This slow cooker tortellini soup boasts a slurpable herb-infused broth, juicy chunks of sweet Italian sausage, tender cheese tortellini, and leafy kale.
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“This was absolutely fantastic. I love crockpot meals. The instructions were so easy to follow.” -Tami, FoodieCrush reader
This post is in partnership with McCormick.
The Flavor-Packed Broth Is What Makes This Soup SO Good
“Oh babe, this is so good. Hey! Don’t eat all the broth! That’s mine.” My husband. He’s usually really good about sharing. “Oh. This is really good.” Until it comes to soup. He LOVES a good soup. And he wants it all for himself.
I’ve said it here before. My man is a soup aficionado.
(And if you can spell aficionado without having to hit dictionary.com, you are one swell spelling bee winner, because I can’t. But back to the sausage kale tortellini soup …)
Not only does the slow cooker create a broth for this tortellini soup that tastes flavorful and ultimately craveable, but the perfumed scent of sausage, onion, celery, and garlic that wafts from the kitchen as it cooks will also have you wishing you could give that lid on the slow cooker just a crack to dip a spoon in for juuuuuust a bite for taste testing.
Or better yet, dip in a big old slice of sourdough. Fancy that. We’re a family of dippers.
Enjoy!
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Italian sausage — I used sweet Italian sausage, but you can use spicy if you like your tortellini soup to have a kick.
- Soffritto — What Italians call the combination of onion, celery, and carrots.
- White wine or sherry — Tenderizes and flavors the sausage when cooking.
- Chicken stock — Provides a richer flavor than plain ol’ chicken broth.
- Dried herbs — I used the basil, oregano, and parsley from McCormick’s new line of Herb Grinders. They describe the herb grinders as a whole new flavor innovation designed to deliver more aroma and more taste. Each grinder contains dried herbs with larger cuts of leaves you can grind when ready to use, keeping the herbs fresher, longer.
- Kale — I prefer lacinato kale, but use what you’ve got. If you don’t have kale, sub in baby spinach or Swiss chard.
- Fresh cheese tortellini — I like a 3-cheese tortellini in my soup, but you could use a spinach and cheese or other flavor you prefer. If you can’t get your hands on fresh, frozen works too. I personally don’t love shelf-stable tortellini here, but if that’s all you have then go for it.
How to Make Tortellini Soup in a Slow Cooker
- Brown the sausage in a skillet first. Cooking the veggies and sausage separately helps reduce the total cook time.
- Deglaze the pan. If you’re opposed to using wine or sherry, additional chicken stock will do the trick too. But using some kind of alcohol will make the sausage super tender.
- Slow cook for 3 hours. Transfer everything into your slow cooker, pop the lid on, and cook on low.
- Add the tortellini and kale. When adding your fresh tortellini, be mindful not to overcook them. Fresh tortellini cooks up quickly, and the little bundles of cheesy pasta bulk up more the longer they sit in the broth. If you let them cook too long, there’s a greater tendency for them to break down. If you use dried tortellini in your soup, allow for at least 30 minutes extra cooking time.
Instant Pot Option
I’ve made this soup in my regular slow cooker before, but now that I have my Instant Pot, I’ll be saving my old slow cooker to use just for bigger batch cooking.
To make this Italian sausage and tortellini soup in an Instant Pot, brown the meat and aromatics directly in the Instant Pot on the sauté function and then cook the soup using the slow cooker function.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1 onion , diced
- 2 stalks celery , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup sherry or dry white wine
- 2 carrots , diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Basil Herb Grinder
- 1 teaspoon McCormick Oregano Herb Grinder
- ½ teaspoon McCormick Parsley Herb Grinder
- 3 cups chopped lacinato , dinosaur kale, stems removed
- 1 pound fresh 3-cheese tortellini
- Grated Parmesan cheese , for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the sausage. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook stirring occasionally until browned.1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
- Sauté the aromatics. Add the onion and celery and cook for 3-4 minutes then stir in the minced garlic, season with the kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes.1 onion, 2 stalks celery, 4 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Deglaze with white wine. Add the sherry or white wine and scrape up any fond or bits on the bottom of the pan, cooking until it evaporates.⅓ cup sherry or dry white wine
- Slow cook on low for 3 hours. Transfer the sausage and vegetables to the insert of the slow cooker. Add the carrots, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth. Grind in the basil, oregano and parsley and stir. Cover with the lid and set the cooker to low and cook for 3 hours.2 carrots, 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, 8 cups chicken stock, 1 teaspoon McCormick Basil Herb Grinder, 1 teaspoon McCormick Oregano Herb Grinder, ½ teaspoon McCormick Parsley Herb Grinder
- Add the tortellini and the kale. Then cook for another 30 minutes.3 cups chopped lacinato, 1 pound fresh 3-cheese tortellini
- Garnish and serve. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.Grated Parmesan cheese
Notes
Nutrition
Sides That Make This a Meal
More Slow Cooker Soups You Need to Make
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This post was in partnership with McCormick. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
John
I’ve made this delicious soup many times! My only suggestion is to cook the carrots with the onion and celery before putting it into the slow cooker. The carrots will not soften in three hours on low unless you precook them.
Thanks for the tip John! Glad you enjoyed it.
Erica S
Wow. This is a new favorite. I had four people at the lunch table commenting on how good this looked when I was eating it. Thanks for this fantastic recipe and clear instructions!
Glad everyone enjoyed Erica!
Erica
Wow. This is a new favorite. I had four people at the lunch table commenting on how good this looked when I was eating it. Thanks for this fantastic recipe and clear instructions!
Glad everyone enjoyed Erica!
Kelsey
Can I sub frozen tortellini for fresh? 3 lbs of Fresh is so expensive ! If so when should I add the frozen?
Yes you can use frozen tortellini, you can add it in at the same time as fresh :)
Joan Hnatyshyn
Loved this soup! I made it on the stove top which didn’t take long, and used spinach as I hate kale and threw in the Parmesan rind after grating the end of the cheese. I like brothy soups rather than thick, dense ones so this was perfect. Luckily I had half a day-old rosemary foccacia bread, perfect for dipping!. Thanks, my husband and I both enjoyed this very much.
Hayley
We’re so glad you loved the soup Joan, and the rosemary focaccia sounds heavenly!
Phyllis
Since it’s only, my husband and myself, I would like to cut the recipe in half and cook on the cook top. OK??
Hayley
Hi Phyllis! Yes, that would totally be fine. We hope you and your husband enjoy!
Steven Quagliano
Delicious and easy to make! I don’t see the reason for the slow cooker though. I just made it in a stock pot. Simmered for 1 hour, and added the pasta in the last 15 minutes. Quick, easy, and delicious!
Hayley
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Steven—we appreciate you giving this a try!
Rosemary Klungle
The best soup I have ever made! Used sweet red wine sausage from the butcher, chicken stock and white wine. Followed directions exactly-even the kale! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed!
Tami
This was absolutely fantastic. I love crockpot meals. The instructions were so easy to follow.
I’m glad you liked it Tami!
Lauren
This is my go-to recipe for the day we have guests coming, whether for Thanksgiving, Christmas or other weekends because it is a crowd pleaser and is SO EASY in the instant pot. Literally everyone loves it, and it’s ready to go whenever you are! Instant pot keeps it warm and delicious! After eating this, my brother-in-law even said, “you need to teach my wife how to cook.”
I follow Nancy’s direction (in comments) for Instant Pot and it’s great every time.
Lucy
This is one of my favorite Foodie Crush soups! I make it often :) I just follow her instructions :)
Suzanne Kyker
This was so delicious. I used fresh basil and parsley, and completely forgot the oregano. I also added about a tablespoon of tomato paste and threw in a Parmesan rind. Thank you for this great recipe, this will be on rotation in our home!
I’m so glad to hear you liked it Suzanne! Great idea on adding the Parm rind to add a little richness and salty. Thanks for the rating and comment!!
Shannon
If using dried tortellini, would I add it at the beginning and cook for an additional 30 minutes or add it at the end, cook 30 minutes then add the kale and cook an additional 30?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
I would add it in the beginning!
Dawn
Just tried this recipe, but made it vegetarian and it was absolutely amazing!! My husband said I should sell it haha…we used Beyond Meat Italian sausage (vegetarian) and veggie boullion instead of chicken stock! Everything else we followed the recipe :)
Stephanie
Should the tortellini be thaw or frozen?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
It can be put in while frozen :)
Karen
Instructions are not clear with IP. Cook on soup setting – low, normal, high? How long?
Ingredients don’t even list carrots and then there’s throw the carrots in the direction.
Mara
Can I add sweet potato to this? If so what step?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
That would be great! I would add them with the rest of the vegetables.
Ami
Does anyone happen to have the calorie count on this recipe? Thank you!
Josette
I don’t know but would also like that info… although I’m guessing I wouldn’t like the answer!
Vittoria
Can I use spinach instead of Kale?