Description
Hearty butternut squash sausage tortellini soup combines rich Italian flavors with comforting autumn warmth. Creamy broth, tender sausage, and cheesy tortellini create a soul-satisfying meal you’ll crave on chilly evenings.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein Ingredients:
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
- 9 ounces (255 grams) cheese tortellini
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Liquids, Seasonings, and Finishing Ingredients:
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley (optional), for garnish
Instructions
- Transform ground sausage into crispy morsels by sizzling in a spacious pot with olive oil over medium-high temperature, actively breaking apart meat with a wooden utensil until golden brown and fragmented.
- Introduce finely chopped onions and minced garlic into the caramelized meat, allowing aromatics to become translucent and release their delicate fragrances.
- Stream chicken broth into the pot, escalating heat to generate a vigorous boil. Cascade cubed butternut squash along with dried thyme, ground sage, and crimson pepper flakes into the liquid.
- Reduce temperature and permit the mixture to gently simmer, enabling squash to soften and absorb surrounding flavors, approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Utilize an immersion blender to transform the rustic soup into a velvety texture, pulverizing ingredients until achieving a smooth, consistent landscape.
- Incorporate rich heavy cream, stirring gracefully to integrate luxurious dimensions into the soup’s profile.
- Introduce cheese tortellini, allowing pasta pillows to dance within the liquid and become perfectly tender, typically requiring 5-7 minutes of gentle cooking.
- Calibrate seasoning with strategic pinches of salt and cracked black pepper, tasting and adjusting to personal preference.
- Ladle the steaming soup into serving vessels, optionally adorning with delicate fresh parsley sprigs for a vibrant finishing touch.
Notes
- Transform texture by partially blending the soup, leaving chunks for varied mouthfeel and rustic appeal.
- Swap Italian sausage with plant-based alternatives for vegetarian diets, using smoked paprika to maintain deep flavor complexity.
- Reduce cream or replace with coconut milk for lighter, dairy-free version that maintains rich, creamy consistency.
- Prevent tortellini from becoming mushy by adding them in the last 5-7 minutes of cooking and selecting high-quality, fresh pasta.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch, Appetizer
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 800 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg