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Bowl of Italian sausage, kale and tortellini soup on a wooden plate, side view

Italian sausage, kale and tortellini soup

Prep 5 min Cook 20 min Total 25 min Servings 4

By Lukasz Jagiello

Published Oct 11, 2026 · Updated Oct 11, 2026

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About this recipe

I only post recipes that I have tried and verified and are good to my taste — all taste may vary.

Most of the flavour here comes from browning the sausage hard at the start. The dark layer it leaves on the bottom of the pot lifts into the tomatoes and broth and gives a 25-minute soup a deep base. The tortellini cooks in its own pot so it stays firm and leaves the broth alone, and the kale goes in after the heat is off so it wilts without turning dull.

Techniques in this recipe

Ingredients

Method

  1. 01

    Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil for the tortellini.

  2. 02

    Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown it hard, breaking it up as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Let it sit between stirs so it browns and leaves a dark layer on the bottom of the pot. That layer is where the flavour of the soup comes from.

  3. 03

    Add the diced onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

  4. 04

    Add the tomatoes with their juice and 6 cups chicken broth. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, then simmer 10 minutes.

  5. 05

    While the soup simmers, boil the tortellini in the salted water for 2 1/2 minutes, 30 seconds short of the 3-minute package time, then drain. Cooked on the side, it stays firm and does not drink up the broth.

  6. 06

    Add the tortellini to the soup and simmer about 1 minute, until cooked through.

  7. 07

    Take the pot off the heat and stir in the kale. Let it wilt for 3 to 4 minutes. Off the heat it softens but stays bright green.

  8. 08

    Season with salt and pepper to taste, ladle into bowls and top with grated Parmesan.

Notes & swaps

  • Brown the sausage hard. Give it time in the pot without stirring so it colours deeply and leaves a dark layer behind. Scraping that up into the tomatoes and broth is what gives the soup its depth.
  • Cook the tortellini in its own pot. Cooked in the soup, it soaks up broth, swells, and goes soft, and leftovers turn into a stew.
  • Pull the tortellini 30 seconds before the package time. It finishes in the hot soup.
  • Add the kale off the heat. The heat left in the pot wilts it in 3 to 4 minutes and it stays bright green instead of going dull.
  • Season at the end. Sausage, broth and Parmesan all bring salt, so taste before you add any.
  • Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens' Sausage and Tortellini Soup.

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