One Pan Sausage & Tortellini
This One Pan Sausage & Tortellini can be on the table in minimal time with minimal dishes. It’s a perfect balance of creamy, spicy and sweet, and there’s tons of hidden veggies, too!
The year is finally starting to wind down, and I am R-E-A-D-Y for that break from work between Christmas and New Year’s. That glorious week where I can stay in my pajamas as long as I want, watch movies, eat snacks and pretend they’re meals, read books, do puzzles, and generally just unwind and do nothing.
I especially look forward to this time because as a small-business owner, December is one of my busiest months. Lots of clients requesting lots of projects, as well as gearing up for 2018.
December is a time where complicated dinners are just not possible. I have neither the time nor the mental energy to figure that out.
This One Pan Sausage & Tortellini (as well as my Sausage Pasta Skillet and salmon spinach pasta) is a meal I turn to time and again in busy seasons of life.
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To get started, grab some Italian sausage (I like the spicy kind but mild works, too). Cook that up with a bit of garlic, and then you’re gonna plop cheese tortellini right into the skillet. No need to boil them first, we’ll do it in the skillet by adding some chicken broth.
A little bit of half and half for creaminess, golden raisins for a pop of sweetness, and crunchy radish go into the skillet, too. Does anybody else always seem to have random radishes rolling around in their crisper? No, just me?
Now, you KNOW I don’t have time to mess with side dishes this time of year. Nope, all the veggies are going in this One Pan Sausage & Tortellini, too.
A full box of baby spinach adds loads of nutrition. Done and done. Take that, busy season.
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One Pan Sausage & Tortellini
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¾ pound hot or mild Italian sausage casings removed, if necessary
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 package cheese tortellini 8 to 10 ounces
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- 1 package baby spinach 5 ounces
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 radishes thinly sliced
- ¼ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat oil in large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sausage and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally and breaking up sausage with back of spoon.
- Stir in chicken broth and heat to boiling. Stir in tortellini and raisins; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in greens, half and half, lemon juice and salt. Cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until greens are slightly wilted and tortellini is tender. Remove from heat; let stand 3 minutes before serving to allow sauce to thicken.
- Serve tortellini garnished with radishes, Parmesan cheese and parsley.
LOVED this one-pan dinner! It was a big hit in our house, and my sister is making it for dinner tonight! I was surprised at how much I loved the raisins in there. Next time I make it, I will definitely add more! So good!
I am so glad to hear that this was such a hit for you, Sara. Golden raisins are one of my favorite kitchen secrets. They add just a little pop of sweetness without being overpowering. Hope your sister loves it, too!
I thought this recipe was absolutely delicious. I appreciate the time we get to spend over the holiday break just relaxing and unwinding. But I don’t think you need to wait for that to make something like this – so flavorful and yet a single pan for cleanup. Sounds like a perfect meal for a busy family. I especially liked the sliced radishes – the freshness elevated the dish.
I love one-pan dinners which are all inclusive like this one. The combination of ingredients is intriguing, and I’d even buy radishes for it. I would definitely do this with hot Italian sausage, because even though we can’t do a lot of heat, we would find it too bland with sweet Italian sausage. I have to say, though, that I have absolutely no idea where in the grocery store to look for the tortellini.
Oh, good. I want to experiment more with one pan dinners in 2018, so I’m glad you like the concept. Hot Italian sausage is definitely the way to go. And actually, the kind I bought wasn’t even really that hot. I ended up adding more red pepper flakes!
I feel like every store keeps their tortellini in a different place, but it will always be refrigerated. Some stores have a separate refrigerator for refrigerated pastas and sauces (like Buitoni brand if you’re familiar with that). Sometimes it’s in a seemingly random location and sometimes it’s actually in the same aisle as the dried pastas (they’ll have a little fridge in that aisle). And other times, it won’t be in a separate refrigerator, but will be near the cheeses or eggs instead. It’s like a treasure hunt sometimes 🙂
Guess who finally made this dish?! It was very enjoyable (no surprise there… ?). I ended up using sweet Italian sausage, and unfortunately had no parmesan to top it, because when I pulled my jar out of the refrigerator I discovered that the cheese was extremely moldy. The dish was excellent anyway, and I will be making it again. By the way, I had no trouble finding the tortellini.
Ahhh the moldy Parmesan disappointment. It’s happened here too. But, I am so glad to hear you liked this recipe, Susan! I just made this myself last week. My parents make it quite often as well. It’s a family favorite for sure!
I also made a riff on this using apples for one of my clients. This is actually the one I make most often now: http://www.michiganapples.com/Recipes/ID/1711/Sausage-Apple-Tortellini
I’ve saved that recipe, too, and will have to try it. I forgot to mention that I thought the raisins were a really nice touch in the original. Looking forward to trying the apple version.
Thank you! I’m SUCH a fan of sneaking raisins into savory dishes. I love that little pop of sweetness in so many recipes.