Description
Hearty crockpot tortellini soup with sausage delivers comfort in a bowl, blending Italian-inspired flavors with simple slow cooker magic. Cheesy pasta, savory sausage, and tender vegetables promise a soul-warming meal you’ll crave on chilly evenings.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 16 ounces (454 grams) Italian sausage
- 2 (9 ounce) (255 grams) packages refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- 1 (28 ounce) (794 grams) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14 ounce) (397 grams) can diced tomatoes (with juices)
- 4 cups (946 milliliters) chicken broth
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 1/2 medium onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 medium carrots (sliced or chopped)
- 2 sticks celery (chopped finely)
Finishing Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (177 milliliters) heavy/whipping cream (optional)
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, sauté sausage and onions for 7-8 minutes, breaking meat into crumbles and achieving golden caramelization for enhanced flavor profile.
- Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then transfer entire mixture to crockpot without burning aromatics.
- Incorporate chopped carrots, celery, canned tomatoes, and chicken broth into crockpot. Select cooking time: low setting for 7-8 hours or high setting for 4-5 hours depending on available preparation time.
- Thirty minutes before serving, introduce tortellini, heavy cream, and baby spinach into the soup. Continue cooking until pasta reaches tender consistency and spinach wilts completely.
- Conduct final seasoning assessment, adjusting salt and pepper to elevate overall taste experience. Stir gently to distribute ingredients evenly and ensure harmonious flavor integration.
Notes
- Enhance sausage flavor by ensuring proper browning, creating a rich, caramelized base that elevates the entire soup’s depth and complexity.
- Chop vegetables uniformly for consistent cooking and texture, allowing carrots and celery to soften perfectly throughout the slow-cooking process.
- Prevent dairy curdling by adding cream and tortellini towards the end of cooking, maintaining a smooth, creamy consistency without separating.
- Customize the soup for dietary needs by substituting chicken sausage for lower-fat options, using gluten-free tortellini, or replacing cream with coconut milk for dairy-free variations.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours (on low) or 4 hours (on high)
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg