Name: Tomato Tortellini Soup Recipe
Ingredients: ½ pound Italian sausage (chicken or pork), casings removed: This is the heart of the soup’s savory depth. Italian sausage comes pre-seasoned with delicious flavors like fennel and garlic, which infuse the entire dish. You have a choice here. Pork sausage will render more fat and create a richer, more traditional flavor. Chicken or turkey Italian sausage is a leaner option that still provides a fantastic taste without as much grease. You can also choose between mild, sweet, or hot Italian sausage depending on your family’s tolerance for spice. For a truly kid-friendly version, mild is a foolproof choice. Removing the casings is essential for getting that crumbly, well-distributed texture throughout the soup.; ½ red pepper, chopped: A chopped red bell pepper adds a touch of sweetness and a vibrant color that brightens up the soup. As it sautés, it releases its sugars, which perfectly balance the acidity of the tomatoes. While you could use a yellow or orange pepper, red peppers are typically the sweetest and work best here. Ensure you chop it into small, bite-sized pieces so it blends seamlessly into the soup’s texture.; 2 cloves garlic, minced: Garlic is a non-negotiable aromatic base. Its pungent, savory flavor is fundamental to Italian-inspired cooking. Using fresh cloves and mincing them yourself provides a much more potent and authentic flavor than pre-minced jarred garlic, though the latter can work in a pinch. Two cloves provide a nice background note, but if you’re a garlic-loving family, feel free to add another clove or two.; 1 teaspoon onion powder: While you could use fresh chopped onion, onion powder is a fantastic shortcut that delivers a consistent, savory onion flavor without the chopping and potential tears. It dissolves into the broth, ensuring a smooth texture that is often more palatable for picky eaters who might object to pieces of onion.; 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning: This is your one-stop-shop for herbaceous flavor. A typical blend includes dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. It adds that quintessential Italian aroma and taste that makes the soup so comforting and familiar.; 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes: This is the foundation of your soup’s tomato flavor. Crushed tomatoes provide the perfect consistency—thicker and more textured than tomato sauce, but smoother than diced tomatoes. They create a robust base that is both hearty and soupy. Look for high-quality canned tomatoes, as they are the star of the show and their flavor will shine through.; 2 tablespoons pesto, optional: While optional, adding pesto is a game-changer. It introduces a fresh, herby brightness from the basil, a nutty richness from the pine nuts and Parmesan, and an extra savory kick from the garlic. It elevates the soup from simply “good” to “unforgettable.” A good quality store-bought pesto works wonderfully.; 4 cups broth or stock (chicken or vegetable): The broth determines the liquid volume and adds another layer of flavor. Chicken broth pairs beautifully with either pork or chicken sausage. If you want to keep the dish adaptable for vegetarian friends (by omitting the sausage), a rich vegetable stock is the perfect choice. Using a low-sodium broth allows you to control the final saltiness of the soup, which is always a good practice.; 2 cups half and half, or whole milk: This is what makes the soup luxuriously creamy. Half and half will give you a richer, more decadent result. Whole milk provides a lighter creaminess that is still delicious and slightly healthier. The dairy is added towards the end to prevent it from curdling under high heat.; 9 oz package cheese tortellini: The pasta that turns this soup into a full-blown meal. A standard 9-ounce package of fresh, refrigerated tortellini is the perfect amount for six servings. Cheese tortellini is the classic choice, but feel free to experiment with spinach and ricotta or other filled pastas. Both fresh and frozen tortellini work well.; ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving: Parmesan cheese serves two purposes. Stirring it into the soup at the end adds a salty, nutty flavor and helps to slightly thicken the broth. Sprinkling more on top just before serving is the final flourish, adding texture and an extra hit of cheesy goodness. For the best flavor and melting quality, use a block of Parmesan and grate it yourself.

Ingredients

Scale

½ pound Italian sausage (chicken or pork), casings removed: This is the heart of the soup’s savory depth. Italian sausage comes pre-seasoned with delicious flavors like fennel and garlic, which infuse the entire dish. You have a choice here. Pork sausage will render more fat and create a richer, more traditional flavor. Chicken or turkey Italian sausage is a leaner option that still provides a fantastic taste without as much grease. You can also choose between mild, sweet, or hot Italian sausage depending on your family’s tolerance for spice. For a truly kid-friendly version, mild is a foolproof choice. Removing the casings is essential for getting that crumbly, well-distributed texture throughout the soup.

½ red pepper, chopped: A chopped red bell pepper adds a touch of sweetness and a vibrant color that brightens up the soup. As it sautés, it releases its sugars, which perfectly balance the acidity of the tomatoes. While you could use a yellow or orange pepper, red peppers are typically the sweetest and work best here. Ensure you chop it into small, bite-sized pieces so it blends seamlessly into the soup’s texture.

2 cloves garlic, minced: Garlic is a non-negotiable aromatic base. Its pungent, savory flavor is fundamental to Italian-inspired cooking. Using fresh cloves and mincing them yourself provides a much more potent and authentic flavor than pre-minced jarred garlic, though the latter can work in a pinch. Two cloves provide a nice background note, but if you’re a garlic-loving family, feel free to add another clove or two.

1 teaspoon onion powder: While you could use fresh chopped onion, onion powder is a fantastic shortcut that delivers a consistent, savory onion flavor without the chopping and potential tears. It dissolves into the broth, ensuring a smooth texture that is often more palatable for picky eaters who might object to pieces of onion.

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning: This is your one-stop-shop for herbaceous flavor. A typical blend includes dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. It adds that quintessential Italian aroma and taste that makes the soup so comforting and familiar.

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes: This is the foundation of your soup’s tomato flavor. Crushed tomatoes provide the perfect consistency—thicker and more textured than tomato sauce, but smoother than diced tomatoes. They create a robust base that is both hearty and soupy. Look for high-quality canned tomatoes, as they are the star of the show and their flavor will shine through.

2 tablespoons pesto, optional: While optional, adding pesto is a game-changer. It introduces a fresh, herby brightness from the basil, a nutty richness from the pine nuts and Parmesan, and an extra savory kick from the garlic. It elevates the soup from simply “good” to “unforgettable.” A good quality store-bought pesto works wonderfully.

4 cups broth or stock (chicken or vegetable): The broth determines the liquid volume and adds another layer of flavor. Chicken broth pairs beautifully with either pork or chicken sausage. If you want to keep the dish adaptable for vegetarian friends (by omitting the sausage), a rich vegetable stock is the perfect choice. Using a low-sodium broth allows you to control the final saltiness of the soup, which is always a good practice.

2 cups half and half, or whole milk: This is what makes the soup luxuriously creamy. Half and half will give you a richer, more decadent result. Whole milk provides a lighter creaminess that is still delicious and slightly healthier. The dairy is added towards the end to prevent it from curdling under high heat.

9 oz package cheese tortellini: The pasta that turns this soup into a full-blown meal. A standard 9-ounce package of fresh, refrigerated tortellini is the perfect amount for six servings. Cheese tortellini is the classic choice, but feel free to experiment with spinach and ricotta or other filled pastas. Both fresh and frozen tortellini work well.

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving: Parmesan cheese serves two purposes. Stirring it into the soup at the end adds a salty, nutty flavor and helps to slightly thicken the broth. Sprinkling more on top just before serving is the final flourish, adding texture and an extra hit of cheesy goodness. For the best flavor and melting quality, use a block of Parmesan and grate it yourself.

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Instructions

Step 1: Sauté and Build the Flavor Base

Place a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage to the dry pot.

Using a wooden spatula or a meat chopper, break the sausage up into small crumbles as it cooks. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned and cooked through, which usually takes about 5 to 7 minutes.

Once cooked, carefully tilt the pot and use a spoon to drain off any excess fat, leaving about a tablespoon in the bottom to cook the vegetables. This step is especially important if you are using pork sausage.

Add the chopped red pepper, minced garlic, onion powder, and Italian seasoning directly to the pot with the cooked sausage.

Sauté everything together for 3 to 5 minutes. You’re looking for the red peppers to become tender-crisp and the garlic to become fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic. This step is crucial as it toasts the spices and deepens the flavor of the aromatics.

Step 2: Make the Soup

Once the peppers are tender, pour in the 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot (this is called deglazing, and it adds a ton of flavor).

Stir in the optional pesto, if you’re using it. Mix it in well to distribute the flavor.

Pour in the 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth and the 2 cups of half and half (or whole milk). Stir everything together until the color is a uniform, creamy tomato-pink.

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Do not let it come to a rolling boil, as this can cause the dairy to separate.

Once it’s simmering, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it cook for 10 minutes. This simmering period is vital for allowing all the distinct flavors to meld together into a cohesive, delicious soup.

Step 3: Add the Tortellini

After the soup has simmered for 10 minutes, remove the lid and turn the heat back up to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer.

Add the 9-ounce package of tortellini and the ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese to the pot.

Stir gently to combine, ensuring the tortellini are submerged in the broth.

Cook for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tortellini are cooked through and tender. I recommend cooking them for a minute or two longer than the package directions suggest. This allows them to absorb some of the flavorful broth and become extra soft and delicious within the soup. The Parmesan will melt into the broth, adding a final touch of salty richness and helping to thicken it slightly.

Step 4: Serve

Once the tortellini are tender, turn off the heat.

Ladle the hot soup into individual bowls. Be sure to get a good ratio of broth, sausage, and tortellini in each serving.

Sprinkle each bowl with an extra dusting of grated Parmesan cheese. You can also add other garnishes like fresh chopped basil or parsley if you wish. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving Size: One Normal Portion
Calories: 485