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).
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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 20 oz 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
My Creamy One Pan 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!
Prep
Total
Yield 4-6 servings
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.
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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.
Hi! I’m Kristin, the creative mind behind Yellow Bliss Road where you will be inspired by tons of easy to follow recipes, lots of free printables, and a little sprinkling of life thrown in for good measure.
Loved this!!! The only thing I think I will change is substitute the whole tomatoes for tomato sauce instead. Other than that, great flavor!! And it makes a ton!
I agree! I tried this recipe tonight and I thought that spaghetti sauce or vodka sauce would be better than the canned tomatoes. Also- I would use a little less pasta and add other veggies I like.
i bet with shrimp and a few veggies this would be great!
I made this for dinner tonight and just want to say YUMM! and THANK YOU! Clean up was a cinch, it was delicious and my temperamentally picky 20-month old son even asked for seconds! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I never write reviews but I made this and it was better than I thought. I like the creamy texture without adding any milk or cream. I added yellow bell pepper, parsley, mushrooms and mixed in the green onions at the end. I used diced tomatoes. The family loved it!!
Is this a soup or a casserole dish?
It’s a casserole type dish.
Trying this tonight! Added mushrooms, peas, and used fresh cut tomatoes instead of canned. Simmering right now and smells so good!
About how many tomatoes did you use??
I made this tonight! At first when my fiance asked me what I was cooking for dinner and told him I was trying something new, he was skeptical then when he was eating it. He had more then just one plate so did my 2 year old and my very picky 1 year old. Thank you for sharing this delicious meal
This is a nice week night meal! I drained the oil, and deglazed the pain with wine, doubled the meat, drained my stewed tomatoes and added a splash of prego sauce! Came out great! Love one pot wonders ! Thanks so much for the recipe!
I made this last night because I love the idea of using kielbasa in a pasta dish. Whenever you’re using canned tomatoes in a recipe, you should always add sugar to offset the bitter taste that tomatoes often have. In this recipe, I used 1T granulated sugar and of course, salt & pepper are necessary as well. I sauteed two cloves of garlic with the onion. I also omitted 1 cup of the shredded cheese and replaced it with 4 oz. of cream cheese. I also added a cup of peas at the end of the cooking time. They were a great flavor and color addition. Great recipe, I’ll definitely make it again!
Thanks for your feedback Stephanie. I disagree about adding sugar though. If you cook the tomatoes like the recipe states, you should need to add any additional sugar.
I wonder if using frozen tortellini would change the cook time or the process at all? We’ll see tonight! Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m using frozen now and wondering how it’ll turn out. Any pointers real quick?! 😉
Hi Kristin! I made this for dinner a couple weeks ago, substituting lean ground beef for sausage and it was delicious! my husband, toddler, baby and I all gobbled it up! I’ll definitely be making it – and probably other riffs on it – again. Thanks!
This might seem like a silly question but does this call for 2 cups of each shredded cheese or just 1 cup of each?
It’s a total of two cups of shredded cheese. 🙂
I had the same question and am making tonight so thanks for asking first!
I can’t wait to try this when my family comes to visit. I don’t see the actual recipe though. Can you please email it to me?
Thanks so much!
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Where did the list of ingredients go?
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Hi Kristin,
I’m excited to make this tonight! Quick question….I add the cream cheese at the very end with the rest of the shredded cheese correct?
Thank you!
Hi Morgan! Sorry I didn’t get to this before you made your dinner – I hope it turned out amazing! Yes, you add the cream cheese with the other cheeses. 🙂
Thank you! I did just that and it was amazing. I will definitely make this again!
What kind of onions did you use?
I usually use either white or brown onions, anything but red.
I have made this several times. My husband and I love it. Thanks for a great recipe!
how,any does this recipe feed?
It makes approximately 4-6 servings.
I’m making this tonight for the second time! The first was a major hit, my boyfriend and I both loved everything about it. This time though we have to make it using a large sauce pot instead of a pan (our sautee pan got lost while moving). Do you think it will turn out alright still?
Where did you find brown onions?
Could you use spagetti sauce instead of the tomatoes?
I haven’t tried it that way, but the texture and consistency would be different. I would think it would still work though. If you try that, please come back and let us know how it turns out!
I’m making this tonight for our 4 year anniversary! Would a spicy kielbasa work? If so, what would you recommend? Thank you!
Have you ever made this as a make ahead and freeze meal? If you have, did you thaw it first and then bake or do the straight out of the freezer to the oven process?
Oops change the bake to cook..
No I haven’t tried that. But if you try let us know how it works out!
I froze leftovers, let thaw at room temp & reheated slowly. I think if it is possible….. could have been better than first time around. Awesome freezer meal! Thanks for great recipe. I use chicken sausages just because that is what I have on hand.
I just HAPPENED to have tortellini and some beef sausage links. I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes and added 1 1/2 cans of water with some chicken base (no chicken broth). OMG, and I cook all the time. This just made the “sports practice night” rotation.
Made this tonight for dinner, before I added the cheeses I thought that it wasn’t going to turn out, but it looks good now! I also don’t have a pan like that (College student on a budget) but with some reworking it turned out fine although it did turn into a two pan meal 😉
I made this tonight for my husband and me. Followed it exactly. We loved it! Both of us went back for seconds. So glad we have enough for a second night. I will be sending this on to my daughter. I will be making this again for company that will be coming in a few months. They will love it! Thank you!
A little late, but whatevs. I made this last night, and OMG, it was great. I was kinda nervous about how it would turn out, especially when i found out we would be having a guest over. My boyfriend and him BOTH went up for seconds. I skipped out on the cream cheese, I put it in there and nothing was happening. I just took it out, and it was still amazing. Another thing I did was just diced tomatoes. I just don’t trust the scissors my boyfriend has had for the last, who knows, how many years. I will definitely will be making this again and I’m even telling my friends how amazing it was! 🙂 Thank you!
Made this for a birthday dinner last night. It was easy and crowd pleasing. I featured the recipe on my blog where I write about trying out ideas I find on Pinterest. Check it out! https://iampinderella.wordpress.com/2016/02/29/cheesy-tortellini-sausage/
So glad you all enjoyed it!
This looks delish, but I wish there was calorie count. My husband and I are trying to drop 15 lbs., so I always check calories before I make something. Any idea?
Hi Lisa,
As I’m not a nutritionist, I am not comfortable adding that type of information. However, there are lots of apps and sites, like My Fitness Pal, that can help you. Good luck!
I entered the ingredients into sparkpeople and came up with the following.
This is for the whole pan, so you’ll have to divide it by the number of servings you portioned it into.
Calories: 3,305
Total Fat: 146g
Saturated Fat: 62.5g
Cholesterol: 692mg
Sodium: 7,453mg
Potassium: 902mg
Total Carbohydrate: 316g
Dietary Fiber: 22g
Sugars: 24g
Protein: 196g
This has got to be one of our favorite dinner recipes! It was such a hit; fed about 6 people and everyone was raving about how delicious it was the entire time. I switched out the diced tomato for 20 ounces of Ragu and a can of tomato paste. So, so easy and delicious. 🙂
I want to make this but all i have in hand is frozen cheese tortellini… any advise on how to alter this for the frozen stuff?
I’m adding this to my two-week dinner menu and can’t wait to try it! Can you tell me the total prep and cook time? Thanks!
Made this and it was quite yummy, BF said it reminded him of a dish his grandma made! Can’t wait to try it again and add some fresh spinach!
Just wondering though, are you supposed to add the juices from the canned tomato? or drain them? Thanks!
Yes, keep the juice. So glad you enjoyed it!
My family loves this recipe, I love making it. It is delicious and so simple to make. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Very good. Very easy to make. It’s just my husband and i, and even with him eating 2 huge helpings, there’s still a lot left. Will definitely be making this again.
Sooo watery. Wanted to love this dish because of the comments but unfortunately the turkey sausage tasted like hotdogs (would’ve used pork) and the canned tomatoes made for a watery sauce.
This is going to sound bad but I am a horrible cook and hate to cook…that being said can I use frozen tortellini since I have it in my freezer? Maybe defrost it or cook it first?
It should be fine, maybe let it defrost for 5-10 minutes first, but honestly you probably don’t even need to do that. Might give off a little extra liquid but you can always strain that out.
I was trying to come up with a delish dinner, I took this recipe and used it as a base. I made mine with roasted red pepper soup, kielbasa, and mini cheese filled tortellini. Wow. You were right, I don’t know how I lived without it! Thanks the inspiration! (I didn’t add tomatoes but medium salsa instead)
Hi I was just wondering do you think your one pan smoked sausage and tortellini would work as a freezer meal?
I am a bit cautious of freezing cheese dishes, so I probably wouldn’t freeze this one.