This One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini is super creamy and flavorful, and a delicious was to celebrate National Cheese Day! Everything is cooked together in one pan for a quick, family-friendly weeknight meal with easy clean up.
It’s no secret that we’re cheese lovers. Just a quick look around at recipes like our Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese or Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham and you’ll be hooked just like we are.
One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini Recipe
Ham & Cheese go together like peanut butter and jelly. That saltiness of the ham is mellowed by the creaminess of the cheese, and on the flip side, the creaminess of the cheese is cut by the saltiness of the ham. My kids are huge fans of tortellini, so pairing that with ham and cheese for National Cheese Day was kind of a no-brainer.
Plus if you’ve been a reader for a while you’ve probably tried some of our other favorite one pan meals, like Italian Sausage & Tortellini and Beef Stroganoff. If you haven’t tried a one pan meal yet, what are you waiting for?! They are a huge time saver in the kitchen, especially on busy weeknights when cooking is the last thing you want to do. No slaving over a hot stove for hours, no heating up the kitchen for an hour with a hot oven. Just 10-15 minutes on the stovetop is all you need for this One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini!
If you’re not a fan of tortellini, we can’t be friends. Kidding…sort of. But if you’re not, then you could use a dry pasta in this dish in place of the tortellini. The cook time will have to be lengthened a bit, and you might need a bit more liquid, but the method is pretty much the same.
What we love about 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!
How to Make One Pan Ham and Cheese Tortellini
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 tortellini are nice tender.
- To the tortellini, stir in some Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. 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.
- Garnish with some fresh minced parsley before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- When the One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini is finished cooking, you’re going to top it with a ton of cheese. Half of that cheese is stirred right in with the ham and pasta to create the sauce. The rest of the cheese is left right on top of the pasta to melt and create that lovely golden crust under the broiler. Now if you’re adverse to turning on the broiler for a few minutes you can just cover the pan with it’s lid or some foil and let the cheese just melt on it’s own. It will take about 5-10 minutes. I recommend the broiler method because the cheese gets ooey gooey and those golden brown mozzarella bits. So good!
- 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.
More Tortellini Recipes to try!
- Warm Balsamic Chicken Tortellini Salad
- Italian Sausage & Tortellini Skillet
- Tortellini with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
- 15 Minute Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups diced ham
- 1 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 chopped 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. Cook 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.
Nutrition
Here are a bunch more cheesy recipe that are perfect for celebrating National Cheese Day!
- Stovetop Shells & Cheese
- Creamy 4-Cheese Spaghetti
- Chicken, Bacon & Blue Mac & Cheese
- Baked Ham & Cheese Roll-Ups
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
- One Pan Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- One Pan Taco Mac & Cheese
- Cheddar Broccoli Soup From Ashlee Marie
- Cheesy Garlic Bread from Life Made Simple
- Stuffed Cheese Buns from The Baker Upstairs
- Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese Sandwiches from Creations by Kara
- Fromage Fort (Cheese Spread) from Foodie with Family
- Cheese Blintzes with Fresh Strawberries from Real Mom Kitchen
- Cheesy Pesto Bread from Gather for Bread
- Instant Pot Cheesy Enchilada Rice from 365 Days of Slow Cooking
- Pimento Cheese from Foodtastic Mom
- Italian Cheesy Bites from Fed Up Foodie
- Pepperoni Grilled Cheese with Marinara Soup from A Mindful Mom
- Triple Cheddar Chicken Pasta from Lil Luna
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!
Hi Christine, Awesome feedback! Thank you so much for stopping by.
Really simple and delicious I did add steamed peas.
Thanks for sharing your positive experience Sandy!
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 🙂
Thank you Trisha! HaHa hiding the Veggies is half the fun. Thank you so much for stopping by!
I made this tonight and my whole family went back for seconds!
That’s awesome Shara! thank you for your positive feedback.
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 😋😋
Thank you Carol!
it is so tasty just loved it
Do you pre cook the tortellini?
No, it goes in uncooked.
Making it tonight for dinner!! Looks pretty delicious
Where can I find nutritional information? says servings but no calorie information etc.
You can find nutritional information by using an online app like my fitness pal.
Cannot wait to try all these yummy looking food recipes- thank you for sharing
Love these flavors!
This looks so delicious, I am drooling. Pinned it to try! Thanks for including my pimento cheese link too! 🙂
There is lots of cheese and heavy cream in this. The makings for an awesome dish!