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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.
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.
Table of Contents
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.
How to Make One Pot 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 pasta is tender.
- 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.
- Garnish with some fresh minced parsley before serving.
FAQs
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.
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.
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.
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:
- Caesar Salad
- Olive Garden Salad with Copycat Dressing
- Roasted Broccolini
- Sauteed Asparagus with Garlic Butter
- Frozen Mixed Vegetables
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.
More Tortellini Recipes to Try
- Italian Sausage & Tortellini Skillet
- Tortellini with Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
- 15 Minute Broccoli Tortellini Alfredo
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
Cheesy Recipes You’ll Love
- Stovetop Shells & Cheese
- Creamy 4-Cheese Spaghetti
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
- One Pan Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- One Pan Taco Mac & Cheese
- Cheddar Broccoli Soup
One Pan Ham & Cheese Tortellini
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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.
Awesome feedback Eve! Thank you so much for stopping by to share.
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.
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.
Can I substitute diced chicken breast for the ham?
Thank you
Yes as long as it’s cooked.
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.
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).
This looks so good, I actually wish it was all on a pizza!
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!