Easy Dinner – 30 Minute Sausage Tortellini Meal

Sometimes work stinks, you get home you are starving and you want a full belly.  What we have for you is a pretty easy recipe.  If you can cook sausage then you are golden and can whip up this easy dinner, the 30 minute sausage tortellini meal.

The key for this meal is speed.  It is an easy dinner, 30 minute meal.  You can make this with cold tortellini from the refrigerated section of the market, in fact it is preferred.   Frozen tortellini is ok but it should be thawed in the refrigerator first.

Now let us talk about sausage.  You want hot Italian sausage.  You can use links but you will need to remove the casing; or you can just buy patties like I used.

Note:  If you have made some of the other 30 minute 1 skillet pasta meals out there.  Then you will start to see a pattern that you can use in making easy dinner meals.  They normally start with cooking an onion followed by garlic, then the protein, drain,  followed by everything else.  It is brought to boil then simmered and covered which will thicken over 15 or so minutes and form a sauce. Last steps are usually to add cheese and garnish.

Let’s see if it holds true.  Let’s make dinner!

Ingredients:

1- 1 1/4 pounds of cheese tortellini

There are two options.  Use tortellini from the refrigerated section of the market, or frozen. If using frozen tortellini, thaw them prior to cooking by placing them in the refrigerator a couple of hours prior to cooking.

1- 1 1/2 pounds of hot Italian sausage

I used sausage patties, if you only have links that is fine too.  You will need to remove the casings first.  Otherwise the process is the same.

1 cup of chicken broth
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 Large Onion – medium dice
1 cup of shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
salt
ground pepper
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper flakes (optional)
fresh chopped Italian Parsley
1 Tablespoon of store bough Italian Seasoning

A basic Italian Seasoning can be assembled and the unused amount can be kept in a spice jar.

1. 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2. 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
3. 1 teaspoon dried thyme
4. 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
5. 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
6. 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
7. 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

Method:

I used a 3qt All-Clad Sauté which held all the contents with ease.  So I would recommend at least that size cooking vessel and a lid to go on top.

Begin by heating the pan on medium, when the pan is up to  temperature go ahead and add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Next add the onions and mix them gently while cooking.  The goal is to get them soft and translucent.

Once the onions are soft and translucent, add the garlic, and cook for a minute or so till fragrant.

It is time to add the hot sausage.  Cook the sausage till they are cooked through and browned.

Once the sausage is cooked through drain the grease

Add the tortellini, chicken broth, tomato paste, heavy whipping cream, Italian Seasoning, add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Mix well.

Like pretty much every other fresh or boxed  easy dinner 30 minute meal that contains pasta, bring the mix up to a quick boil.  Then reduce to simmer, and cover for at least 15 minutes.  I like to give a quick stir every 5 or so minutes.  Taste a sample of tortellini at 15 minutes, if it is done to your liking then remove from heat.  If not give it a couple of minutes more, especially if you used frozen tortellini.

Once the mix is done, give it a healthy dose of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and stir well.

Taste!  If it needs more salt and pepper then adjust with a pinch or so of each.  If there isn’t enough heat then add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and mix and stir, if it still isn’t hot enough add the other 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and stir again.

Add Fresh chopped Italian Parsley  and Serve!

I also like to get the microplane out and hit my pasta one more time with that micro-grated cheese one more time on top, Yummy!

Print

Easy Dinner - 30 Minute Sausage Tortellini

Easy 30 minute 1 pan hot italian sausage and tortellini meal.

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Author Ken

Ingredients

• 1- 1 1/4 pounds of cheese tortellini
• 1- 1 1/2 pounds of hot Italian sausage
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 Large Onion – medium dice
• 1 cup of shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
• salt
• ground pepper
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper flakes optional
• 1 Tablespoon of store bough Italian Seasoning
• Fresh Italian Parsley chopped

Instructions

1. Begin by heating the pan on medium, when the pan is up to temperature go ahead and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Next add the onions and mix them gently while cooking. The goal is to get them soft and translucent.
2. Once the onions are soft and translucent, add the garlic, and cook for a minute or so till fragrant.
3. It is time to add the hot sausage. Cook the sausage till they are cooked through and browned.
4. Once the sausage is cooked through drain the grease
5. Add the tortellini, chicken broth, tomato paste, heavy whipping cream, Italian Seasoning, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.
6. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to simmer, and cover for at least 15 minutes.
7. Once the mix is done, give it a healthy dose of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and stir well.
8. Taste! If it needs more salt and pepper then adjust with a pinch or so of each. If there isn’t enough heat then add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and mix and stir, if it still isn’t hot enough add the other 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and stir.
9. Add some fresh Italian Parsley
10. Serve!

adapted from NewSouthCharm.com’s 30 Minute Tortellini Skillet