no salt was needed). You could have more broth and the milk/cream mixture because the broth was so good. Especially if you what to soak it up with some bread or just on its own. This recipe is a must, try it you won’t regret it.
This is the sweetest review ever!! I can not believe your husband ate this soup even though he hates tortellini and received compliments for it! It makes me so happy that your family enjoyed this soup. Thank you for your kind words, Nadine.