Sausage Tortellini Soup made in the Instant Pot is a deliciously hearty meal that is ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes. So EASY!
My hubs is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Soups, just aren’t hearty enough for him most of the time. But this one – this Tortellini Soup, is his ALL TIME favorite.
If I only made one soup for the rest of all time, this would be the one that he would ask for time and time again.
Not only is it incredibly easy to make, but it is packed full of flavor and so hearty too. You definitely won’t be feeling hungry after a bowl of this soup.
I also love it because I can keep the prep dishes to just the Instant Pot insert. No extra pots or pans. It is all made right there in the one pot, making my life easy. I know you’re going to love this easy soup recipe.
For decades I have made this Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup on the stovetop and we all love it so much. But I have to say, this sausage version in the pressure cooker is definitely my new favorite.
tortellini soup
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can this be made with ground beef?
You bet! If you would like to swap out the ground sausage with ground beef, that will work just fine. I do highly recommend the sausage though as it gives so much more flavor to the soup.
What is the best way to store leftover tortellini soup?
For me, it depends on how much is left. If I have a lot of leftovers, I will place the silicone lid on top of my non-stick pot insert and just pop it in the fridge. If I only have a few servings left, I place them in a shallow, airtight container and refrigerate.
Why use a shallow container to store the leftovers?
Well, when the container is shallow, the contents chill faster than if you were to use a large, deep container. Ideally, you don’t want it to take too long for the leftovers to get to their chilled/stored temperature.
As I mentioned, if the food remains above about 35 degrees for more than 1 hour after cooking, the bacteria starts to grow.
sausage tortellini soup
Can this be made with dry tortellini instead of frozen?
Yes, you can use dry pasta if that is what you have on hand. Keep in mind that you will need more liquid as the tortellini will need to absorb more. You want to increase the water or broth by 1 cup – 1-1/2 cups AND make sure that all of the tortellini is submerged and completely covered with liquid before cooking.
Then calculate the time by taking the time recommended on the package, divide by 2, then subtract 1. That will be your cook time. (example – calls for a cook time of 12 minutes. Divided by 2 is 6, minus 1 = 5 minutes at high pressure)
Can this be made with fresh, refrigerated tortellini?
I don’t recommend trying to make this recipe with refrigerated tortellini. The pressure cooker most likely will make them too soft. But if this is the only thing you have on hand, set the cooker for 0 (yes ZERO) cook time and do an immediate quick release of the pressure.
Can this recipe be doubled?
Unfortunately, because the tortellini expands as they cook, the Instant Pot can’t handle doubling of this recipe, so I don’t recommend it.
What size Instant Pot do you use for this recipe?
I am currently using an 8-quart pot, but this recipe can be made in the 6-quart pot too. If you have one of the smaller versions (3-quart mini), I recommend cutting this recipe in half.
tortellini sausage soup
HOW DO YOU MAKE SAUSAGE TORTELLINI SOUP IN THE INSTANT POT?
- Turn the Instant Pot on the saute setting.
- Once hot, add the sausage and cook until brown. Drain. (you can also just brown the sausage in a skillet on the stovetop if you want it to go a bit faster)
- Make sure there isn’t any burnt sausage residue on the bottom of the pot before continuing. If so, DEGLASE the pot. You can do this by using a wooden spoon to scrape it up after adding the sausage and broth – BEFORE adding the remaining ingredients.
- Add the sausage back to the pot along with the broth, tortellini, then the crushed tomatoes – IN THAT ORDER. DO NOT STIR.
- Add the basil or baby spinach (if using), garlic, onions, salt, and pepper on top of the tomatoes. Do not stir.
- Close the lid, set the valve to sealing.
- Set to manual high pressure for 1 minute.
- Allow for a 3-minute natural pressure release before doing a quick release of the remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid, stir the soup.
- Add the evaporated milk and parmesan cheese. Stir & serve.
Is it necessary to use a specific type of pressure cooker?
No, not at all. I just happen to have an Instant Pot, but pressure cookers have become so popular over the last couple years that just about every big & small appliance company makes one. This will work with them all.
creamy tortellini soup
To make Sausage Tortellini Soup you will need…
- ground sausage
- chicken broth
- frozen tortellini
- crushed tomatoes
- fresh basil or baby spinach – rough chopped – optional
- minced garlic
- minced onions
- salt
- pepper
- evaporated milk
- grated parmesan cheese
What can I substitute for the evaporated milk?
If you don’t want to use evaporated milk or don’t have any on hand, you can sub in heavy cream or half and half in this recipe. I don’t recommend using milk as it tends to curdle when added to hot recipes like soup.
I like evaporated milk because it works like heavy cream in recipes such as this, but I can keep it in the pantry for far longer than if I had a carton of heavy cream or half and half in the fridge.
recipes tortellini soup
What is “natural pressure release”?
Often, an Instant Pot recipe would call for you to release all the pressure at the end of the timed pressure cycle. However, the cooking process stops when the pressure is released.
For recipes that call for a natural pressure release, you would refrain from releasing the pressure from the unit for a set amount of time. This allows for a little extra cooking time as the pressure inside naturally goes down.
At the end of the natural pressure release cycle, you would then use the valve to release the remaining pressure and stop the cooking process.
easy tortellini soup
Instant Pot Tortellini Soup
Products I love when making Sausage Tortellini Soup…
This Instant Pot soup recipe is SUPER EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you maybe already have some of these items on hand OR maybe you have never made a soup in the pressure cooker before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love it. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this soup recipe.
- crushed tomatoes
- minced garlic
- salt
- pepper
- Instant Pot
- chicken broth
- minced onions
- evaporated milk
- grated parmesan cheese
- ladle
- wooden spoons
pressure cooker tortellini soup
If you love this Easy Tortellini Soup recipe, you’re going to love these other easy dinners too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
If you love this recipe for Sausage Tortellini Soup as much as I do, please write a five-star review, and be sure to help me share on Facebook and Pinterest!
CONNECT WITH YUMMI HAUS!
Be sure to follow me on my social media, so you never miss a post!
Sausage Tortellini Soup – Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground sausage
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups frozen tortellini
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup fresh basil or baby spinach – rough chopped – optional
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp minced onions
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- ⅔ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on the saute setting.
- Once hot, add the sausage and cook until brown. Drain. (you can also just brown the sausage in a skillet on the stovetop if you want it to go a bit faster)
- Make sure there isn’t any burnt sausage residue on the bottom of the pot before continuing. If so, DEGLASE the pot. You can do this by using a wooden spoon to scrape it up after adding the sausage and broth – BEFORE adding the remaining ingredients.
- Add the sausage back to the pot along with the broth, tortellini, then the crushed tomatoes – IN THAT ORDER. DO NOT STIR.
- Add the basil or baby spinach (if using), garlic, onions, salt, and pepper on top of the tomatoes. Do not stir.
- Close the lid, set the valve to sealing.
- Set to manual high pressure for 1 minute.
- Allow for a 3-minute natural pressure release before doing a quick release of the remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid, stir the soup.
- Add the evaporated milk and parmesan cheese. Stir & serve.
