Butternut Squash Sausage Tortellini Soup (Printable)
Hearty butternut squash soup with Italian sausage, cheese tortellini, and a creamy sage cheese swirl topping.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lbs), peeled and cubed
02 - 1 large yellow onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
05 - 2 stalks celery, sliced
→ Meat
06 - 14 oz Italian sausage (mild or spicy), casings removed
→ Pasta
07 - 10 oz cheese tortellini (fresh or refrigerated)
→ Liquids
08 - 6 cups chicken broth
09 - 2/3 cup heavy cream
→ Herbs & Spices
10 - 2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped (divided use)
11 - 1 tsp dried thyme
12 - 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
13 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
14 - 2 tbsp olive oil
→ Sage Cheese Swirl
15 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
16 - 2 oz ricotta cheese
17 - 2 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
18 - 1 tbsp milk
19 - Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
# How To Make It:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, and cook until thoroughly browned. Transfer the sausage to a plate using a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
02 - Add the diced onion, sliced carrots, and sliced celery to the pot. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in the cubed butternut squash, dried thyme, ground nutmeg, and half of the chopped fresh sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the spices to bloom.
04 - Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 20 minutes until the butternut squash is fork-tender.
05 - Use an immersion blender to partially or fully purée the soup for a creamy, velvety base. Skip this step or blend only a portion if you prefer a chunkier, rustic texture.
06 - Return the browned sausage to the pot. Stir in the cheese tortellini and simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes until the tortellini is cooked through and tender.
07 - Pour in the heavy cream and add the remaining fresh sage. Heat gently without boiling. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed. Remove the pot from heat.
08 - In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, ricotta cheese, finely chopped fresh sage, milk, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
09 - Ladle the hot soup into serving bowls. Add a generous spoonful of the sage cheese swirl to each bowl and gently swirl it into the surface using a spoon or knife. Garnish with extra fresh sage leaves or cracked pepper and serve immediately.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sage cheese swirl on top turns a simple bowl of soup into something people genuinely gasp over.
- It reheats beautifully the next day, making it the rare soup that tastes even better for lunch.
- You get creamy, savory, and slightly sweet in every single bite without any fussy techniques.
02 -
- If you forget to soften the cream cheese, the swirl will be lumpy no matter how hard you stir, so set it out while the soup simmers.
- Pureeing the entire soup base before adding the sausage and tortellini back in creates the richest, most velvety texture you can imagine.
03 -
- Cut the butternut squash into uniform half inch cubes so every piece cooks evenly and nothing turns to mush before the rest is tender.
- Save a few tablespoons of pasta water before draining if you are using cooked tortellini, because that starchy liquid can fix a soup that has thickened too much overnight.