Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Soup
5 Comments May 17, 2022
Updated Jan 17, 2024
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This slow cooker creamy tortellini soup is vegetable-packed and a simple hearty soup to make for busy weeknights. This delicious soup combines the flavors of chicken broth, vegetables, ground sausage, and refrigerated tortellini for one tasty meal.
If you are a soup lover, also try my crockpot split pea soup, or crockpot zuppa toscana.
Table of Contents
If you’re a fan of pasta, but looking to switch things up from the traditional spaghetti or macaroni, then you’ll love this tortellini soup. This ring-shaped pasta is traditionally stuffed with cheese or meat and served in a broth or other sauces (like the creamy and brothy sauce in this recipe).
This is a slow cooker soup you can start in the morning and have ready for the dinner table by the evening. The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to make. It’s basically just dumping all the ingredients in the crock pot and letting it all cook to perfection.
Ingredients
- Refrigerated Cheese Tortellini: a convenient way to add fresh stuffed pasta to any recipe. It’s a nice change from standard noodles in a soup recipe.
- Tomatoes: tomato paste and crushed tomatoes provide an acidic touch and great flavor.
- Ground Sausage: this gives the recipe a hearty and meaty touch. We love using a breakfast sausage such as Jimmy Dean Brand. You also use hot Italian sausage if desired.
- Vegetables: kale, celery, carrots, and onion are vegetables that mesh well together in the soup while offering a ton of nutrients.
- Seasonings & Spices: garlic, thyme, basil, and red pepper flakes add an Italian-like flavor you and your family (or guests) will love.
- Chicken Broth: provides a soupy base for the soup.
- Heavy Cream: makes the soup creamy and decadent.
- Other: cooking oil sauteeing and parmesan cheese for serving.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Brown and crumble the ground sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Step Two – Saute the onions and garlic using the cooking oil.
Step Three – Add the cooked ground sausage and sauteed onions and garlic, carrots, celery, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, oregano, and chicken broth to the crockpot. Cook on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 2.5 hours.
Step Four – After the first cooking time is up, add the kale, and tortellini, cooking for an additional 30 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook for 10 more minutes or until soup is hot again. When finished, serve with parmesan and red pepper flakes (optional).
Variations
- Meat variations: Consider using spicy Italian sausage if you’d like a spicier soup. You can also change up the meat altogether by using ground beef, turkey, or chicken sausage.
- Lighter: The heavy cream makes the soup creamy; however, you can leave that out and have more of a broth-like soup.
- Vegetable additions: Want more vegetables? Add fresh baby spinach, a can of diced tomatoes, or chopped broccoli florets to your crockpot creamy tortellini soup.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but we highly recommend waiting to add the heavy cream, kale, and tortellini until cook time.
Pour the remainder of the soup into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
As long as it’s the refrigerated variety, you can use it! You can use spinach (green) or even chicken-filled tortellini. This recipe has not been tested with frozen or dried tortellini.
Yes, though you’ll want to cook a little longer until the chicken is cooked through and shreddable. (about an hour longer).
More Pasta Recipe Ideas
- Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta
- Slow Cooker Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
- Slow Cooker Southwestern Cheesy Chicken Pasta
- Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken and Pasta
- Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Slow Cooker Ravioli Lasagna
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Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian sausage, such as Jimmy Dean
- 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 small white onion, diced small
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into small pieces
- 2 celery ribs, sliced into small pieces
- 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 10 oz. refrigerated style cheese tortellini, do not used dried
- 2 cups chopped kale, or 2 cups frozen (can use spinach)
- 1 cup heavy cream
For serving
- Parmesan cheese
- red chili flakes, optional for serving
Instructions
- In a skillet set over medium-high heat, brown and crumble the sausage. Now add the cooking oil and saute the onions until lightly browned. Add to the slow cooker.
- Now add the carrots, celery, tomatoes, tomato paste thyme, and basil. Pour over the chicken broth. WAIT TO ADD THE HEAVY CREAM, KALE AND TORTELINI.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 2.5 hours or LOW for 4 hours.
- After the cooking time is up, add the kale, and tortellini to the crockpot. Place the lid back on and cook for an additional 30 minutes on HIGH.
- Add the heavy cream and cook for 10 more minutes on HIGH or until soup is hot again.
- Serve with parmesan and red pepper flakes if desired.
Sarah’s Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Have made this twice and both times were excellent. I use Beyond sausage, and doubling the recipe as it is written works perfectly!
Recipe is excellent and pretty forgiving! I didnt have all the ingredients or I substituted in things for what i didn’t have the first time I made it and it still came out pretty good! About to make it a second time and the smell is pretty incredible, definitely a favorite for my wife and I!.
This was DELICIOUS and instantly became an immediate favorite in our home. My crockpot is a beast, so on high, mine came out more like a creamy pasta…it’s like a warm hug in a bowl, just soooo comforting, rich, and so yummy. Can this be doubled, if so any changes in measurements, cook time, etc?
I think doubling will work fine. May need to cook just a little longer.
I followed this recipe exactly with no changes and it was absolutely delicious. My family LOVED it. There is an error in the recipe scaled for printing as it leaves out adding the garlic to the onions when browning. I realized it after I had browned the sausage and onion so just threw the garlic in when I added the celery and onions. This is a keeper!