Butternut Sausage Tortellini Soup (Printable Version)
Creamy butternut squash soup with Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, and a sage-infused cream swirl.
# What You Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lbs), peeled and cubed
02 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
05 - 2 stalks celery, sliced
→ Meats
06 - 14 oz Italian sausage (mild or spicy), casings removed
→ Pasta
07 - 10 oz cheese tortellini (fresh or refrigerated)
→ Liquids
08 - 6 cups chicken broth
09 - 2/3 cup heavy cream
→ Herbs and Spices
10 - 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped (divided use)
11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
14 - 2 tbsp olive oil
→ Sage Cheese Swirl
15 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
16 - 2 oz ricotta cheese
17 - 2 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
18 - 1 tbsp milk
19 - Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
# How To Make It:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, and cook until thoroughly browned. Transfer the sausage to a plate using a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
02 - Add the diced onion, sliced carrots, and sliced celery to the pot. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in the cubed butternut squash, dried thyme, ground nutmeg, and half of the chopped fresh sage. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
04 - Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes, or until the butternut squash is fork-tender.
05 - Use an immersion blender to partially or fully purée the soup to your preferred consistency. For a chunkier texture, blend only half of the soup. For a silkier result, purée the entire base.
06 - Return the browned sausage to the pot. Stir in the cheese tortellini and simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes, until the tortellini are cooked through and tender.
07 - Pour in the heavy cream and add the remaining fresh sage. Heat gently without boiling. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Remove from heat.
08 - In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, ricotta cheese, finely chopped fresh sage, milk, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
09 - Ladle the hot soup into serving bowls. Add a generous spoonful of the sage cheese swirl mixture to each bowl and gently swirl it into the surface using a spoon or knife. Garnish with additional fresh sage leaves or cracked black pepper and serve immediately.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- The sage cheese swirl is the kind of trick that makes people think you spent all day cooking when it takes about ninety seconds to put together.
- Half puréeing the soup gives you the best of both worlds: silky body with tender chunks of squash still floating around.
- It reheats beautifully for lunch the next day, and somehow tastes even deeper after sitting overnight.
02 -
- If you add the tortellini too early it will bloat and fall apart, so wait until the very end and keep an eye on the timer.
- The sage cheese swirl separates if you try to stir it into boiling soup, so always add it off heat or onto individual bowls rather than the pot.
03 -
- Peel and cube the squash the night before and store it in the refrigerator to cut down on active cooking time when you are ready to make the soup.
- Save a spoonful of the rendered sausage fat before adding vegetables, then drizzle it over each finished bowl for an extra layer of flavor that makes people close their eyes when they taste it.