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This Italian Sausage & Tortellini Skillet is a quick and delicious meal that cooks all in one pan using just five ingredients. It’s an easy weeknight meal that your entire family will be begging you to make over and over again!
We love Italian Sausage recipes because they pack a ton of flavor into a single meal, like Spicy Italian Sausage Dip, Tortellini Soup, or Italian Sausage Meatballs. This Italian Sausage & Tortellini Skillet is no exception!
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Recipe
One Pan Meals are the kind of dinners you need in your weeknight recipe arsenal. They are quick, they are easy, and if you’re grabbing them from my site, I can guarantee they’re delicious!
This easy Italian Sausage and Tortellini Skillet meal is fast to prepare and so delicious. It’s a quick meal to get on the table when you’re in a hurry. With a quick prep of just 5-10 minutes, and a cook time of just 15 minutes, you’ll have dinner on the table in no time.
The tortellini is tender and flavorful, with an extra boost from being cooked right in the sauce. The sausage gives a nice savory, salty, or even spicy bite that compliments the creamy cheese. The leftovers are amazing, too!
There are just 5 simple ingredients, and it only takes about 30 minutes to make. Ground beef can be used instead of sausage but we love the flavors of ground Italian sausage with the tender cheesy pasta.
Ingredients
- Italian Sausage – Ground Italian Sausage is so flavorful. You can use sausage links and just remove the casings if you like.
- Refrigerated Tortellini – I always buy a few packages of refrigerated tortellini in my freezer so I can pull them out just for this recipe. You can usually find this in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. I have not tested with dry tortellini, but I’m sure it would work just with a little extra cook time.
- Marinara – I keep a few jars of marinara sauce on hand at all times for a quick meal. But if I’m feeling a little extra I’ll whip up a batch of my Homemade Marinara Sauce or Homemade Spaghetti Sauce.
- Onion + Garlic – Sauteed with the sausage for added flavor.
- Water or Broth – I usually just opt for water but beef broth would add an extra flavor boost.
How To Make One Pan Italian Sausage and Tortellini
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Cook the Sausage. Start by cooking Italian Sausage with onions and garlic until the sausage is no longer pink. Use a wooden spoon to crumble the sausage as it cooks. Drain any extra grease from the skillet and return the sausage to the pan.
Add Sauce and Simmer. Add spaghetti sauce, water, seasonings, and tortellini to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce the heat, cover the pan, and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the pasta is tender.
Add Cheese and Broil. Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. There are two methods for melting the cheese – cover and melt or broil. My favorite is under the broiler where you get those lovely crunchy brown bits as the mozzarella broils.
Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and serve immediately!
Can I Use Frozen Tortellini?
A lot of comments I get ask about the type of tortellini. I have only used refrigerated tortellini with this recipe. However, a lot of readers have shared that they used frozen and it turned out beautifully. You’ll just need to adjust the cooking time slightly, and the frozen may result in more liquid, so be mindful of that.
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh tortellini – I have found the refrigerated tortellini to be the freshest. The recipe calls for 20 ounces of refrigerated tortellini. I typically will pick up the 2-packs at Costco which are about 24 ounces – you can use that but may need to add more water. Buitoni also makes refrigerated tortellini in a 20-ounce package.
- Cheese tortellini is best – My personal favorite is the five cheese from Costco, but you can use any flavor of tortellini that you like. Meat filled tends to have a different flavor though that doesn’t pair as well with the Italian Sausage in this recipe.
- Onion and garlic are optional but preferred – They really do add another depth of flavor but do add about 10 minutes to the prep and cooking time. It’s a personal preference – you can easily omit those two ingredients, but I recommend using them as the flavor and the aroma can’t be beat.
More One Pan Meals to Try
- One Pan Cheesy Beef & Tomato Pasta Skillet
- Italian Chicken & Veggies Sheet Pan Dinner
- One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini
- Tortellini & Broccoli Alfredo
- One Pot Bacon Chicken Ranch Pasta
Italian Sausage & Tortellini Skillet
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup diced onion optional
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (2 cloves) optional
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage mild or spicy
- 24 ounces your favorite spaghetti sauce or marinara
- 20 ounces fresh cheese tortellini 2 9-ounce packages will do
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley or basil optional
Instructions
- Heat an oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon olive oil and add onions, cooking for a couple of minutes or until they begin to soften.
- Stir in minced garlic and add crumbled italian sausage. Cook until no longer pink. Drain off any extra grease.
- Stir in spaghetti sauce, water, Italian seasoning and Tortellini. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 8 minutes, or until tortellini is tender.
- Remove from heat. Sprinkle Mozzarella can Parmesan cheeses evenly over tortellini. Cover the skillet with the lid and let sit for 5 minutes while the cheeses melt. Alternatively, you could place the skillet under the broiler for a 2-3 minutes or until golden, melted and bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or basil if desired.
Notes
- Use fresh tortellini – I have found the refrigerated tortellini to be the freshest. The recipe calls for 20 ounces of refrigerated tortellini. I typically will pick up the 2-packs at Costco and one of those is the perfect size. Buitoni also makes a refrigerated tortellini in the 20 ounce package which you can see HERE. (affiliate link) If you can’t find the 20 ounce package, just substitute two of the 9 ounce packages and you’ll be fine.
- Cheese tortellini is best – My personal favorite is the five cheese from Costco, but you can use any flavor of tortellini that you like. Meat filled tends to have a different flavor though that doesn’t pair as well with the Italian Sausage in this recipe.
- I updated the recipe to add some onion and garlic, which I think are totally optional. They really do add another depth of flavor but do add about 10 minutes to the prep and cooking time. It’s a personal preference – you can easily omit those two ingredients, but I recommend using them as the flavor and the aroma can’t be beat.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Kristen, thank you for this recipe. I live in a family of adults to take food-pickiness to an extreme. When reading this recipe, I knew that 3 of us would like it, but to my great surprise, the 3 picky people were also delighted with the dish. It’s quick & easy and easy to extend the size.
You are so welcome Lynn! Love your feedback, thanks for stopping by.
This was easy and tasty. I happened to have the Costco tortellini and the Italian sausage links they sell too. The dish came together quickly and I loved not having to strain the tortellini. Thank you for the recipe!
You are so welcome Amber! Awesome feedback, thanks for stopping by.
This dish was delicious 😋 My husband loved it! Will most definitely make this again!!!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Jamie.
Made this recipe a few days ago. Excellent!!! Added a little more garlic and onion as well as some extra cheese but this is a VG recipe. My wife, who happens to be Italian, also enjoyed it. Thanks.
You are so welcome Richard! Awesome feedback, thanks for stopping by.
This is a go-to recipe for my family. I have three picky eaters and they all get so excited when I tell them we’re having this for dinner. It’s simple to make and cooks quickly so it’s perfect for nights when we are short on time.
Love the feedback Heather! Thanks for stopping by.
I decided to try this out on a whim because I had bought some dry tortellini and it’s really all I had at home. While I didn’t follow the recipe exactly as this was a “whatever’s in the kitchen” type meal, it still came out phenomenal. I had to omit the parmesan cheese and a good bit of the mozzarella since all I had were some mozzarella cheese bites. I say this because even if you can’t follow the recipe exactly, it still comes out delicious and I can’t wait to make this with everything it calls for in it.
Definitely pair with a salad and/or bread, but 10/10 would recommend and make again
Nice! Love the feedback Nicole. Thanks for stopping by.
Recipe was quick and easy with minimal clean up. The meal itself was delicious and even the kids enjoyed it. I agree that throwing it under the broiler to melt the cheese has a huge impact. Yum!
Great meal. Next time I may add mushrooms. Otherwise it was a recipe I will definitely make again. ❤️❤️❤️
Love the feedback Anne! Thanks for stopping by.
I got the nutritional info off a counter.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 368
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24.5g 31%
Saturated Fat 9.7g 48%
Cholesterol 68mg 23%
Sodium 1316mg 57%
Total Carbohydrate 14.8g 5%
Dietary Fiber 3.2g 11%
Total Sugars 11.6g
Protein 21.6g
Vitamin D 0mcg 0%
Calcium 146mg 11%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 403mg 9%
I stir in chopped kale and mushrooms and have a complete meal.
Fantastic feedback! Thanks for stopping by Debra.
K.
My whole family loves this recipe. So easy and delicious! My husband said it is restaurant quality.
I made this tonight. Easy and delicious – a new favorite in our house! Thank you!
You are so welcome Lynn! Thanks for stopping by. (Love the feedback)
This has become my all time favorite meal. I love italian sausage and tortellinis so it’s a win, win for me. I’ve probably made it 50 times since finding this recipe. Thank you ?
You are so welcome LaDonna! Thanks for stopping by.
We love this recipe and it is our go to recipe when cooking tortellini as a meal…delicious, quick and easy to prepare…thank you!!
Awesome feedback Tracey! Thank you.
Excellent meal. My family loves it.
AH-Mazing! Made this tonight for the first time. Actually, my 12 year old did most of the work while I supervised. My son was 3 bites in and asked me to please make it again soon. Definitely getting added into our rotation. Also, I used turkey sausage to lighten it up a bit, and my husband and I both added crushed red pepper to our bowls.
I love that you had your 12 year old make this recipe! I love getting my kids in the kitchen to cook. Glad you all enjoyed it.
I made this for dinner minus the extra cheese and they loved it
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Micki.
This is delicious! It’s definitely easy and delicious! And cheesy! I love cheese! I used dried cheese tortellini and it still worked out well! I used 1- 1.5 c of water and boiled for about 13 minutes.
Thank you Amy! and thanks for sharing your experience!
How many does this feed
It will feed 4-6 depending on portion size.
Made this tonight. It was delicious! My very picky 11 year old even asked for seconds. Will definitely be adding this to our rotation.
This was amazing! I cooked the sausage first and used an iron skillet, which caused some of the sausage to stick to the bottom and get really crispy. I took out the sausage and cooked some onions and garlic, when it was almost done I put in the seasonings, that helps bloom the spices. Then I used chicken broth instead of water and I needed way more than 1/2 cup, which is fine by me. The end result was amazing! I will definitely be making this again!
From start to finish, about how long did this take? (with fresh pasta)
Just made this tonight. So quick, easy and delicious!!! Thank you for this recipe…can’t wait to make it again!!!
First time making it and I think I used WAY too much tortellini. I bought two 12 oz bags of it because the recipe called for 24 oz, but now there’s way too much.
Going to just use one bag next time.
Definitely a personal preference! 🙂
I am on a diet and have started cooking more at home so I googled quick recipes because I have a hectic schedule so I came upon the Italian sausage and tortellini dish and made it tonight and it was awesome. I don’t want my family to eat what I have to eat and it not have flavor. This turned out really delicious.
Hi Kristin! Ty for sharing!! Easy and quick so we love this recipe. Just in the midst of serveing it to my hubby, 6 yr old twins, 9 yr old son and 2 yr old granddaughter, I think its already a hit. Normally I make almost everything from scratch, so kinda felt like I shorted myself and fam (due to time constraints) but honestly, amp up the mozzarella and parm a little and ur golden! Ty Kristin for sharing.
I used sliced Italian sausages because I didn’t read very carefully! However it was amazing and my husband and son both loved it. I appreciated not having to boil the tortellini separately. We just made it the second time. Thanks very much!
This is such a simple and effective method to cook the fresh tortellini ‘just right’. I added a little more water, and the texture was perfect. My teenage son loved it and went back for a huge pile of seconds.
I omitted the olive oil as the sausage renders a fair amount of grease and then added chopped onion and chopped garlic to the pan. Sautéed until onion translucent. Drained the oil, wiped out the pan with a paper towel and then added the sauce to the sausage mixture. Before adding the mozzarella and parm I blobbed on spoonfuls of ricotta. YUM.
I like the idea but would probably use ground beef, or something with way less salt/sodium. the high taste of salt was a turn off and made the dish pretty inedible, even for my husband who loves salt.
Try using a jarred sauce with less sodium. The sausage rarely has high sodium… I’ve made this a few times and it has never been salty. Try substituting ingredients for old people it may help your sensitive to salt palette.
Excellent.
I made this tonight, with a few modifications. I started by sauteing some diced onion in olive oil, then adding the Italian sausage (I used the “hot and spicy” version and poured off most of the grease after it was cooked through.) Like some other folks, I could not find fresh tortellini at my grocery store, so I used frozen. I boiled the tortellini for about 1.5 minutes then added to the pan along with a jar of marinara sauce. I let this simmer for a few minutes before grating some parmesan cheese into the pan. Finally, I added some chunks of fresh mozzarella and covered the pan to allow the cheese to melt. The result was fantastic! I’ve been trying to eat less pasta and finding this recipe will certainly not help me to achieve that goal.
Thank you so much for this recipe!! 🙂 My husband devoured this! He told me this is the BEST meal I’ve ever made! He went back for thirds saying he couldn’t stop eating this because it was so good! 🙂
How many servings for this reipe?
It makes approximately 4-6 servings.
What kind of jar sauce did you use? I typically make my our sauce but was looking for a quicker method and wasn’t sure what jar sauces taste good?
I’ve made the Italian Sausage and Tortellini Skillet a few times before and love it! I can’t seem to find the ingredients this time.
Thanks for your message. We are working on some technical issues, but I am seeing the recipe when I click on the post. Please clear your cache on your internet browser and try again. Thanks!
I can see the recipe now. Thank you for your help!
I made this for dinner tonight but substituted venison for sausage and added a cup and a half of finely chopped mushrooms. It was delicious and there’s enough left over so I don’t have to cook tomorrow. Thank you! This site is awesome!
That sounds yummy!!! I love mushrooms but my 5 year old isn’t so sure about them. I did add corn to the skillet though since we all like corn.
do you know the calories and serving size?
Can you substitute ground beef for the sausage?
I will try to be nice… but when you are cooking in your kitchen — you can do ANYTHING YOU WANT !!
There are no rules…. if you want to use seaweed instead of tortellini — you could do that to.
It just amazes me that people ask the most ridiculous questions.
How is that “trying to be nice” exactly? It was incredibly rude and disrecpectful actually.
It just amazes me that people leave the most ridiculous comments like they’re better than everyone else.
Ok so I made this today for dinner. I was really tired after a long day, and this was so simple. It’s also DELICIOUS. Seriously, so good. The only sorta problem is that I didn’t get the pasta all the way under the sauce and I had to cook it a little longer, but it was worth it. This is so easy and delicious.
Could you sub Alfredo sauce for spaghetti? I’m thinking of trying it that way and am slightly afraid.
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say if it would work or not. If you try it, let us know how it goes!
where do you find fresh tortellini
It’s in the refrigerated section, usually near the lunch meat and cheese.
Any idea how many calories are in this dish. By the way, I made mine with homemade turkey sausage.
Do you drain the olive oil before adding the sauce and tortellini?
You can if you like.
think it would work with frozen cheese tortellini?
I would defrost it first. But I’d also be afraid it would add some liquid. It’s definitely worth try though!
I just made this using frozen because fresh wasn’t available at my grocery store. The only thing I did differently was let everything simmer without a lid to get the excess water out. It turned out great! YUM!!! Thanks for the recipe, we’ll definitely be eating this again!
How many would you say this serves?
It serves about four.
since there are 6 people would i just double every ingredient?
The recipe makes at least 4 servings. Doubling the ingredients would double the cook time as well, and you’d want to use a larger pot…maybe a 5-6 quart soup pot?
This looks amazing! So far, all of your one-pot meals have been great. 🙂
Thank you Beverly!
how many servings is this
That cheese is making me swoon! Your skillet recipes are all amazing!