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This creamy bowl of Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana is the perfect cold-weather dinner. Spicy Italian chicken sausage simmered together with basil pesto, cheese tortellini, kale, a little lemon, and finished with crispy bacon. Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese to each bowl and serve with crusty bread. It’s hearty, full of greens, and so delicious. A fun twist on the classic and great for just about any night of the week!
We finally have snow here! This has been the weirdest December I’ve ever seen. We’ve had very little snowfall and back to back days of sunshine. Usually by this time of year we have full snow cover and more snowy days than sunny. But this year has just been so strange.
I’m excited to report that we have a couple days of snow in the forecast. Snowy cold days mean soup! And this is one I’ve been looking forward to making for months.
A few years ago I made my own version of the Olive Garden’s very well loved Zuppa Toscana. It’s been such a favorite soup ever since. When I make it for people, they always ask for the recipe.
Back in the fall I had the idea to replace the potatoes in the soup with some cheese tortellini. At the time I had been making a lot of soup, so I held off on this recipe until I had the perfect day to make it.
Well, I finally made it, and I actually think it’s better than the original.
Here are the details
The key to a good Zuppa Toscana is the spicy sausage. So begin with the sausage, you’ll want to brown it with onions and garlic and add in some broth. Then, I love to add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and basil pesto for even more flavor.
This may not be traditional but it really adds so much to this hearty soup. I’ve found that both the addition of sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and fresh lemon really lighten things up and truly enhance the flavors.
Once you have everything in the soup, add the kale and let it cook down into the broth. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the tortellini, cream, and parmesan.
Then just ladle the soup into bowls and top with crispy bacon. Nothing fancy at all, but so warming delicious.
Really excited to serve this to my family over Christmas break. My cousin Abby loves soup, so this is perfect!
Bonus, this soup is great to have after coming in from the cold and so easy to cook up too.
Looking for winter soup recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Creamy Gnocchi Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup
Lastly, if you make this Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
- 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken or pork sausage
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/3 cup basil pesto, homemade or store-bought
- 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained, and tomatoes chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 bunch Tuscan or curly kale, roughly chopped
- 1 pound cheese tortellini
- 3/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese
Instructions
- 1. Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 1 tablespoon. 2. To the pot, add the sausage and onion. Brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the celery, garlic, and a pinch of chili flakes, cook 2 minutes. Pour in the broth, 1 cup water, the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 3. Stir in the kale and cook 5 minutes, until wilted, stir in the tortellini. Cook 2-3 minutes, then add the cream and parmesan. Remove from the heat. Stir in the reserved bacon.4. Serve the soup topped with additional parmesan and fresh thyme, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Omg! This was sooooo delicious! We used sweet Italian Pork sausage. The lemon in this is key! We used the zest of our lemon as well. Totally brightens it up! Definitely a keeper. Thank you AGAIN Teighan for another outstanding recipe.
Hey Kathleen,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi There,
I was wondering how long the leftovers would last in the fridge?
Thank you.
Hi Katie,
About 3 days. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This soup came together so easily and was hearty, warming and delicious. I substituted the tortellini for GF ravioli and it worked out great!
Hi Renae,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Is there a way to make this in the crockpot?
Hey MJ,
Sure, I would cook on low for 6-8 hours. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I made this tonight. It was delicious, the family loved it. I changed it up a little. I had spicy Italian sausage and used spinach instead of kale (I wasn’t going to the store again). So yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious! I used your Italian sausage seasoning recipe from a previous post and ground chicken. Came together quickly and easily and was perfect for a cold, rainy winter night!
Hi Katie,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This soup is fantastic! Both delicious & beautiful!
Hi Lori,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Can I omit the bacon? Or will that ruin it?
Hi Julie,
Yes, you can omit the bacon. I hope the recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
If I wanted to use ground chicken, how would you season it to make it a spicy Italian flavor ?
Is there a way to make this in the crockpot?
Hey MJ,
Sure, I would cook on low for 6-8 hours. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi Megan,
I would use Italian seasoning and some red pepper flakes. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! Even my kids liked it! I had some sweet Italian venison sausage to use up so I added my own cayenne pepper and a little more than a pinch of crushed red pepper and it was perfect!
Hey Kasey,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
This looks amazing but I’m worried about the sun dried tomatoes. They are chewy and not my favorite. Is there something else I could use? Or do they melt away in the cooking process just leaving the flavor?
I actually used a jar of sun dried tomatoes in pesto and it was more like a paste with no chewy tomatoes.
Such a great idea!
Hey there,
Since the sun-dried tomatoes are chopped, they really aren’t very chewy in the soup, they add great flavor! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
I did make this but as I am not a fan of kale I used spinach,,, it is a wonderful meal in one bowl… I added a tad more red pepper too.
Make this it is sooo comforting.
Hey there,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Is there something that can be used to substitute out the heavy cream or whole milk? I love the soup but want to cut down the calories a bit.
I made this with Coconut Cream and it turned out wonderful!
Hi Andrea,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I like substituting evaporated milk.
Hi Kristin,
You could use a non-fat milk, it just won’t be as creamy. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Can you omit the kale or replace with something else? Not a big fan
I use baby kale, it’s much like spinach but holds up a bit better.
Hi Mary-Kathryn,
Yes, you can omit the kale or use spinach in its place. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
So perfect for now. ?xx
P.S. Is that a purple pan? What kind is it please?
Hey Kelly-Jane,
It’s a maroon pot from Staub:
https://www.zwilling.com/us/staub-cast-iron-9-qt-round-cocotte—black-matte-1103025/40509-863-0.html?cgid=our-brands_staub_cast-iron_coccottes-dutch-ovens
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This version of tortellini soup is so delicious !
Miki x
https://www.littletasteofbeauty.com/
Thank you!