30-Minute Tuscan Tortellini with Sausage and Spinach
One skillet and less than 30 minutes will get this delicious Tuscan Tortellini on the table. Everything, including the tortellini, gets cooked up in one big pan. Busy weeknights, we’ve got you covered..
Delicious Tortellini Recipe in One Pan
The other day I was driving along and it started to rain. The Littles and I noticed runners, bikers, and walkers who simply kept on keeping on. No umbrellas or raincoats.
As a runner, I’ve been caught in everything from showers to downpours and never by choice. Most of the time, I opt to book it as fast as I can. There exists no better workout than trying to beat a storm.
Back in California, at the slightest sign of a sprinkle, most of us drew out our umbrellas, ready to do battle. When we moved to the Midwest, I suddenly felt like the only person who keeps an umbrella. Since then, I’ve learned to let myself get rained on sometimes. You know, when in Rome…
Speaking of which, some things are simply meant to be drenched. By things, I mean food. Specifically, tortellini loves a good sauce. Little bites of chewy, cheesy, tender tortellini simply live to be drenched.
This Tuscan Tortellini recipe is cooked in a savory, flavorful, robust sauce. Bonus: this family favorite dish takes only 30 minutes or less and one pan.
Simple Pantry Ingredients
This Tuscan Tortellini takes everyday ingredients and melds it together into something special. In every bite, you’ll get tender, cheesy tortellini simmered in a savory sauce peppered with incredible flavors. Robust Italian flavors shine through with tomatoes, garlic, onions, garlic, sausage, spinach, and Parmesan cheese.
Routinely stock your pantry with broth – chicken, beef, vegetable are all great to have on hand. We use broth all the time for recipes like Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings and One-Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup.
A few cans of diced tomatoes and a jar or two of your favorite tomato based pasta sauce always come in handy, not just for this tortellini dish, but also for dishes like Perfect Pasta Primavera.
You’ll find that keeping your freezer stocked with some ground sausage is super convenient, and an airtight roll of ground sausage can last a long time in the freezer. We love having a bag of frozen cheese tortellini, as well as frozen cheese ravioli on hand in our freezer; they’re great for quick and easy family meals.
Don’t forget that freshly shredded parmesan cheese also freezes superbly, giving you ready access to it anytime you need it, including Homemade Spaghetti nights.
All your favorite Italian flavors are tossed into one big pan. It’s comfort food with big, bold flavors – a dinner that’s destined for regular rotation.
Ingredient Options and Substitutions
Feel free to play around with fun alternatives for your tortellini dinner:
- Try chopped kale leaves instead of spinach
- Beef broth or vegetable broth can be used instead of chicken broth; whichever you choose, go with a full strength broth.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes with juices are a great alternative to Italian diced tomatoes
- Try your favorite cooked sausage links, diced or sliced, in lieu of the ground sausage
- Go meatless and add more vegetables if you’d like – ideas include sweet bell peppers, thinly sliced carrots, and zucchini.
- If you live in an area where half & half liquid cream isn’t readily available, you can use a mixture of milk and heavy cream instead.
Want to Watch us make this Tuscan Tortellini?
30-Minute Skillet Tuscan Tortellini
Ingredients
- 2 TB olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 lb bulk Italian sausage, no casings
- 2 cups tomato-based pasta sauce
- 14 oz Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, with juices
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup half & half creamer, or heavy cream
- 19 oz frozen cheese tortellini, do not thaw
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves, excess moisture removed, torn to bite size
- freshly ground black pepper
- freshly shaved/shredded Parmesan cheese
- Optional: freshly chopped herbs, such as basil or parsley, for garnish.
Instructions
- In a very large skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion, stir constantly 30 seconds. Add garlic and stir another 2 minutes or until aromatic and tender.
- Push onion mixture to the edges of pan and add sausage into the center of pan. Cook and break up sausage; once it’s half-cooked, stir together with the onion mixture and continue cooking until browned.
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juices, broth, and half/half. Stir and bring to a boil. Add frozen tortellini, stirring to submerge tortellini in the sauce. Bring back to a boil, cover, and reduce to simmer until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Gently stir in spinach just until wilted. Add 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper or to taste. Serve immediately with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped herbs, if desired.
Notes
- See original article for ingredient substitutions and variations.
- If you’d like to use fresh cheese tortellini, lessen cook time so tortellini does not overcook.
- This recipe creates extra sauce to ensure tortellini cooks through; serve with crusty bread to soak up that delicious sauce!
- If you’d prefer less liquid, you can use just 1 cup pasta sauce, but be sure the tortellini has enough liquid to fully submerge/cook in.
- If you prefer sauce more creamy, add a bit more cream. If leftover sauce becomes too thick, add a bit more broth to loosen.
Nutrition
Did you make this?
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Here are a few other 30-minutes or less meals your family will love:
- 30-Minute Lemon Basil Chicken Linguine. Nothing yummier than lemon, basil, and chicken…all in one pan, under 30 minutes.
2. 30-Minute Spaghetti Carbonara. Cooks Illustrated did a winner on this one, and we show you how right here.
3. 30-Minute Healthy Taco Casserole. Yeah, Tex-Mex can be healthish. And fast and deeeelish!
4. 20-Minute One Pan Gnocchi with Sausage and Spinach. Creamy meal in one. The family adores this dish!
