Creamy Pumpkin Sausage Tortellini Soup
This Creamy Pumpkin Sausage Tortellini Soup is a cozy, hearty dish featuring Italian sausage, creamy pumpkin puree, and cheese tortellini for a satisfying fall meal.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion , diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fresh sage , chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- whole nutmeg seed (for grating, see recipe)
- 3-4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 9 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 1 cup grated tasty cheeses, such as smoke gouda and parmesan (I used this combo)
For garnish:
- 4 or 5 fried fresh sage leaves , sliced
- additional grated cheese
- grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Heat oil in a 4 or 5 quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium until the surface shimmers. Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking up large clumps and stirring to ensure all pieces are cooked through, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and herbs and mix well. Using a fine or small-holed grater, shower 4 or 5 grates of the nutmeg seed over the sausage mixture (you will not use the entire seed for this recipe; it stores well in an air-tight container or in its original jar).
- Spoon in the flour, along with one cup of chicken broth to the pot, and raise the heat. Stir the flour and broth into the sausage mixture and let that heat for a few minutes. This will create the thickened base of the soup.
- Spoon the pumpkin puree into the pot and mix thorough with the soup base. It should be thick and very dark orange.
- Add more chicken broth, one cup at a time, until the soup thins out a bit and bring it up to a boil. When the soup is actively bubbling, adjust heat to maintain a moderate bubbling (more than simmering but not with bubbles bursting and spitting). Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the refrigerated tortellini to the pot, and cook in the bubbly soup per package directions (note that different brands have different cooking times, depending on how they pre-cooked the pasta). It might look like there's not enough pasta for the soup, but they will expand during cooking.
- When the tortellinis are plump and a bit floaty, turn off the heat.
- Stir in the half and half gently. Use a wide spatula so that you don't damage the tortellini. Then stir in the cheeses until completely dissolved into the soup. Grate additional nutmeg over the soup. Carefully taste the soup and add salt to taste as needed (it probably won't need more salt). Serve with your preferred garnishes.
Notes
Optional garnish:
To make fried sage leaves, heat a small skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add a quick pour of extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. Chop or slice the sage leaves (if they're small, you can leave them whole). When the surface of the oil shimmers, add the sage leaves to the skillet and stir frequently to prevent burning. The leaves are ready when they're fragrant and crispy-looking without being burned. Remove from the pan to a paper towel to stop the cooking.