Tortellini Minestrone Soup with Sausage

Soup season is one of the best seasons and for good reason — there are so many delicious soups, stews, and chilis to make. One of my go-to’s is this Tortellini Minestrone Soup with Sausage.

This easy soup recipe is a family favorite that we make multiple times a year from September to April. Cozy up with a pot of this bubbling soup chock full of fall harvest veggies!

Why Make This Tortellini Soup Recipe?

It’s delicious! You really can’t make this wrong. You can take liberties with which vegetables, pasta, or protein you use, and it’s always super tasty!

A great pantry/freezer recipe – It makes use of lots of vegetables (frozen green beans are easy to keep on hand!) as well as Italian spices, but the best parts are the spicy sausage chunks and the cheesy tortellini. It’s a stick-to-yer-ribs kind of meal. 

Great for feeding a crowd. This minestrone soup recipe feeds a lot of people. It’s super filling as written, but can easily be stretched by adding vegetable stock and more beans and veggies. You just may need more than one pot or Dutch oven.

Fun fact: This recipe is one of Bryan’s very favorites; I’ve been making it since we were newlyweds living in 200-square feet. Many a Sunday afternoon found me stirring up a big pot of this Minestrone Soup to share with friends after soup. My version is adapted from a vintage Silver Palate Cookbook.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Tortellini Minestrone Soup:

olive oil – It doesn’t need to be extra virgin olive oil, and you can even use a neutral cooking oil, but olive adds nice flavor.

onion – You’ll need one chopped onion. In a pinch you can add dried onion flakes when you add the broth, but fresh onion really makes a difference.

carrots – Carrots add a subtle sweetness to the pot and they’re a cheap vegetable, so why not?

potatoes – I like using russets but you can use red potatoes as well. If you have frozen stew vegetables, that’s an easy swap.

zucchini – Italian squash always makes the minestrone feel more authentic.

bell pepper – You can use any color pepper, but I usually have red pepper on hand

broth or stock – I like the heartiness of beef broth, but you can use chicken, vegetable, or the drippings from a roast dinner if you like.

tomato sauce – One cup of tomato sauce is all you need, but you can sub pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce or even dilute a tablespoon tomato paste in water as a subsitute.

canned tomatoes – I like using petite diced tomatoes, but you can use whatever you typically use in recipes.

beans – I like to use garbanzo beans but you can also use canned kidney beans if you prefer

herbs and spices – You’ll need dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and black pepper. You can substitute fresh herbs or a dried Italian herb blend if that’s what you have

green beans – I like to use frozen green beans, but you can use fresh or canned as well.

tortellini – I prefer fresh cheese tortellini, but you can use frozen or dried noodles or you can even use small pasta instead.

Italian sausage – I love to use hot Italian sausage in this minestrone since it has so much flavor. The garlic is usually already included, too. If you already have cooked sausages leftover from another meal, skip the saute step and add them to the pot with the broth.

toppings for serving – Parmesan cheese is a nice topping, but you can also add croutons or a swirl of pesto or basil sauce.

Additional vegetables – As I mentioned, this recipe is very forgiving, feel free to add a few cups of chopped spinach or kale when you add the green beans. You can also incorporate chopped mushrooms, celery, or butternut squash in the saute step.

Instructions

• Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the sausages on all sides and then remove them from the pot. Add the onion and sauté 10-15 minutes in the drippings. Stir in the carrots and sauté 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, zucchini, and pepper, sautéing 2-3 minutes.
• Add the broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes, beans, and herbs. Heat to boiling.
• Return the sausages to the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, over low heat from 30 minutes to 3 hours.

• Remove the cooked sausages from the pot and slice on a cutting board. Stir them back into the soup. Taste and adjust seasonings. Salt and pepper to taste.
• 15 minutes before serving, bring to a low boil and stir in the frozen green beans and pasta. Simmer vigorously until the pasta is completely cooked. 
• Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Make Ahead Instructions

If you’re making this in advance, hold off on adding the tortellini. They will absorb liquid until they get soggy and mushy. No bene.

This soup recipe makes a big pot, so you may have leftovers. Plan accordingly and do one of two things:

1. cook the tortellini separately and add them to each bowl individually…. or
2. remove your anticipated leftover soup prior to adding the pasta to the pot. The soup is great with or without pasta. You can add more noodles when you serve the second half.

Crockpot Instructions

There’s also a crockpot option: Saute the sausages and vegetables in a frying pan as recipe directs, and then combine all ingredients, except the noodles and green beans, in the crockpot. Turn pot to low and allow to simmer during the day. Twenty minutes before serving time, adjust seasonings, turn heat to high and add pasta and green beans. Leaving the cover off also allows soup to thicken slightly.

Notes

Serving Suggestions: I consider this a one-dish dinner, served with garlic bread or rolls. However, if you like, you can include it as a side dish to sandwiches or salad.

How to Make a Meal Prep: This minestrone soup makes a great easy lunch! If making more than a day in advance, consider cooking and storing the pasta separately, refrigerating until ready to serve. Then add the noodles to the soup and enjoy!

Make a Plan for Leftovers: Leftover soup is good for up to 4 days in the fridge. If you store leftovers in clear air-tight containers you’re more likely to notice them and make sure they get eaten. If you don’t want the noodles to bloat too much, freeze the soup as soon as it’s chilled.

Freeze Extras for Later: chill the soup completely before storing in airtight containers in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Buon appetito!