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Tuscan Sausage, Kale and Tortellini Soup

Cook Time:
45 mins
Prep Time:
15 mins
Servings:
8
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Chef notes

Cold weather can only mean one thing: it’s officially soup season. The joy of soup is that it's truly a blank slate meal of endless possibilities. Any vegetable, grain and protein can get added to soup with the right stock and aromatics. While we’re equal opportunity soup lovers, this hearty, protein-packed version is a real crowd pleaser. With sausage, tortellini and kale for some green, what’s not to love?

Hot Italian sausage does the heavy lifting here in terms of flavor. Start by cooking the sausage in a large pot. Once browned, remove the sausage and add in the alliums. Don’t worry –the sausage will come back into play at the end, but you don’t want to risk overcooking it. A good glug of wine imparts a real depth of flavor while also deglazing the pan. Make sure to scrape up any brown bits that may have stuck to the bottom –that’s where all the flavor is. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and herbs and simmer the soup. 

Once simmered, add the kale and tortellini and cook directly in the soup. Tortellini cooks quickly, only taking a few minutes, so make sure not to overcook them. 

Get Ingredients: If you don’t have everything you need on hand, you can easily purchase all of the ingredients (just click the orange button below that says ‘Get Ingredients’). You can pick and choose exactly what ingredients you need based on what’s in your pantry and they’ll be on your doorstep before you know it. 

Technique Tip: If you’re making this soup for a crowd, you can make it up until the point that you add the kale and tortellini. Right before serving, heat up the soup and add the remaining ingredients so that they’re fresh for serving. No one wants soggy tortellini! 

Swap Option: If hot Italian assuage is too hot for you, swap in sweet Italian. You’ll still get those classic flavors without the heat.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
  • olive oil, as needed
  • 1 cup yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 5 vine ripened tomatoes or 6 plum tomatoes, diced
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup carrots, diced (about 2 small carrots)
  • 10 fresh basil leaves, plus more to garnish
  • 1 teaspoon dry oregano
  • 2 cups lacinato kale, chopped and packed full
  • 8 ounces fresh cheese tortellini pasta
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Fulfilled by

Preparation

1.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat. Once browned and cooked through, remove sausage crumbles to a plate using a slotting spoon, reserving leftover oil in the pot. 

2.

In the same pot, add onions and garlic and sauté until soft and tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add more olive oil if there isn't enough reserved oil from the Italian sausage. 

3.

Add wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits. Cook for an additional 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by about a quarter. 

4.

Add tomatoes and cook down, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Add oregano and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, carrots, basil and sausage and bring to a boil. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary.

5.

Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook partially covered for 30 minutes.

6.

Remove lid and skim the fat from the top of the soup with a spoon and discard. 

7.

Add the chopped kale and allow to wilt into the broth. When the soup is done, add the tortellini and cook according to package instructions, about 5 minutes. Season with more salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and stir well.

8.

Remove from the heat, portion the soup into bowls. Garnish with extra basil if desired.