This easy Instant Pot sausage tortellini soup is packed with a rich, creamy texture and filled with spicy Italian sausage, diced tomatoes, and tortellini cooked to perfection. In less than 30 minutes, our easy, tasty recipe will be on your table- from start to finish! Check out our other Instant Pot recipes, including our 7 Easy Instant Pot Freezer Meals and our Creamy Instant Pot Butter Chicken.
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This dump-and-go soup makes it onto our meal plan at least twice a month! During the winter, let’s just say we make it an unhealthy amount! Seriously, it is so hard to resist its perfect texture and amazing flavor. My husband says this is hands down his favorite meal that I make.
Surprisingly, the best thing about this recipe is that it is so versatile! It is quick enough for a fast weekday meal. It’s fancy enough that we made it for our anniversary and served it with some toasted garlic bread. For a reunion, I’ve even tripled this recipe (in multiple pots) to feed everyone and so many people went back for more and asked for the recipe. It’s a winner!
Instant Pot
I made this Instant Pot sausage tortellini soup using my Instant Pot Duo Mini, which holds 3 quarts!** This recipe could easily be made in a 6-quart Instant Pot or bigger. With a bigger pot, you could also add more water and heavy cream if you would like to “stretch the soup” to make more servings.
*For stove-top direction, scroll to the bottom of the post!
**In the 3-qt, the soup may come close to the fill line. I have never had this problem (see pictures below), but others have found it to fit more successfully in a 6-qt Instant Pot! If you’re adding any extra ingredients, definitely go with the 6-qt!
Substitutions
Italian sausage: Can be substituted for spicy or mild sausage. Personally, I tend to prefer pork sausage because of the fattiness and flavor it adds, but it also tasted great with turkey sausage. My sister has even replaced it with chicken, and she said it turned out great!
Heavy cream: Can be substituted for half-and-half or milk. It does take away from the creaminess, but the flavors are still great and it reduces the calorie count. To increase the creaminess, I would recommend adding a few tablespoons of low-fat cream cheese to either of these options. Leaving it out completely is also an option, or using dairy-free alternatives!
Baby spinach: I used kale the first time I made this and it was a great substitution! For leftovers, it holds up great over time, due to its sturdier nature.
Seasonings: Oregano can be exchanged for basic Italian seasoning or dried parsley. You can leave out the crushed red pepper if you prefer less spice.
Tortellini: For me, I prefer frozen for ease of meal planning, but you can use fresh tortellini as well. Alternatively, you could also sub it out for another type of pasta, but make sure to adjust your cooking times and add more cheese on top to replace the missing filling! To make it gluten-free, you can use gluten-free pasta, small, cubed potatoes, or just leave it out altogether.
Diced tomatoes: For a more “natural” flavor, you can use fresh tomatoes, but I didn’t think they cooked down well enough for my taste. The canned ones came out to be the right texture each time.
Chicken bouillon and water: You can substitute this with chicken stock. Instead of the cubes, use a 14 oz can of chicken broth and use only 1 1/2 cups of water.
Storing the Sausage Tortellini Soup
Our Instant Pot sausage tortellini soup is great in the fridge for up to 3 days. When reheating, just add a dash of heavy cream or half-and-half before reheating to bring it back to desired consistency.
If you’re planning to freeze the soup for meal prep, follow the same directions, but leave out the tortellini and pressure cooking. When ready to prepare the soup, defrost it, add the tortellini, and then pressure cook for 2 minutes.
Ingredients
1 package frozen tortellini (19 oz)
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 small onion (chopped)
1.5 Tbsp minced garlic
14 oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cube chicken bouillon
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 1/2 cups baby spinach
Seasonings
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Sausage Tortellini Soup Directions
Turn Instant Pot to Saute and (if desired) grease pot with cooking oil. Add ground Italian sausage. Brown sausage completely and break up into small pieces.
Add in onions and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute.
Pour in the can of diced tomatoes. Scrape bottom of Instant Pot to remove any brown bits stuck to the bottom.
Add in tomato paste, bouillon, water, and all of the seasonings. Give everything a good stir! Place the tortellini in the pot and press down until the pasta has been submerged under the liquid. (If it floats back up, that’s okay!)
Seal the lid, making sure to turn the vent off. Cancel saute and cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes.
When finished, perform a quick release. Add in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Stir. Add the baby spinach and stir completely. Leave for 2 minutes. Serve!
Creamy Instant Pot Tortellini and Sausage Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot Dup Mini (3 qt) or larger- see above for link
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen tortellini (19 oz)
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 1.5 Tbsp garlic (minced)
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cube chicken bouillon
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 1/2 cups baby spinach
Seasonings
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to Saute and grease pot with cooking oil.
- Add ground Italian sausage. Brown sausage completely and break up into small pieces.
- Add in onions and garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
- Pour in the can of diced tomatoes. Scrape bottom of Instant Pot to remove any brown bits stuck to the bottom.
- Add in tomato paste, bouillon, water, and all of the seasonings. Give everything a good stir.
- Place the tortellini in the pot and press down until the pasta has been submerged under the liquid.
- Seal the lid, making sure to turn the vent off. Cancel saute and cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes. When finished, perform a quick release.
- Add in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Stir. Add the baby spinach and stir completely. Leave for 2 minutes. Serve!
Due to a large number of requests for this tortellini sausage soup recipe to be converted into a stovetop recipe, we experimented until we got it just right! Make sure to add more water as needed, since you will not be pressure cooking it and the steam will thicken the soup.
Stovetop Instructions
Stovetop Sausage Tortellini Soup
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen tortellini (19 oz)
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 1.5 Tbsp garlic (minced)
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cube chicken bouillon
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 1/2 cups baby spinach
Seasonings
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a soup pot on the stove and grease with cooking oil.
- Add ground Italian sausage. Brown sausage completely and break up into small pieces. Add in onions and garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
- Pour in the can of diced tomatoes. Scrape bottom of pot to remove any brown bits stuck to the bottom.
- Add in tomato paste, bouillon, water, and all of the seasonings. Stir completely. Bring to a simmer, cover with lid, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and place the tortellini in the pot. Press down until the pasta has been submerged under the liquid. Continue to simmer with lid on for 10 minutes. Ensure tortellini has been cooked thoroughly.
- Add in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Stir. Add the baby spinach and stir completely. Take off heat and let sit for 2 minutes before serving.
FAQs
Can I make this soup gluten-free/dairy-free/vegetarian, etc.? Absolutely! See our substitution section above to see substitutions for each ingredient!
How would I change the timing for gluten-free or another type of pasta? As each type of pasta varies, I would do a quick Google search for how long to cook your particular pasta. Luckily, the other ingredients in the soup are fully cooked, so I would adjust the cooking time according to your pasta’s specifications.
Can I double this recipe? Definitely! You can double every ingredient. Just make sure to adjust your pot size accordingly. You cannot double this recipe in a 3qt Instant Pot!
Is this recipe difficult? Not at all! My 9- and 11-year-old niece and nephew made this soup by themselves! It’s a dump-and-go recipe, which means you can be doing a million other things while this dinner cooks itself!
How many people does this serve? This recipe makes 6 generous servings and can feed up to 8 people, depending on the size of your bowl. My husband and I usually have enough leftovers for at least 2 more meals.
Can I make a healthier version of this soup? For sure! See our substitutions section above for ideas on how to make this soup lower-calorie and healthier!
Can I make this into a freezer meal? Definitely!
1) Saute the onions and cook the sausage thoroughly
2) Combine all of the ingredients (including frozen tortellini) in a freezer bag/container. *Leave out the spinach, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese
3) Thaw before throwing into the Instant Pot and then cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes, then add the spinach, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. *These ingredients don’t hold up well after cooking for a long time, and I don’t think that they would stay as fresh in the freezer.
What other recipes do you recommend? I make this White Bean Chicken Chili weekly! I also love my Instant Pot Butter Chicken and Olive Garden Potato Soup copycat recipe.
This was the best instant pot recipe I’ve made! Only substitution was evaporated milk for the heavy cream. Incredible! Can’t wait to eat it for leftovers tomorrow s.
I’m so glad you loved it! This is definitely my favorite as well. I am a huge fan of the leftovers too. Feel free to check out our other Instant Pot recipes!
Rhis was so good!!! 5 Star. One question:It isn’t really 1200 calories per serving, right?
Tried this recipe last night for dinner and it was a hit! I followed the recipe exactly except I bought the wrong amount of tortellini. I got 9oz instead of 19oz lol. Good thing it’s just me and my Wife. The soup is still plenty hearty with the amount of Italian sausage in it. I used hot sausage and it gave this a nice kick.
Will make it again.
We’re so glad you love it!! Feel free to check out our other recipes 🙂
Can this be used as a freezer meal? Would it work out ok?
Hi Dayna!
I think this would absolutely work as a freezer meal! If I were doing it, I would
1) Saute the onions and cook the sausage thoroughly
2) Combine all of the ingredients (including frozen tortellini) in a freezer bag/container. *Leave out the spinach, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese
3) Thaw before throwing into the Instant Pot and then cook on High Pressure for 2 minutes, then add the spinach, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. *These ingredients don’t hold up well after cooking for a long time, and I don’t think that they would stay as fresh in the freezer.
Hope this helps! Let us know if it works out! 🙂
-Makayla, This Blue Dress
Delicious! I knocked off a star bc it definitely didn’t fit in my 3qt IP. It was just below the max fill line BEFORE adding the bag of tortellini. I ended up pouring it all into a pot and simmered on the stove to finish instead. I must’ve checked the ingredients list 10x trying to figure out if I read some measurements wrong. Nope. All correct. Next time I’ll make sure to use my 6qt.
Super yummy though, will definitely be making it again!
Hi Chelly,
Thanks for the review! I am so sorry that it didn’t work in the 3qt! I’ve made it many times and never had a problem with it fitting. But I will definitely update the recipe so no one ever has that problem again.
Thank you!
<3 Makayla
This is a winner! I had rotini noodles so I used them instead but I added 2 more cups of water. Also I added potatoes and Brussels sprouts as I needed to use them up. I’ve made this 3 times.
One question, I need to figure out the calories for the original recipe please.
I’m so glad you like it! I bet those substitutions tasted wonderful. Let me add those calories for you! <3
What are the calories per serving? Ty!
Have made this twice now with kale instead of spinach, and it has been a hit both times. I substituted coconut milk for the heavy cream the second time and you could hardly tell the difference. Two thumbs up from us!
Yay! I’m so glad! That is awesome about the coconut milk, it sounds amazing. I’ll have to try that next!
Could you just use chicken broth instead of the water and boullion cube?
Absolutely! I use chicken broth all the time and it turns out great! We have a substitution section for any other substitutions that we have tried out. Good luck!
Does the cooking time change with fresh tortellini?
Yes it does! As each type of pasta varies, I would do a quick google search for how long to cook your particular pasta. Luckily, the other ingredients in the soup are fully cooked, so I would adjust the cooking time according to your pasta’s specifications. Hope this helps! <3