One Skillet Cheese Tortellini with Italian Chicken Sausage

5 from 3 votes

A rich and flavorful one skillet cheese tortellini with chicken sausage is easy to whip up in less than 30 minutes!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Keyword cheese tortellini, cheese tortellini recipe, One Pan Tortellini, Sausage Tortellini

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 419kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

¼ cup olive oil
12-13 ounces Italian chicken sausage (If using fully-cooked sausage, slice each link into rounds. For fresh sausage, remove the casings and brown the ground sausage.)
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, very finely diced
1 small onion, very finely diced
1 (12 ounce) package frozen baby broccoli florets, thawed
9 ounces fresh cheese tortellini (I use refrigerated Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini)
24 ounce jar marinara sauce (about 2 ½ cups total)
¾ cup chicken broth (or water)
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Garnish: grated Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh parsley or basil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the sausage and garlic (if you prefer softer vegetables, you can add the bell pepper and onion at this point, too). Cook and stir until the fully-cooked sausage is browned (about 5 minutes), or until the fresh sausage is cooked through (about 7-9 minutes).
Add the bell pepper, onion, broccoli, tortellini, marinara sauce, and broth (or water). Bring to a boil.
Once the mixture boils, turn the heat to LOW, cover, and simmer for about 7-9 minutes (or until the tortellini is tender). Remove from the heat.
Remove lid, sprinkle mozzarella over the tortellini, and place the lid back on top until the cheese melts (about 1 minute). Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Garnish with Parmesan and fresh herbs.

Finely dice the bell pepper and onion so that they become soft and tender. Larger chunks of vegetables will require a longer cooking time.
The bell pepper and onion become crisp-tender by the end of the cooking process. If you prefer even softer vegetables, sauté the bell pepper and onion with the sausage at the beginning. This will give them some extra time to soften up in the pan.
If using fresh chicken sausage, remove the casings and break apart the sausage as it cooks in the pan. If using fully-cooked chicken sausage, slice into rounds and just brown it in the skillet. Fresh sausage will need a few extra minutes to cook through in the pan.
Omit any vegetables that you don't care for. For instance, leave out the broccoli or the bell peppers.
Add spinach or frozen peas at the end of the cooking time in lieu of the broccoli. Spinach and peas only need a couple of minutes to soften in the dish.
Add sautéed mushrooms or a can of diced tomatoes to the dish.
Instead of cheese tortellini, try other flavors such as chicken, sausage, or spinach tortellini.
Substitute frozen or dried tortellini for the fresh tortellini. If using dried tortellini, you will likely need to add some extra broth to the skillet, and you will need to extend the cooking time.
If you prefer to use fresh broccoli florets instead of frozen, microwave or parboil the broccoli before adding it to the pan so that it's not too firm in the finished dish.