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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).
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 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
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.
Nutrition
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.
Is the smoked sausage raw, or pre-cooked?
Smoked sausage is fully cooked. Anything “smoked” will be fully cooked by the smoking process.
On the Jack cheese in recipe is that Pepper Jack or Colby?
It’s just regular Jack cheese. 🙂
Ok, so I found this recipe a few years back and I am finally commenting. This is a total favorite for me, and as a household of one its easy to make and I get five meals out of it! This week I tested it in the instant pot and the only real change I made to how I prep this was to double the broth (so I could use the whole can!) and also I tend to leave out the onions (don’t love them). Sautéed the kielbasa slices until brown on the saute normal setting, then pressure cook for five min and wait ten min or so then release the pressure. Open it up, stir in the various cheeses and boom done. Tastes just as good as stovetop, but I didn’t have to deal with stove splatters and staying in the kitchen. GLORIOUS!!!!
Nice! Thank you so much Lauren for taking the time to leave this awesome Comment! GLORIOUS INDEED!
I have made this dish for years and my older son and husband, they love this dish! Thanks for sharing! It’s also super simple and quick compared to other go to’s.
You are so welcome Tiffany! Thank you for stopping by. (Awesome feedback, THANK YOU).
Omg so delicious. I’m not a big fan of sausage but in this dish it was so good. We cooked our tortellini separate so we omitted the chicken stock and added it to the cooked sausage and canned tomatoes and the consistency of the sauce was perfect. Oooey gooey cheesy goodness.
Awesome feedback Stephanie! Thanks for stopping by.
This was delicious! I substituted the whole tomatoes for petite diced tomatoes and I also added fresh spinach. Everyone enjoyed it!
Nice! thanks for stopping by Heather.
This looks delicious, but 739 calories!!! I’d have to make some changes.
It’s an indulgence for sure.
Hi Kristin!
This dish is a family favorite that I have been making regularly since I discovered your recipes in 2014! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. Crazy world that we are in right now (!) and since we’re sheltering in place, I’m trying to utilize ingredients that I have on hand. While I normally use refrigerated tortellini, I could only find frozen tortellini at the store because our grocery store is wiped out of so many things, like I know it is everywhere. Anyway, I’m wondering what your recommendation might be for altering the recipe using frozen pasta? Thanks and hope you and your family are well during this worldwide crisis.
Hi Karen, You’re right – so crazy! To alter this to use frozen, I would say let it thaw a bit then make sure it isn’t damp or icy and use as directed in the recipe. Since I’m not sure of the cook time, watch it to make sure it doesn’t overcook. Another option, and this is probably the best way to make sure everything is cooked evenly, would be to cook the pasta separately. Omit the broth from the recipe, and brown the onion, garlic and sausage in a skillet, following step 1. Then add the crushed tomatoes and a little salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile cook the tortellini as directed on the package. Drain the tortellini really well and add it and the cheeses to the sauce. Let me know how it turns out!
Yes, yes, yes… this is absolutely amazing. Everybody loved it so much, they wanted me to make again the very next night. I simply pared it with a bacon Cesar salad and French bread. I’m getting used to this Kristin… everything I make using your recipes is delicious. Thank you – but not for my weight gain.
So happy you love the recipes Tim! Thanks for stopping by. ps Sorry for the weight gain! LOL
Loved!! I did forget the tomatoes and didn’t have any…I used pizza sauce (12 oz) and the balance used peach salsa. It was soooo good!!
Nice! Thanks for sharing your positive experience and feedback Carla.
Made this use Italian Sausage instead of smoked sausage was delicious! Was wondering if you added spinach would you use fresh and when would you add it?
This would be great with spinach added! Definitely add fresh and add it at the end; it will wilt pretty quickly.
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.
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)
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.
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.
Step 3: If there is too much liquid left in the pan, spoon some out. But be sure to leave enough behind to make the sauce.
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.
My family loves this recipe, I love making it. It is delicious and so simple to make. Thank you for sharing it with us.
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!
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!
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?