Slow Cooker Sausage, Kale, and Tortellini Soup

This Sausage, Kale, and Tortellini Soup is so easy to make and can be made in the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot!

Another easy slow cooker recipe here for you!

I am going to be honest here, and let you know that kale is not my favorite vegetable. It has something to do with feeding it to my kids as babies. I used to boil fresh kale and then puree it; it smelled horrific. I have since gotten over this, but whenever I eat it, I have to make sure it’s more of a “background” taste. I have also found that it tastes much better raw within a salad, or sautéed with other vegetables (I don’t recommend boiling it, unless it’s for a baby). And in case you’re wondering, kale is a super food to feed your babies! It is a super nutrient rich vegetable packed with vitamins A, C, and K. The best part is that it’s great for brain development containing folate (one of the power B Vitamins also known as folic acid), and even a small amount of Omega 3’s. Adding it to smoothies, salads, or sauces is a great way reap the nutritional benefits.

So now that I put that out there, I used frozen kale in this soup. While living in Germany, fresh kale was only available for about one month out of the year. We became accustomed to eating it Frozen! In this recipe, I added a cup, but you can certainly add more. Please feel free to use your lovely fresh kale in place of frozen.

This soup cooked beautifully in the slow cooker, but did require a few minutes of prep time before hand. I used turkey sausage, and had to cook the sausage prior to dumping it in the pot. I added just a few more simple ingredients, and let this baby cook for 4 hours on low. For any of my “anti-soup for dinner” folks out there, you can adapt this recipe to make it more of a pasta. Simply change the amount of broth to only 1 cup, omit the water, and add in more tortellini (16 oz). Voila!

For a Gluten-Free version, use beans instead of tortellini. I have done this a few times while the husband is away, and liked it even more!

Both of my kids loved this and the husband said it tasted even better the second day. So yes, you will have plenty of leftovers. Enjoy!

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Slow Cooker Sausage, Kale, and Tortellini Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Amy Rains

4.6 from 5 votes

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Ingredients

• 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
• 1 lb turkey sausage or whatever sausage you would like
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes I love the Organic San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 32 oz of chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 8 oz frozen cheese tortellini
• 1 cup kale frozen or fresh
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Fresh basil to serve

Instructions

1. For the Slow Cooker:
2. Cook turkey, onion, and garlic over medium heat in a large saucepan

3. Place inside slow cooker.

4. Add remaining ingredients (except basil) and stir combine
5. Cook on low for 4 hours
6. For the Instant Pot:
7. Select the saute function on your IP. Once hot, add avocado or olive oil. Toss in chopped onion and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, or until sausage is almost cooked. Select cancel.

8. Now add tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, chicken broth, water, wine, spices, and kale (if frozen, if using fresh add after the pressure cooking). Secure the lid. Select the manual function, and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.

9. Use a quick release. Select cancel. Open lid and add in tortellini (add kale if using fresh kale). Select the saute function, and cook tortellini for 3-4 minutes.