With the weather starting to cool I have been thinking about soups more often and this butternut squash soup with sausage and tortellini is hitting the spot! This soup starts off with broth seasoned with onions, garlic, thyme, sage, add a hint of cinnamon along with the butternut and apple that’s simmered before pureeing until it’s smooth. Fresh tortellini is cooked right in the broth before adding cream and parmesan. I like to add some spinach but it can be omitted or replaced with kale. (I normally make this soup with butternut squash, but it can be made with cubed pumpkin or kabocha, and you could speed things up by using canned pureed pumpkin and applesauce instead of simmering and pureeing.)
Butternut Sausage Tortellini Soup
A warming butternut squash and apple tortellini soup with sausage, spinach and parmesan!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (omit for vegetarian)
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme)
- 2 tablespoons sage, thinly sliced (or 1 teaspoon dry sage)
- 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 1 pound butternut squash, cubed*
- 1 large apple (or pear), peeled, cored and diced
- 1 pinch cinnamon (optional)
- 1 pound cheese tortellini (gluten free for gluten free)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (or coconut milk)
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
- 4 ounces baby spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook, breaking it apart as it cooks, until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes, before setting aside.
- Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, and sage, and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, butternut, apple, and cinnamon, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes, before pureeing with a stick blender or in a blender or food processor.
- Add the tortellini and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the cream and cheese, mix and cook until the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes.
- Mix in the baby spinach and let it wilt before mixing in the sausage.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Option: Add 1 cup celery, diced, along with the onions.
Option: Add 1 cup red bell pepper, diced, along with the onions.
Option: Add 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds along with the garlic and red pepper flakes.
Option: Add 2 roasted red peppers to be pureed into the soup.
Option: Add 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes to be pureed into the soup.
Note: *The average butternut squash in stores here are around 1.5 – 4 pounds so you will not need a whole one; peel it, seed it and dice it before measuring the 1 pound. You can also use frozen butternut squash!
Option: Use cubed pumpkin or kabocha instead of butternut!
Option: Use 2 cups pumpkin puree (or 1 15 ounce can) instead of the butternut squash.
Option: Use 1 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of the apple.
Option: Instead of cinnamon use nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice.
Option: Replace the parmesan with pecorino or asiago.
Option: Replace the parmesan with chevre (goat cheese), or a mild blue cheese.
Option: Replace the sage with rosemary, or thyme or use a combination of herbs.
Option: Season with 1-2 tablespoons cajun seasoning for a cajun twist!
Option: Garnish with brown butter crispy fried sage!
Option: Garnish with toasted chopped walnuts!
Option: Garnish with pepitas!
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Kathleen Flynn says
When do you add the chicken stock?
kevin says
Add the broth in step 4 with the cubed butternut. (recipe updated.)
Lynn Elias says
Made this soup today. It is excellent, with great depth of flavour and a nice texture. I used pumpkin that I had in my freezer, instead of the squash. I do not like fennel, so with the advice of my butcher, I used a northern Italian sausage that doesn’t have fennel, unlike most Italian sausage. I added celery and carrot, and nutmeg instead of cinnamon, as per the suggested options. I am going to enjoy this all week for lunch!
Jen says
Made this for dinner tonight. SO GOOD!!
Luisa says
So very GOOD!
I roasted the butternut and also did some extra in small 1/3 “ dice for garnish.
I also decided to make my own smaller 3 cheese tortellini. Excellent but it makes a Lot more work, so I wouldn’t recommend unless you like doing that.
Making more in a few days.