Pumpkin Tortellini Soup with Sausage (Printer-friendly)

Creamy pumpkin soup with cheese tortellini, chicken sausage, and kale. Cozy autumn comfort in one hearty bowl.

# 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

→ Proteins

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

→ Pasta

09 - 9 ounces cheese tortellini, fresh or refrigerated

→ Dairy

10 - 1/2 cup heavy cream

→ Seasonings

11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1/2 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 Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and carrot, sautéing for 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Add minced garlic and sliced chicken sausage to the pot, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes until sausage develops light browning.
03 - Stir in pumpkin puree, chicken broth, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer.
04 - Add kale and tortellini to the pot, simmering uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes until tortellini reaches tender consistency and kale wilts completely.
05 - Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes as desired.
06 - Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means weeknight dinner without the stress or takeout order.
  • The sweetness of pumpkin plays beautifully against savory sausage, creating layers of flavor that taste far more complicated than they actually are.
  • One pot means one pot to clean, and honestly, that alone makes this recipe worth keeping around.
02 -
  • Don't skip browning the sausage first; that caramelized flavor is what keeps this soup from tasting like plain pumpkin puree with stuff thrown in.
  • The kale amount looks ridiculous when raw, but it wilts down to almost nothing and adds a bitterness that balances the sweetness of the pumpkin in a way that feels almost essential.
03 -
  • Buy refrigerated or fresh tortellini instead of dried; they cook faster and absorb the broth better, creating a more cohesive soup instead of separate components in a bowl.
  • Slice your sausage into half-inch rounds rather than crumbling it, so you get distinct bites of savory meat throughout each spoonful instead of it disappearing into the broth.
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