Sausage, Tortellini and White Bean Soup

Soup season is here and this one is perfect for feeding the family ahead of fun night of trick or treating!

Chock full of vegetables, little sausage meatballs, cheesy tortellini and cannellini beans, this soup is not only delicious but perfectly filling as well!

Sausage, Tortellini and White Bean Soup

Serves 8

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil, divided

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 onion, small dice

4 carrots, small dice

2 celery stalks, small dice

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 (28 oz) canned chopped tomatoes

2 (14 oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

8-10 cups chicken stock

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh sage

1 bay leaf

5 oz. baby spinach

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

â…“ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 lb. cheese tortellini

Preparation

  1. Remove the sausage from their casings and roll them into tiny meatballs.
  2. Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add half of the olive oil and the meatballs. Cook them until they are golden brown (they do not need to be cooked through on the inside because they will continue to cook in the soup later).
  3. While the meatballs cook, chop the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, and parsley, and bundle the rosemary and sage with twine.
  4. When the meatballs are nicely browned, transfer them to a plate and set aside.  Leave the fat from the sausage in the pan and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and cook until starting to soften. Season with one teaspoon of salt and pepper.
  5. While the vegetables are cooking, bring a pot of salted water to a boil to cook the tortellini.  Cook the tortellini, just under being done, drain them, drizzle them with the remaining olive oil, and set aside.
  6. When the vegetables in the soup pot have started to soften, add the can of chopped tomatoes, the drained cannellini beans, chicken stock, bundle of rosemary and sage, bay leaf, and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Bring it to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes.
  7. Add the meatballs to the soup and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes.
  8. Remove the herb bundle and bay leaf and taste the broth to see if it needs more salt and pepper.
  9. Add the parsley and spinach and stir to combine.
  10. To serve, add tortellini to bowls, ladle soup over, and sprinkle with a generous amount of parmigiano-reggiano.  ENJOY!

Notes:

  • The amount of salt that you season with will depend on the amount of salt in your stock or broth, so please taste as you go, and adjust as necessary.
  • You can add more sausage meatballs to the soup if you like.  Additionally, you can add more tortellini to the soup if you like – it’s all to your taste!

Hello, I’m Natalie!  I’m a professionally-trained chef, culinary instructor and recipe developer living in Ann Arbor. A career change, a trip through culinary school 20 years ago, and being a lifelong Julia Child enthusiast has led me to a career doing my very favorite thing:  making food and cooking approachable to home cooks of all ages!    

My passion for creating great food experiences and getting people excited about learning and having fun in the kitchen is always at the heart of what I do.  You can find me at NatalieMarbleCooks.com.  And on social media you can find me at @NatalieMarbleCooks.  Sign up for my bi-weekly email newsletter here, where I share family-friendly recipes, tips & tricks, new class information, and hopefully a little inspiration!

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