Creamy Sausage Tortellini for Two – An Easy Skillet Dinner

My Creamy Sausage Tortellini recipe combines tender cheese-filled pasta, browned Italian sausage, and spinach in a simple garlic Parmesan cream sauce. It’s a satisfying dinner that comes together in about 25 minutes, making it a great option when you want something comforting without spending the evening in the kitchen.

Refrigerated tortellini makes this recipe especially easy. There is no filling to prepare or pasta dough to roll. The tortellini cooks right in the skillet with the broth and cream, picking up flavor from the sausage and garlic as it becomes tender.

This recipe makes two generous dinner servings. Add a small salad or enjoy it on its own, and you have an easy meal with very little cleanup.

A Quick Dinner With a Simple Cream Sauce

One of the easiest ways to add flavor to a pasta dinner is to start with Italian sausage. It already contains seasonings, so you don’t need a long list of spices to make the dish taste good.

Once the sausage browns, a little garlic goes into the same skillet. Chicken broth loosens the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and heavy cream turns that broth into the base for the sauce.

The tortellini then simmers directly in the liquid. As the pasta cooks, it releases some starch, which helps bring the sauce together. Parmesan cheese adds flavor and thickens it a little more at the end.

A couple of handfuls of spinach finish the dish. The leaves wilt quickly, so there is no separate cooking step and no extra pan to wash.

The result is creamy pasta with enough sausage to make it a complete dinner. It’s simple enough for a weeknight, but it also works when you want a relaxed dinner at home on the weekend.

Ingredients To Make Creamy Sausage Tortellini

A printable recipe card is located below with the specific measurements and instructions.

Italian Sausage

Use ½ pound of ground Italian sausage. Mild sausage gives the dish plenty of flavor without making it spicy, while hot Italian sausage adds a little heat.

If you have sausage links, remove the casings before adding the meat to the skillet. Break it into small pieces as it cooks so you get a little sausage in each bite.

Use Italian sausage rather than breakfast sausage for the flavor intended here. Breakfast sausage often contains sage and other seasonings that will give the finished dish a different taste.

If you buy a one-pound package, save the remaining portion for another meal. My Ground Sausage and Zucchini recipe is another easy way to use it.

Refrigerated Cheese Tortellini

A nine-ounce package of refrigerated cheese tortellini is a convenient size for this recipe. Depending on the brand, the package may contain slightly more or less, so check the weight before you begin.

Choose a variety with a short cooking time, generally three to five minutes when boiled. The pasta may take a little longer in the gently simmering sauce.

Dried tortellini needs more cooking time and liquid, so it isn’t a direct substitute in this skillet method. If that is what you have, cook it separately according to the package directions and prepare the sauce separately before combining them.

Garlic

Two minced garlic cloves give the sauce a noticeable garlic flavor without overpowering the cheese filling.

Add the garlic after the sausage finishes browning and you have drained any excess grease. It only needs about 30 seconds in the skillet before you pour in the broth.

Keep stirring during that short cooking time. Garlic can burn quickly against the hot pan.

Chicken Broth and Heavy Cream

Low sodium chicken broth provides the liquid needed to cook the tortellini. It also helps you control the saltiness, since the sausage and Parmesan already contribute salt.

Heavy cream gives the sauce its richness and works well for a short, gentle simmer. Avoid boiling the mixture hard, which can reduce the liquid too quickly.

The sauce will look fairly thin when you first add the ingredients. Give the pasta time to cook before deciding whether it needs to thicken to give it that classic creamy sausage tortellini texture.

Parmesan Cheese

Freshly grated Parmesan melts more smoothly than the shelf-stable grated cheese sold in a shaker container.

Finely grate the cheese and stir it in over low heat once the tortellini is tender. This helps it blend into the sauce.

Taste the finished pasta before adding salt. You may find that the sausage, broth, and Parmesan provide all you need.

Baby Spinach

Baby spinach adds color and a vegetable without making the recipe more complicated.

If the leaves are large, give them a rough chop first. Remove any tough stems, then stir the spinach into the hot pasta near the end of cooking.

Two loosely packed cups may look like a lot at first, but the leaves shrink considerably as they wilt.

How To Make Creamy Sausage Tortellini for Two

1. Brown the Sausage

Place a deep, 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and break it apart with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Cook for approximately six to eight minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked through. Break up any large pieces so the sausage distributes evenly throughout the pasta.

Drain excess grease, leaving just a light coating in the skillet. Too much grease can make the cream sauce feel oily.

2. Add the Garlic and Broth

Stir the minced garlic into the cooked sausage and cook for about 30 seconds.

Pour in the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen the browned bits. Those little pieces add flavor to the sauce.

Stir in the heavy cream, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.

3. Cook the Tortellini

Add the refrigerated cheese tortellini and stir gently to coat it in the creamy sausage liquid.

Cover the skillet and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for approximately four to seven minutes, stirring once or twice, until the pasta is tender.

Check the tortellini early, especially if your package lists a short cooking time. The pasta should be tender but still hold its shape.

If the skillet starts looking dry before the pasta finishes cooking, add another tablespoon or two of broth. Keep the heat moderate so the liquid doesn’t cook away too quickly.

4. Finish the Creamy Sausage Tortellini Sauce

Uncover the skillet and stir in the spinach. Cook for one to two minutes, just until the leaves wilt.

Reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the Parmesan cheese. Toss gently until the cheese melts into the sauce.

Remove the skillet from the heat and let the pasta stand for two minutes. The sauce will continue to thicken as it rests.

Taste and adjust the seasoning, then divide between two bowls.

Tips for a Creamy Sauce

Keep the simmer gentle. You want small bubbles around the pasta, rather than a rolling boil. High heat can evaporate the liquid before the tortellini becomes tender.

Stir carefully. Filled pasta can tear if you stir it too aggressively. Use a spoon or silicone spatula to turn the tortellini gently.

Add Parmesan at the end. Reduce the heat before stirring in the cheese so it has a better chance to become creamy as it melts into the sausage tortellini sauce.

Allow a short resting time. The sauce may seem slightly loose when you turn off the heat. Give it a couple of minutes before adding more cheese or trying to reduce it further.

If the sauce becomes thicker than you like, stir in a splash of warm broth. Add a little at a time until it coats the pasta the way you prefer.

Substitutions and Easy Additions

You can use Italian turkey sausage in place of pork sausage. If the sausage is very lean, add a teaspoon of olive oil to the skillet to help it brown.

For a little heat, choose hot Italian sausage or add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes with the Italian seasoning. Start with a small amount, especially if you are using spicy sausage.

Chopped sun-dried tomatoes also work well in this dish. Drain oil-packed tomatoes and stir in two tablespoons when you add the broth.

If you prefer mushrooms, sauté a small handful of sliced mushrooms with the sausage. Let their released moisture cook away before adding the garlic and sauce ingredients.

You can leave out the spinach if you don’t have any. Serve a vegetable on the side, or simply enjoy the sausage and cheese tortellini as it is.

For frozen tortellini, follow the package directions and cook it separately for more predictable results. The skillet liquid amounts here are intended for refrigerated pasta.

Enjoy! Mary

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