This Spicy Tortellini and Sausage soup is made with sauerkraut. Yes, I'm serious. No, I do not like sauerkraut. Yes, this soup is delicious. The unique sauerkraut flavor blends perfectly with the sausage and broth of this crock pot soup. Give it a try!
This recipe is not mine. I completely and totally am taking it from a friend of mine. Actually, I did change the recipe for Spicy Tortellini and Sausage Soup a little, because I wanted to have a shot at my husband liking it.
But more on that later.
My dear friend, Sarah, made this soup for us while we were having a garage sale at her house a couple of weeks ago. She was kind enough to open her prime location house on the town wide garage sale day then she made us soup as well. Gotta love friendships.
I'll be 100% honest. When I first opened the crock pot lid and saw the contents, I wasn't for sure if I would like it. However, it smelled great and I am up to try just about any soup so I gave it a try.
I ate two bowls.
Ingredients
It is, without a doubt, one of the best soups I have ever eaten. I mean, I do make a great Crock Pot Split Pea Soup with Ham and the Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup is a favorite but there was just something about the mix of flavors in this soup that made it beyond just good.
The ingredients are pretty straightforward. They are:
- 32 oz beef broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 lb ground sausage (browned)
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup spinach fresh or frozen (chopped into small pieces)
- 16 oz sauerkraut jarred
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 16 oz frozen sausage tortellini
The sausage
I recommend using an Italian ground sausage for this recipe. You will also need to fry it up ahead of time until there is no more pink in the middle. It will take about 15-20 minutes, on medium-medium high heat.
After that, the ingredients just need to be put into the crock pot to cook all day. Got to love easy, right?!?
What about the tortellini?
Good question. The tortellini needs to be a sausage tortellini. Personally, we always use Mona's tortellini and I HIGHLY recommend it if you can find it.
If you can't find it at your local store, then another brand will certainly work but Mona's is a local favorite that is sold across the country and, well, we are pretty loyal here.
What is sauerkraut anyway?
Well, it is a fermented food, made from cabbage. It has been made for many years, like for a LONG time and it high in vitamins. Sauerkraut is extremely good for you and is a great probiotic. (Great for your gut.)
It does have a very strong flavor so eating it may not be a favorite amongst some people.
This soup helps with that though.
The flavor of the sauerkraut compliments all the spices so well. It really does.
Can I make it on the stovetop?
Yes, you can. I haven't so I don't have exact times for you, but if you do and want to share your experience, I would love to hear about it!
Storage
If you have leftovers, cool completely, then place in an airtight container and put it in the fridge. It will keep for three days.
Pin for later!
📖 Recipe
Spicy Tortellini And Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 32 oz beef broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 lb ground sausage (browned)
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup spinach fresh or frozen (chopped into small pieces)
- 16 oz sauerkraut jarred
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 16 oz frozen sausage tortellini
Instructions
- Brown sausage until no longer pink
- Put all ingredients except tortellini in crock pot
- Stir to combine
- Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 6-7
- About 30 minutes before serving, add tortellini
- Stir
- Serve with bread or crackers
Sarah
Thanks for pinning it! :-)
Al k
What makes it red?
Kim
I think it is the color of the picture... it is more of a reddish brown because of the beef broth. Hope that helps!
Lori Hart
Your soup looks deliciously hearty! Love that's it's spicy too. Found your recipe featured at the Tasty Tuesday Link Party. I am the hostesses of Tickle My Tastebuds and would love you to stop by and link this recipe.
Cheers,
Lori
Sarah
Thank you for stopping by! I will be sure to check out your site. :-)
Sarah
This soup is delicious. I'm sure you can find a compromise on the spice level. ;-) You might be surprised...two of my children do not like spicy either and they gobbled this soup up! I hope you enjoy it!
Kelly
What type of sausage did you use? Italian? Thanks!
Sarah
I used a mild sausage to not make it overly spicy for the young ones in our family. My friend has used spicy Italian. Either way, this soup has a nice flavor with it! :-)
Petro @ The Seaman Mom
Oh, this looks sooo delicious! I never made any kind of tortellini soup, I must make this recipe soon. Thanks and have a wonderful weekend.
Sarah
It is delicious! It is such a surprise with the sauerkraut in it... the flavors blend so nicely. I hope you enjoy it!