Tortellini with Sausage
Tortellini with Sausage recipe is a delicious meal that only needs a few simple ingredients and a large skillet. Our one pan tortellini is a pasta dish that can be cooked up in about 30 minutes to everyone’s delight.
After you enjoy this tortellini recipe, try our Baked Spaghetti Casserole and Dutch Oven Lasagna.
Why make this recipe
Weeknights are hectic, everyone is busy, but everyone also needs to eat dinner. So we all need more easy recipes.
Our Italian sausage and cheese tortellini recipe is the just the dinner to feed your family on those crazy, hectic weeknights. And as a bonus, it tastes amazing.
There are many reasons to love this cheesy tortellini skillet meal. Besides being absolutely delicious, everything is cooked in one pan.
Yes, you read that right! This particular recipe calls for cooking everything right up in one pan.
Fresh tortellini is cooked right in whatever delicious sauce you choose, pick a sauce, creamy tomato sauce or spicy, you name it. That’s right no need to boil the pasta before tossing it in the skillet.
Recipe Ingredients
- Tortellini — we used fresh cheese tortellini. Fresh tortellini can be found in the refrigerator section of your local grocery store.
- Italian sausage — we chose links and removed the casings.
- Tomato sauce — we used our favorite brand of marinara sauce.
- Cheese — freshly grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. We don’t recommend pre shredded cheeses.
- Seasonings — Salt, black pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic, and oregano.
How to make Tortellini with Sausage
Step 1 — Preheat the oven to 350°F. Score each sausage link length-wise and remove the meat. Crumble the sausage and add it to a skillet on medium high heat. Cook through, stirring occasionally, and drain any excess renderings. Add the black pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic, and oregano.
Step 2 — Reduce the medium heat and add the sauce. Bring it to a simmer.
Step 3 — While the sauce is simmering, gently stir in the tortellini.
Step 4 — Add the Parmesan cheese and part of the mozzarella cheese.
Step 5 — Gently stir the cheese in. The pasta is tender. The cheese will melt as it’s being stirred in. Taste for salt, add as needed.
Step 6 — Sprinkle the remaining reserved mozzarella over the top of the tortellini with sausage. Cover with foil and place the skillet in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes. When time is up, remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and melted.
Adaptations and variations
Because this recipe is incredibly easy to make, it’s also incredibly easy to play with.
- Tortellini — we used cheese but they also make fresh meat and fresh spinach filled. Frozen tortellini will work too. Dried tortellini is delicious as well, but will need to cook in the sauce for longer than just to warm through, or will need to be cooked beforehand.
- Sausage — sweet Italian sausage (sometimes labeled mild Italian sausage), spicy Italian sausage (sometimes labeled hot Italian sausage), unseasoned pork sausage (that you season yourself) ground sausage, turkey sausage, and if you can find it, smoked Italian sausage.
- Sauce — chunky-style sauce, spaghetti sauce, creamy tomato sauce (like a vodka sauce) or make a homemade sauce with tomato sauce, tomato paste, and herbs.
- Vegetables — this easy recipe can be buoyed by adding some diced onions, bell pepper, fresh or frozen spinach, kale, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, canned diced tomatoes, canned tomatoes (whole or stewed), sun dried tomatoes, or any other family favorites.
- Seasonings — swap the granulated garlic for garlic powder or freshly minced garlic. Use diced onions instead of onion powder. Fresh basil (or dried basil), red pepper flakes, thyme, rosemary, and/or Italian seasoning blend.
What to serve with this Italian Sausage Tortellini recipe
- Fresh salad or Caesar salad
- Garlic bread or warm crusty bread with butter
- Vegetable side dishes like sautéed zucchini, green beans, fresh spinach, or artichokes
Recipe FAQs
If the sauce is too thick, it can be thinned with a bit of chicken broth, chicken stock, red wine, or water.
Yes, and yum! Add a bit of heavy cream after you’ve stirred in the sauce.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The tortellini will slowly expand in size from absorbing the sauce it’s in.
If avoiding the microwave, toss any leftovers in a heated skillet. If you can, add a bit more sauce or even liquid like broth, water, or cream to help it evenly reheat.
Tortellini with Sausage
Equipment
- 12" Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 16 oz Italian sausage ground or links with casings removed
- 1/2 tsp oregano dried
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 24 oz cheese tortellini
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Crumble the sausage and add it to a skillet on medium high heat. Cook through and drain any excess renderings. Add the black pepper, onion powder, granulated garlic, and oregano.
- Reduce the medium heat and add the sauce and bring it to a simmer, then gently stir in the tortellini
- Thoroughly stir in the Parmesan cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese.
- Taste for salt and add as needed for taste.
- Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top of the tortellini with sausage.
- Cover with foil and place the skillet in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.
- When time is up, remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and melted.
Notes
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
This easy to make, fabulous pasta dish is a perfect meal for my family. Especially on a busy weeknight.
Oooh YUM! So much flavor in this one! This is the perfect dish to cozy up with a when its cold outside – thanks for sharing this one!
The flavour in this was incredible. So creamy and comforting.
The tender pasta filled with savory sausage is a match made in heaven. I can’t recommend it enough, it’s a flavor explosion in every bite!
Such delicious comfort food. Love the sausage with the cheesy pasta. My family loved this so we’ll be making it again.