Instant Pot Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage
This Instant Pot Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage is a hearty and flavorful meal featuring cheese tortellini, savory Italian sausage, fresh vegetables, and a rich tomato broth, perfect for quick and comforting dinners.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage ensure it’s made from permissible meat
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional, adjust to taste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5-ounce can
- 1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini 9-ounce package
- 2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional
- Fresh basil or parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the sauté setting and heat the olive oil. Add the ground Italian sausage and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Once the sausage is cooked through, add the diced onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes, until the vegetables soften slightly. Stir in the minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and the can of diced tomatoes with their juices. Give everything a good stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. This is important to prevent a burn notice during pressure cooking.
- Close the lid and set the valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, carefully perform a quick release by turning the valve to venting.
- Open the lid and add the cheese tortellini and chopped spinach to the pot. Stir well and let the soup sit on the “Keep Warm” setting for about 5 minutes, or until the tortellini is cooked through and tender.
- Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil or parsley if desired. Serve hot and enjoy!
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Spoon
Notes
Use fresh refrigerated tortellini instead of frozen for quicker cooking and better texture. Don’t skip the quick release after pressure cooking to avoid overcooking the tortellini. For a thicker soup, stir in a small mixture of cornstarch and water after cooking and simmer on sauté mode until thickened. You can substitute ground chicken or turkey sausage for a leaner option. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar or smoked paprika when sautéing the vegetables for extra flavor. Deglaze the pot well after sautéing to prevent burn errors and enhance flavor.