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My One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage is a match made in heaven! It’s a delicious one pan meal that combines the tender, cheese filled pasta with savory smokey sausage and wraps it all in a creamy cheesy tomato sauce. One bite and you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life!
*This recipe was originally posted in 2014 and has been updated for 2017.
One Pan Meals have long provided record breaking traffic to the blog. People really fell in love with the One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta and others like my One Pan Caprese Pasta and One Pan Beef Stroganoff (my personal favorite).
I did make one small change to the recipe this time around (but left both versions in the printable recipe). I had originally used a big can of whole tomatoes that you cut up yourself in the can, but I’ve found that I prefer crushed tomatoes. Using crushed eliminates a step, and they taste just as fresh if you use a good quality brand like San Marzano.
So really it’s not a huge change and you can stick with whatever type of tomatoes you prefer.
To make the One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage, start by cooking up the smoked sausage with some fragrant diced onions and a little garlic. That alone will make your kitchen smell divine and you might want to just start picking them out of the pan and eating them one by one. But refrain! You’re so close because this recipe is incredibly easy.
Once the onions are soft and the sausage is browned, you add in the rest of the ingredients (minus the cheese) – Refrigerated Tortellini (whatever flavor you prefer), a can of crushed tomatoes or cut up whole tomatoes (use your kitchen scissors and cut them up right in the can), a cup of chicken broth or water, and salt and pepper. Give it a few quick stirs while you let it come to a boil. Then cover it up and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you could leave the lid off while it simmers at a higher heat, stirring often, to cook it a little faster.
Once the pasta is tender, you just add in the cheeses. The sauce will seem thin, but will thicken as it sits. Cover to allow the cheese time to melt, then serve hot.
This is one that I will definitely be adding to my monthly meal plan, because my kids LOVED it! You can kick it up a little by adding two cans of Rotel Tomatoes instead of the whole canned tomatoes, too. If not for my picky kiddos, I would have added a couple big handfuls of spinach.
One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 pound package of smoked sausage cut into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 20 ounce package of refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes cut in the can with kitchen scissors
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup freshly shredded jack cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened; 3-4 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add sausage and cook until browned on both sides.
- Stir in chicken broth, tortellini, tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until pasta is tender, stirring at least once to prevent sticking. *There should still be liquid in the pan to make the sauce, but if it seems excessive, you can remove some with a large spoon. (If you want a quicker cooking method, set at medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring often for about 8-10 minutes).
- *If there is too much liquid left in the pan, spoon some out. But be sure to leave enough behind to make the sauce.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheeses, reserving a handful for sprinkling on top. Cover and let stand for five to ten minutes, or broil for 2-3 minutes to brown. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Nutrition
Love my One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage? You might also like these easy dinner recipes:
Sheet Pan Italian Chicken and Vegetables
Italian Sausage & Tortellini Skillet
One Pan Creamy Lemon Artichoke Tortellini
One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini
For all One Pan Meals go HERE, for all dinner recipes go HERE and for the Recipe Index go HERE.
This looks SO delicious! I am eager to try it out. However, 3 out of 5 members of my family are allergic to dairy which makes most of the amazingly delicious recipes I find on Pinterest not doable for us. Boo. 🙁
Has anyone had any luck making this sans cheese? Kristin, do you think leaving the cheese out would change the dish up too much?
Thanks!
Hi Jessica, cheese is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe. You could probably leave it out, and also use a dairy free tortellini, but I can’t speak for how well it would work. Sorry!
I made this tonight – followed it to a T
DELISH
However I had a lot of liquid – anything to thicken it other than cornstarch or is it suppose to be on the liquidy side?>
This was very good. Highly recommend
Why do you use whole tomatoes and then cut them up? Why not use diced tomatoes?
The whole tomatoes just have a fresher taste to me, but you could use whichever you’d prefer.
made this last night–sorry, but it, in my opinion, totally lacks flavor. leftovers–no way–once was enough1
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it!
Made this with my boyfriend last night. SUCCESS! So fast, cheap, and easy to make but looks and tastes fancy 😉 We added a little extra cream cheese and it was perfect!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Great recipe! I had to make a few changes based upon what I had on hand.
I used 9oz frozen tortellini. I was worried this wouldn’t be enough, but the ratio of sauce to pasta to sausage is perfect! I let this thicken, uncovered, after adding the cheese by allowing it to simmer on low for about ten mins.
I used half mozzarella and half cheddar. Added some basil and garlic. I also only had three sausages – this was quick, easy, and delicious. Thanks!!
I made this tonight, and it was a hit. We loved it! 🙂
This is a FABULOUS dish! 100% hit with the family. And so easy!!!!
Fixed this for the first time yesterday. It was great! Thanks for sharing.
It’s a keeper! I had everything on hand and everyone loved it. Thank you! One pot anything is a life saver!
My husband and I were spending an extended amount of time in a hotel. While it did provide a full, albeit communal, kitchen they had almost nothing in the way of cookware. I asked for cooking utensils and got tongs, LOL! Anyway, I bought some cheap utensils and made this in the one “large” pan they gave us. It was a tight squeeze, but it all fit! My husband and I were able to eat a “home made” meal instead of fast food, which I was getting absolutely sick of! I just paired it with one of those steam in the bag veggie mixes. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I can’t wait to use it at home when I have all my spices so I can play with it a little!
I’m so glad it worked for you, and hope you’re back in your home soon!
Made this tonight and my kids and I give it ‘two thumbs up’! Per your suggestion, I substituted Rotel for the canned whole tomatoes and also added spinach. The Rotel gave it a nice mild spice and the spinach was a great addition. Thank you for this recipe!
Yum! Thanks for coming back to share!
By the way- I noticed some of the people on here wondered if frozen tortellini would work. That’s all they had at my grocery store so that’s what I used and it worked great- had no problems.
This was SOOO good! Definitely a keeper. I added some mushrooms and bacon bits in with the mix and served with a salad and garlic bread. The husband loved it!
This is so yummy; made it a handful of times now! I have to ask though, where do you find a 20 oz can of diced tomatoes?? I have only found 14.5 or 28! I’ve been able to “make it work”, but just wondering. Thanks! 🙂
So sorry, it’s 28 oz. Typo!
When do you add the cream cheese? After it simmers for 15-20 mins and before you add the shredded cheese or do you add all the cheese all at once including the cream cheese?
You add all of the cheeses at the same time.
Made this and LOVED it! I am wondering if anyone has tried doing a freezer meal out of this recipe, where you can prepare/make it before and then freeze until your ready to eat??
Do you think I could freeze the leftovers?
I haven’t tried, but I would think so. I’ve refrigerated and heated and they came out fine.
Leftovers freeze well.
Looks wonderful can’t wait to try this one out !