Nothing beats a warm, comforting bowl of Instant Pot tortellini soup on a chilly day! This hearty rustic Italian sausage soup is packed with tender tortellini, savory broth, and a mix of veggies, making it a satisfying and delicious meal. The best part? This recipe comes together effortlessly in the pressure cooker, allowing you to enjoy a rich, flavorful soup in no time.
When winter weather sends chills through your body, nothing is more comforting than a warm bowl of tortellini soup Instant Pot style! This rustic Italian tortellini soup is packed with rich flavors, hearty ingredients, and a satisfying broth, making it the perfect meal for cold nights.
If you own a pressure cooker, this recipe is a quick and easy way to prepare a flavorful meal in minutes. Instead of standing over the stove, let the Instant Pot do the work while you enjoy a rich, cozy soup with minimal effort.
Looking for more comfort food recipes? Try our easy chili mac.
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Why We Love Tortellini Soup Instant Pot Recipe
- Quick, easy, and convenient!
This Instant Pot tortellini soup is perfect for busy nights when you need a fast but hearty meal. We love pressure cooker recipes over one-skillet meals because they require less hands-on effort and shorter cooking times, making them one of the easiest ways to get dinner on the table. - Best flavor in the shortest amount of time.
This tortellini soup Instant Pot recipe delivers a slow-simmered taste in just 30 minutes! The pressure cooker locks in all the rich Italian flavors, so it tastes like it’s been cooking all day. - One-pot meal with minimal cleanup.
Everything cooks in the Instant Pot, so there’s no need for multiple pans or extra dishes. From the Italian sausage and veggies to the cheese-filled tortellini, every bite is loaded with flavor, and the clean-up is a breeze!
🎯 New to Instant Pot Cooking?
Read How to Use the Instant Pot first! Then, our Tips and Hacks for the Instant Pot is a great resource for new owners and seasoned IP-ers alike!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Ground meat: Your choice of ground pork, chicken sausage, ground beef or any other ground protein.
- Yellow onion: Peeled and diced, for a sweet but still pungent flavor.
- Chicken broth: You can substitute the broth for chicken stock, beef broth/stock, or even vegetable broth.
- Hot Water: Using hot water helps the Instant Pot come to pressure more quickly.
- Tortellini: You can use fresh or frozen. If using frozen tortellini, add 1 minute to the pressure cooking time shown in our recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Seasonings: Bay leaves, Italian seasoning, and salt. You can also use garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper.
Recipe Variations
- Spicy tortellini soup: Swap the mild Italian sausage for hot.
- Vegetarian Instant Pot tortellini soup: Skip the sausage, use vegetable broth, and bulk the dish up with veggies. Instead of Italian sausage, use a cup of chopped zucchini. At the end, stir in some frozen chopped spinach. The heat from the pot will warm it up quickly.
- Creamy Italian sausage soup with pasta: For a creamy soup, stir in 4 ounces of cream cheese after pressure cooking.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker)
- Meat chopper
New to Instant Pot cooking? Read How to Use the Instant Pot 101 first! And, then Instant Pot instructions is terrific for new owners and seasoned IP-ers alike!
How to Make Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup
- Get the pressure cooker nice and hot.
Set the pressure cooker to “sauté” and prepare your ingredients while it heats up.
- Add the sausage and onion, breaking up the ground sausage. Stir often until the sausage is cooked through and the onion is soft for about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Mix in the ingredients. Stir in tomatoes, broth, water, seasonings, and fresh tortellini pasta. Gently stir everything together. Do not fill the Instant Pot past the “maximum” line.
- Pressure cook. Secure the lid of the Instant Pot and seal the pressure valve. Then set the pressure cooker to “high pressure” and set the timer for 1 minute.
- When the pressure cooking is done, twist or press the steam valve to let the pressure out.
- Ready to serve. After the pressure pin has dropped, carefully open the Instant Pot.
- Remove the bay leaves. Dish out soup, and feel free to top it with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
Boost the flavor with parmesan rind – For an extra depth of flavor, toss in a parmesan rind while the soup cooks. It melts into the broth, adding a rich, savory taste—just remember to remove it before serving!
Tips to Prevent an Instant Pot Food Burn:
Thick and/or acidic foods tend to burn onto the bottom of the inner pot. When this happens, a notice will appear on the pressure cooker’s display as “BURN,” “OvHt,” or “Food Burn.”
Here are some suggestions for preventing and dealing with a burn notice:
- Before pressure cooking, turn the Instant Pot to sauté and let it warm up. Also, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil before adding ingredients to the inner pot This helps to keep food and sauces from sticking and burning.
- If you sauté meats before pressure cooking, deglaze your pot by adding the broth a few minutes before sealing your pot.
- Keep an extra Instant Pot liner insert on hand. If you get a burn notice, then having an extra pot will allow you to safely transfer the food to a clean pot and continue cooking. Plus, an extra inner pot gives you flexibility when pressure cooking.
For more information on how to handle a burn notice, read this article from America’s Test Kitchen.
Serving Suggestions
This rustic Italian tortellini soup is packed with hearty flavors, and the right side dishes make it even more satisfying! Pair it with a Chick-Fil-A kale salad for a fresh, crunchy contrast, or serve it alongside roasted sweet potatoes for a warm and comforting meal. A classic French bread with sourdough starter is another must-have, perfect for soaking up the delicious broth.
For dipping, my favorite breads include garlic sourdough toast, as their rich, buttery flavors pair beautifully with the Italian sausage and pasta in this soup. To add even more depth to the meal, garnish your bowl with fresh parsley and diced celery, both of which enhance the rustic flavors. Best of all, most of these ingredients are pantry staples, making this meal easy to throw together whenever you need a cozy, home-cooked dinner!
Recipe FAQs
If you cook the pasta correctly, it should not be soggy. It’s important to follow the recipe instructions closely to ensure that you don’t overcook it.
Sausage and Tortellini Soup is already pretty healthy, but you could use chicken sausage and vegetable and cheese-filled tortellini if you wish to make it healthier.
The soup cooks best in the instant pot on high pressure. Just be sure to let the steam release before trying to open the pot.
Italian sausage soup with pasta is a great dish to make ahead of time, and you can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating the meal is easiest in the microwave. Just ladle into microwave-safe bowls and reheat on medium power for a couple of minutes. You can also reheat the dish on the stovetop if you want, but be sure to do so over low heat.
Tortellini soup cooked in an Instant Pot does not freeze well. Unfortunately, the pasta tends to fall apart as it thaws out.
More Soup Recipes to Love…
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Instant Pot Tortellini Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot - or any electric pressure cooker
- meat chopper
Ingredients
- 12 ounces ground Italian sausage or, use ground beef, or any other ground protein
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 29 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth or beef broth/stock
- 2 cups hot water hot water speeds up pressurizing time
- 12 ounces cheese tortellini fresh or frozen; *see Notes for using frozen
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
optional garnishes
- ½ cup shredded or shaved Parmesan cheese
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Set the pressure cooker to “sauté”. Gather/measure your ingredients while it heats up.
- Add the ground sausage and onion to the inner pot. Using a wooden spoon, break up the ground sausage as it cooks. Stir frequently until sausage is cooked through and onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Stir in tomatoes, broth, water, seasonings, and tortellini pasta. Gently stir the ingredients together. Do not fill the instant pot past the “max” line.
- Secure the lid of the Instant pot and seal the pressure valve. Set the pressure cooker to “high pressure” and set the time for 1 minute
- Once the pressure cooking is done, perform a quick release by twisting or pressing the steam valve to “vent” the pot (release the pressure).
- After the pressure pin drops and it is safe to open, carefully open the Instant Pot. Remove the bay leaves. Ladle tortellini sausage soup into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Spicy tortellini soup – Swap the mild Italian sausage for hot.
- Vegetarian Instant Pot tortellini soup – skip the sausage, use vegetable broth, and bulk the dish up with veggies. Instead of Italian sausage, use a cup of chopped zucchini. At the end, stir in some frozen chopped spinach. The heat from the pot will warm it up quickly.
- Creamy Italian sausage soup with pasta – for a creamy soup, stir in 4 ounces of cream cheese after pressure cooking.
- To use frozen tortellini in soup, add 1 minute to the pressure cooking time, for a total of 2 minutes.
- Boost the flavor with parmesan rind – For an extra depth of flavor, toss in a parmesan rind while the soup cooks. It melts into the broth, adding a rich, savory taste—just remember to remove it before serving!
- Italian sausage soup with pasta is a great dish to make ahead of time, and you can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating the meal is easiest in the microwave. Just ladle into microwave-safe bowls and reheat on medium power for a couple of minutes. You can also reheat the dish on the stovetop if you want, but be sure to do so over low heat.
- Tortellini soup cooked in an Instant Pot does not freeze well. Unfortunately, the pasta tends to fall apart as it thaws out.
Nutrition
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DK says
I love pasta soups like this one – and this tortellini soup is delicious! So rich and hearty!
Charah says
Easy and looks very delicious, I love this! Thanks for sharing
kushigalu says
Love the combination of flavors in this soup recipe. Thanks a lot for sharing.