I have made this recipe in an Instant Pot because, you know, it’s the cool kitchen gadget everyone is raving about. But nothing changes if you make it in a slow cooker or on the stovetop. Winter is slowly setting in, and soups are frequently appearing on our dinner table. So definitely, you will see more and more soup recipes here on the blog for the next couple of months. You can also look at another tortellini soup that is a reader favorite: Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup. Another one with just a tomato base is Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup. I have made a few dishes with sausage. Sausages are versatile and add a bomb of flavor to any protein or vegetable you pair with them. I have paired pappardelle pasta with sausage, have a sheet pan recipe with potatoes, baked pasta with sausage and cheese, and also slow-cooked a stew with sausage and chickpeas.
Cook aromatics and sausage
The first part is to sauté the onion and garlic and cook the sausage. To cook in an instant pot, follow the entire recipe instructions in the pot itself. But, to cook with a slow cooker or stovetop, the following steps are to be done in a pan, and then the mixture is shifted to the cooker or continued on the pan.
Heat oil in a pan(in the case of an Instant pot, in the inner pot itself). Saute chopped onion for a couple of minutes until it turns soft. Add minced garlic and sauté for a minute until the raw smell goes away. Add the broken sausage to the pan and cook until it no longer looks pink.
Add dried tortellini (don’t stir it, let it sit on top)and cover the lid. Let the pressure build and do its magic, cooking the ingredients. When it is time, release the pressure and uncover the pot. Add half and half, and mix well. Let it simmer for half a minute. Serve by garnishing with grated parmesan and chopped parsley. Follow the instructions mentioned in the first step to sauté the aromatics and cook the sausage in a pan on the stovetop. Then shift the sausage mixture to the slow cooker and add the rest of the ingredients, except the tortellini and cream. Cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 4-5 hours. Add dried tortellini and cream to the slow cooker and cook for another 30 minutes. Use a heavy-bottomed soup pot/ dutch oven. Follow the instructions mentioned in the first step to sauté the aromatics and cook the sausage. Add the other ingredients, i.e., tomatoes, seasoning, stock, and salt. Mix well and let it come to a boil, then lower the heat. Let the stock cook on low for 10 minutes. Then add dried tortellini. Let it cook until it is firm but soft to the bite. Add more stock if required, followed by half and half. Mix everything well and switch off the flame. Freeze the soup without adding the tortellini. Cook the soup and let it cool. Store the soup along with the tortellini in separate containers or zip-lock bags. If there is any leftover and you end up freezing it, then while reheating, loosen the soup by adding more stock to it until the desired consistency is reached. You can refrigerate the soup for up to four days without the tortellini.
Salads: Serve with a fresh salad like this Kale White bean Salad or Italian Chopped Salad Bread: Soups like this are great to have with bread. White bread like this No-Knead Rustic White Bread or Rosemary Foccacia Bread
