Pumpkin Tortellini Soup with Sausage (Printable)

Cozy autumn soup with pumpkin, chicken sausage, cheesy tortellini, and kale in a creamy broth.

# What you'll need:

→ Produce

01 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 cups pumpkin puree
05 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
06 - 4 cups chopped kale, stems removed
07 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

→ Meats

08 - 12 ounces chicken sausage, sliced into ½-inch rounds

→ Pasta

09 - 9 ounces cheese tortellini, fresh or refrigerated

→ Dairy

10 - ½ cup heavy cream

→ Seasonings

11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
14 - Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

→ Garnish

15 - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
16 - Chopped fresh parsley, optional

# How-To Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and carrot; sauté 4-5 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and sliced chicken sausage; cook 3-4 minutes until sausage is lightly browned.
02 - Stir in pumpkin puree, chicken broth, dried thyme, ground nutmeg, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer.
03 - Add chopped kale and cheese tortellini; simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes until tortellini are tender and kale is wilted.
04 - Lower heat and stir in heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes as desired.
05 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in less than an hour but tastes like you've been simmering it all day.
  • The combination of creamy pumpkin, savory sausage, and chewy tortellini hits every texture and flavor note your body's craving when the weather turns cold.
  • You can stretch it easily to feed more people or keep leftovers that actually improve the next day.
02 -
  • Don't add the cream until the very end and keep the heat low, because if that cream boils it will break and separate into an oily, grainy mess that looks unappetizing even though it still tastes okay.
  • Fresh tortellini cooks much faster than frozen, so if you're using frozen, add it five minutes before you add the kale so everything finishes at the same time.
03 -
  • Buy fresh tortellini from the refrigerated section rather than the box; they cook in minutes and taste infinitely better than the dried version.
  • Don't be shy with the nutmeg even though it seems like a small amount, because it's what transforms this from a nice soup into something people will actually remember and ask you to make again.
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