Creamy Tortellini With Sausage
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This Creamy Tortellini with Sausage is the ultimate easy weeknight dinner—packed with flavor, made in one pan, and ready in under 30 minutes. It’s rich, comforting, and perfect for feeding your hungry fam on a busy night.
If you’re a fan of simple, hearty meals, you’ll also love our Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage and this family-favorite Burrito Bowl recipe!
💕Why You’ll Love This Easy Tortellini Recipe:
- Quick & Easy – dinner in 30 minutes
- One Pan Clean-Up – no extra time for scrubbing a bunch of pans
- Kid-Friendly – creamy, cheesy, and mild
- Customizable – make it spicy or sneak in some extra veggies
Tortellini is one of our favorite shortcut ingredients. Whether tossed in a sauce or added to a comforting soup like my Vegetable Tortellini Soup, this stuffed pasta always adds flavor and texture to your meals. Adding chicken or cheese stuffed tortellini can make a quick and delicious meal. I love cooking with tortellini because it cooks quick and adds tons of flavor.
Adding sausage, vegetables and a creamy sauce, this tortellini recipe always has everyone coming back for more.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Tortellini and Sausage
- Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
- Cheese or meat-filled tortellini (refrigerated or frozen)
- Onion and garlic
- Canned diced tomatoes
- Heavy cream
- Fresh spinach
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Olive oil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
⭐️ Full ingredient measurements and recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make Creamy Tortellini with Sausage
This one-pan pasta dinner is so simple and delicious. Here’s how to make it step-by-step:
Step 1: Brown the Sausage– Heat a large skillet (I love using my enameled cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and your Italian sausage. Cook until browned on all sides, about 3–4 minutes. It doesn’t need to be cooked through yet—it will finish cooking with the sauce.
👩🍳 Pro Tip: Buy sausage links and remove the casings, or use ground sausage for convenience.
Step 2: Sauté the Aromatics– Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring frequently until softened. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, just until fragrant. Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes if using.
Step 3: Build the Sauce– Pour in the diced tomatoes (with juices) and heavy cream. Bring the sauce to a light boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Step 4: Cook the Tortellini– Add tortellini to the pan. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and cooked through.
Step 5: Add Spinach & Cheese– Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in fresh spinach and grated parmesan. The spinach will wilt quickly from the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Customize the Flavor
This dish is mildly spicy as written, but you can adjust the spice level easily:
- 🔥 Make it Spicy: Use hot Italian sausage or add 1/4 tsp extra red pepper flakes.
- 🧀 Extra Creamy: Stir in more parmesan or some shredded Mozzarella.
- 🥦 Add Veggies: Toss in mushrooms, peas, or bell peppers with the onions for more nutrients.
✅ Recipe FAQs and Tips:
Yes! Frozen tortellini works great. Just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time and make sure the pasta is tender before serving. No need to thaw beforehand.
Mild or spicy Italian sausage is ideal. You can use ground sausage or remove the casings from sausage links then cook. Turkey or chicken sausage also work if you’re looking for a lighter option.
You can make it a few hours ahead and reheat gently on the stovetop. The sauce may thicken, so add a splash of cream or broth when reheating to loosen it up.
Skip the sausage and double up on the spinach or add sautéed mushrooms, zucchini, or bell peppers.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave with a little cream or milk to keep it creamy.
While it can be frozen, the cream sauce may separate slightly when reheated. For best results, freeze before adding the spinach and cheese, then stir those in fresh when reheating.
What to Serve with Tortellini and Sausage
Pair this hearty pasta with a simple side salad or a slice of Cast Iron Cornbread for a satisfying meal.
Other One Pot Meals to Try:
If you are looking for other Family Friendly meals or desserts follow along with me on YouTube or Facebook where I share simple recipes to help you with Feeding Your Fam! Make sure to subscribe so you will be notified when a new recipe is shared.
Watch me make this Recipe Step-by-Step:
Creamy Tortellini with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 diced tomatoes 14.5 ounce cans
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 pound cheese tortellini
- 1 cup parmesan shredded
- 1 ½ cups fresh spinach
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil and cook the ground sausage until browned.
- Add in the onion and cook while stirring for 1-2 minutes until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Season with salt, pepper Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes and heavy cream. Stir to combine and turn the heat to medium and bring the liquid to a slow boil.
- Add in the tortellini and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pasta is soft and the sauce has thickened.
- Add in the spinach and mix into the sauce until wilted, stir in the parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Nutrition facts are just an estimate
- frozen spinach can be used, thaw and discard any juices before adding to the pan.
- store any leftovers in an air tight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator
Nutrition
Post information updated July 7, 2025 with more information, recipe was not changed.
I tried this last night and it was delicious. Followed directions pretty well and used some of the suggestions in the commentary. One thing, the store was out of heavy cream so I had to use a substitute (non-dairy). It tasted just fine. I can’t wait to make it again with real cream just to taste the difference.
This was delicious. I bumped up the garlic to 5 cloves and used 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes. My family loved it and there was some jealously as to which adult child got to take the leftovers home!
You can’t go wrong with more garlic!! I’m so happy your family liked this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment! 😊