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One Pan Ham and Cheese Tortellini is super creamy and flavorful! Everything is cooks together in one pan for a quick, family-friendly weeknight meal with easy clean up.

One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini from above

Ham and cheese are one of the great classic combo, so pairing ham and cheese tortellini to make this one pot meal was a no brainer. It’s loaded with chunks of real ham, tortellini, and loads of cheese.

Be sure to try some of our other cheesy dishes, like Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese or Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham.

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Why We Love Ham and Cheese Tortellini

  • It’s so easy – it’s a one pan recipe that is ready in 30 minutes, and with hardly any dishes to wash!
  • That savory ham and cheese combination is a classic that everyone loves.
  • It’s so creamy and cheesy!

Ingredients

  • Olive Oil – for sauteing the onion and garlic. You could also use canola or vegetable oil.
  • Onion and Garlic – both minced, for flavor.
  • Ham – if you have Leftover Ham, use that. But if you don’t you can buy a ham steak in the meat department.
  • Three Cheese Tortellini – you can use fresh that’s found in the deli section or frozen. Even dried tortellini will work. Any of the above will take slightly different cook times.
  • Chicken Broth I buy the low sodium version so I can control the salt. Plus the ham is pretty salty already.
  • Heavy Cream – to help form the sauce.
  • Mozzarella Cheese – freshly grated off the block; don’t use the pre-shredded because it doesn’t melt as well.
  • Parmesan Cheese – freshly grated off the block.
  • Parsley – fresh and minced for garnish.
ingredients for ham and cheese tortellini

How To Make One Pot Ham and Cheese Tortellini

  1. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Dice up an onion and add it to the skillet and let them soften for several minutes.
  2. Dice up some leftover ham into cubes (or buy it already cut up) and a couple cloves of garlic and add them to the skillet. Let the ham get nice and golden brown. Since it’s already fully cooked, you don’t have to worry about the ham cooking, just brown it til it looks pretty.
  3. Add chicken broth, tortellini and heavy cream to the pan and stir until it’s all combined. Bring it to a boil and let it cook uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is tender.
  4. Stir in some Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Taste and add kosher salt and black pepper if needed. Then top with more mozzarella and slide the skillet into the oven under the broiler. Watch it closely to avoid scorching, but let the cheese bubble and brown.
  5. Garnish with some fresh minced parsley before serving.
cooked ham in a large skillet
cheese, tortellini in a large skillet
ham and cheese tortellini skillet
broiled cheese on top of ham and tortellini

FAQs

What is tortellini?

Tortellini is an Italian stuffed pasta that originated in Italy. The pasta is wrapped around a filling and formed into a ring. Traditionally they are stuffed with meat (pork or beef) or cheese, or both. Today you can find them stuffed with beef, chicken, or cheese and they are widely available in fresh, frozen, and dried varieties.

How long do you cook tortellini?

Tortellini cooks very quickly. You’ll know they are done when the pasta puffs up a little and floats to the surface of the boiling water. Fresh tortellini takes 2-3 minutes, frozen takes 3-4 minutes and dried tortellini takes 10-11 minutes. Each package will have instructions, so be sure to follow them.

What cheeses are in tortellini?

This can vary by brand, but typically tortellini contains Ricotta cheese, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses. Sometimes included are Mozzarella, Fontina, and Mascarpone.

Variations

Spicy – If you want to add some heat to this dish, you can add half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes when you add the garlic.

Vegetables – You can add veggies, like broccoli, asparagus, or mushrooms.

Meat – I use ham because the ham and cheese combo is unbeatable. You could also use smoked sausage for the same flavors, but chicken will work too. Just would need to cook the chicken most of the way through before adding the tortellini.

Cheese – In place of or mixed with the Mozzarella, Fontina, or Gruyere would be a great choice. Jack cheese would also work.

One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini on a dinner plate

Serving Suggestions

You’ve got a great meal in one pan, but I always serve a veggie or a salad on the side. Here are a few options:

Storage and Reheating

Storage: Leftovers should be placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge no less than two hours after cooking. Store for up to 3-4 days.

Freezing: I do not recommend freezing this dish.

Reheating: Reheat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds in 30 second intervals.

  • If you don’t want to use the broiler, you can just place the lid on the pan for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese on top. It won’t turn golden brown, but it will melt just fine.
  • Watch the tortellini closely as it cooks because it does cook quickly. If there is any liquid left in the pan, you can spoon some out before adding the cheese. A little liquid is ok because that’s the base of the sauce.
  • If you’re not a fan of ham, that’s ok! This recipe also works with leftover chicken.

One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini is super creamy and flavorful, and cooked all in one pan for a quick, family-friendly weeknight meal with easy clean up.

More Tortellini Recipes to Try

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Recipe

One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini

4.48 from 21 votes
One Pot Ham and Cheese Tortellini is creamy and flavorful, and cooked all in one pan for a quick weeknight dinner with easy clean up.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 5 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 cups diced ham
  • 20 ounce package fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
  • 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh minced parsley

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened. Add diced ham and garlic and cook for several minutes, until browned.
  • Add chicken broth, tortellini and heavy cream. Stir until combined and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for about 8-10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and tortellini are tender.
  • Meanwhile, heat the broiler on your oven (place the rack in the center of your oven).
  • Remove from heat. Stir in half of the Mozzarella and all of the Parmesan cheese until melted.
  • Top with remaining Mozzarella and place under the pre-heated broiler for about 3-5 minutes, until golden and bubbly (watch closely to avoid burning). OR if you prefer not to use the broiler, cover and let sit for 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
  • Garnish with fresh, chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Notes

Storage: Leftovers should be placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge no less than two hours after cooking. Store for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing this dish.
Reheating: Reheat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds in 30 second intervals.

Nutrition

Calories: 670kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 37gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 1436mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 615IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 423mgIron: 3.7mg
Keyword cheese tortellini, ham and cheese tortellini

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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Comments

  1. I made this last night but I used Swiss cheese instead of the parm, marble cheddar for the mozzarella cheese and White wine for the chicken stock. Plus, I uncovered it after 30 minutes sprinkled buttered Ritz cracker crumbs on top and put it back in for 10 minutes. You got-ta use what you got. So tasty with salad last night for dinner and even better today warmed up for lunch. And my sweetie loved it too, so I will be making this again

  2. This was very good. I doubled the chicken broth, cream and parmesan cheese which I’m glad I did to make it creamier. I think this also made for better leftovers, which were just as good as the original. I grated fresh paremesan and fresh mozzarella. I didn’t use a pan that could go in the oven so it put it all in a glass pan to broil at the end. From start to finish it took me about an hour. Thank you for the recipe. I will make it again.

  3. It was not creamy it was watery. Needs less chicken broth or flour to thicken sauce. After the broiler it looked great but was very watery.

    1. Hi Jean, my guess is that it needed to simmer a little longer. The tortellini shouldn’t absorb all of the liquid, but most of it should be absorbed and/or evaporated. You can use less, but it might not be enough to actually cook the pasta.

  4. We made this tonight and while it was very good and everyone enjoyed it the mozzarella cheese all clumped together in a massive ball and didn’t melt and make a cheese sauce. Eating it was interesting since we had to break off hunks of the cheese blob and eat with each bite.

    1. Hi Jen, Melting mozzarella can be tricky, you have to stir right away and make sure to sprinkle it evenly. Also freshly grated melts differently than pre-shredded (not sure which you used).

  5. This turned out really good! I made it with gluten free frozen cheese tortellini, and I was unsure how the cooking times would hold out, as sometimes gluten free pasta takes a little longer to cook. It turned out really good, although the only thing I might do differently when I make it again is add a hair more liquid (increase both the chicken broth and the cream by a 1/4 cup), because it didn’t seem like the pasta were fully covered when cooking, and I think that led to some uneven cooking. The only other thing I did that varied from the recipe was I used a blend of Mozzarella and Provolone, because that’s what I had on hand. This is definitely something would make again! Next time I might even try adding some peas to it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  6. So yummy!!! I also added some chopped up broccoli (to hide some veggies from my toddler) and it was awesome! Going to try with chicken next time, and maybe a little cheddar too. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  7. This is so yummy! My family now gets very excited when I bring home tortellini! Also good with pepperoni if you don’t have ham ??

  8. This looks so delicious, I am drooling. Pinned it to try! Thanks for including my pimento cheese link too! 🙂