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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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 685 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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.
This post was originally published on December 13, 2021
Might be my new favorite soup!!
Hey Rachel,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
Haven’t made this yet, any chance it could be done slow cooker style?
Hey Jaclyn,
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
Thank you!!!
I made this tonight and it was soooooo good!! Wouldn’t change anything. My new favorite soup!!! 🙂
Hi Morgan,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
Perfection on a cold night. The blend of flavors is just right and it is a hearty, filling meal. Will make it again for company- it is that good. I used spinach b cause I had no kale. Worked well.
Hey Sue,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
Hoping to make this for Christmas night! Do you think it could be made ahead and frozen? Looks delicious!
Hi Wesley,
If you want to make ahead, I would do everything except the tortellini, you will want to add that once thawed. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was easy to make and packed with great flavor! Instead of ground pork I used Italian sausages – squeezed out sausage balls to avoid chewy skin. Will definitely be making this one again.
Hey Trudy,
Awesome! Love to hear that you liked the recipe, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Holidays! xx
This looks amazing! Wanting to make for my entire family next week – how would I make this in a Crock Pot instead? Or can you? Thanks!
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend putting this in a crockpot. Everything cooks very quickly and does not need to sit for long hours. The pasta would breakdown and become mush if left cooking for an extended period of time.
Hi Carly,
You could cook in the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This recipe looks amazing as is, however I’ll have to make a few changes to meet dietary requirements.
I plan to substitute a vegetarian friendly meat substitute for the sausage, and because I love them I think I’ll add mushrooms as well.
Otherwise I can’t wait to try this, it sounds delicious and very easily adaptable to meet all of our family’s needs
Thanks for sharing this vegetable friendly hearty soup recipe
I hope you love the recipe Andrea, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Cannot get over how good this recipe is! So much flavor, the perfect meal for a cozy night in! Will definitely be making this throughout the winter!
Hey Katie,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Ok could be a strange question but I hate sausage (I know, I know, I’m
100% Italian and yet…) could I possibly make this without it? Or maybe with some shredded chicken instead? Am I crazy?
Hey there,
You could totally skip the sausage and use chicken instead. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Delicious!!!!! Followed the recipe exactly and it was perfect!
Hey Marisa,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
The receipt was easy to follow and very fast to make. I never thought to use lemon juice, and it was amazing. I added more cream because I didn’t want to save just a little bit. It is delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Hey there,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
what woud be a good way to thicken the soup? And would you add other seasonings?
Hi Molly,
Sorry, I am not sure what you mean? Did you make the recipe? I would say it’s good as is:) Let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Oh my god, Teighan. This is absolutely amazing. I used potatoes instead of pasta, yes. But this is going to be my base no matter what I use. It’s so damn good!
Hey Sarah,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This soup was meant to be for us: I had all the ingredients on hand and whipped it up so quickly! Husband and I loved it with pepper flakes and lots of broth and kale, kids loved the chunky bits. A winner!
Hey Courtney,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan