Easy Baked Tortellini with Italian Sausage

This easy-baked tortellini is made with spicy Italian sausage, and spinach and is topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and baked to perfection in 30 minutes. It’s a family favorite comfort meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights.

Pasta with cheese is hands down one of the most comforting cozy meals you can enjoy on chilly winter nights. Bake it or turn it into a soup or salad, they are all delicious like baked feta pasta, tomato tortellini soup, creamy marry me chicken tortellini, and chicken tortellini soup.

Why this tortellini casserole recipe works

1. 30-minute dinner that’s packed with flavors.
2. Quick and easy to make. Every carb lover’s dream!
3. Perfect for busy weeknights and relaxed Sunday lunch with family.
4. Best comfort food that everybody will love. Even picky eaters will devour it.
5. It’s perfect for chill winter nights.
6. Easy to customize, can be made with fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini. You can also swap Italian sausage with ground beef, ground chicken, or Italian sausage meatballs.
7. You can speed things up by using spicy marinara sauce instead of making meat sauce if you are crunched in time.
8. Easy to make ahead of time and bake when ready to eat!
9. Leftovers from cheesy tortellini casserole stores are great. You can serve it for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

1. Tortellini – I have used dried 3-cheese tortellini pasta. You can use fresh tortellini from the refrigerator section in the supermarket or use frozen tortellini. Cheese tortellini is my favorite, you may also use spinach-stuffed tortellini, mushroom-stuffed tortellini, or Italian sausage tortellini.
2. Italian sausage – I used spicy Italian sausage, the heat from the sausage helps balance the richness and cheesiness. Note – you can speed things up by using spicy marinara sauce instead of making meat sauce if you are crunched in time.
3. Olive oil – or you may use butter.
4. Onion – use yellow onion white onion or even shallots.
5. Garlic – the aromats that add flavor and taste.
6. Tomato paste – adds concentrated tomato flavor. Don’t get confused looking at its texture, I had to use frozen tomato paste as I forgot to thaw it before cooking.
7. Canned crushed tomatoes – you can use your favorite, fire-roasted canned tomatoes, marinara sauce, or other jarred tomato sauce.
8. Heavy cream – adds richness to the sauce.
9. Fresh baby spinach – I used regular spinach chopped up into small pieces. Use baby spinach or kale.  Always add spinach in the end, so spinach doesn’t overcook. If you don’t have fresh spinach, go ahead and use frozen spinach.
10. Mozzarella cheese – great when it melts and gives the stringy cheese pull that everyone enjoys. Always buy cheese block and great it when needed. Pre-grated cheese from the store has potato starch as fillers that help prevent cheese from clogging to each other and cheese with addictive does not melt well.
11. Parmesan cheese – optional. I love to stir in some freshly grated parmesan cheese along with mozzarella cheese to enhance the flavor and taste. Always use a parmesan cheese block and grate it fresh.

Variations

• You can use fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini. Cheese-stuffed tortellini can be replaced with meat-stuffed tortellini pasta.
• If using dried tortellini, it must be cooked first before baking. Fresh tortellini can be used directly to bake.
• Frozen tortellini needs to be thawed completely in the refrigerator before use.
• Swap Italian sausage with ground beef, ground chicken, or sausage meatballs.
• Use a mix of marinara sauce, and fire-roasted tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes.
• Spinach can be substituted with kale.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Generously season with salt. Cook tortellini as per package instructions, cook it al-dente.

Step 2: Drain and set aside. Save some of the pasta-cooked water.

Step 3: Remove the meat from the casing and pan-fry them in hot olive oil in a skillet.

Step 4: Cook for 3-5 minutes. Break the sausage with the back of a spatula as you stir and cook.

Step 5: Add diced onion and sauté until tender.

Step 6: Add minced garlic and cook for a minute.

Step 7: Add tomato paste and crushed canned tomatoes. (in the picture tomato paste is frozen, don’t get confused by its texture).

Step 8: Stir well, simmer, and cook until tomatoes are cooked.

Step 9: Season with salt and pepper as needed, and pour heavy cream, and chopped spinach.

Step 10: Stir and cook for a minute on low heat. If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water to adjust the consistency. Remove from heat.

Step 11: Add cooked pasta to the sauce along with ½ the amount of mozzarella cheese.

Step 12: Gently combine to coat the pasta in the sauce.

Note: I added pasta to the casserole dish, topped with sauce and cheese, and tried to stir to combine, thought it was hard to mix. Recommend you combine sauce and pasta in the skillet and then transfer to the casserole.

Step 13: Top the casserole with the remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.

Step 14: Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil, and broil for a few minutes to lightly brown the cheese.

Garnish with parsley and red chili flakes. Serve immediately.

Serving suggestions

You can serve baked tortellini as it is or serve it along with some side salad, roasted broccoli, crispy sautéed Brussels sprouts, sautéed green beans, honey-glazed carrots, biscuit, and pull-apart savory monkey bread.

Storage and reheating

Any leftover tortellini casserole can be stored for the next day’s meal. Allow tortellini to cool completely transfer to an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat simply heat in microwave or skillet on stove top until hot. Add a splash of water to thin out the sauce while reheating.

I do not recommend freezing the leftovers. Cooked pasta and cheese don’t hold well when thawed. You can freeze the casserole before baking.

Tips to make best tortellini bake

1. You can use fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini to make the soup.
2. Dried tortellini must be cooked before baking. Skip this step if using fresh or frozen tortellini.
3. Do not overcook tortellini pasta. 
4. Brown Italian sausage well before adding in aromats and tomatoes.

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📋Easy Baked Tortellini with Italian Sausage

Jyothi Rajesh

This easy-baked tortellini is made with spicy Italian sausage, and spinach and is topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and baked to perfection in 30 minutes. It’s a family favorite comfort meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, pasta

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 1368

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 20- ounce tortellini pasta fresh, frozen, or dried
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1- pound Italian sausage I used spicy Italian sausage, remove meat from the casing before cooking
• ▢ 1 yellow onion diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper adjust to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
• ▢ 3 cups spinach tightly packed
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 1 cup Mozzarella cheese fresh grated
• ▢ ½ cup Parmesan cheese fresh grated
• ▢ Parsley for garnish

Instructions

 

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Generously season with salt. Cook tortellini as per package instructions, cook it al-dente. Drain and set aside.
• Remove the meat from the casing and pan-fry them in hot olive oil in a skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes. Break the sausage with the back of a spatula as you stir and cook.
• Add diced onion and sauté until tender. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute.
• Add in tomato paste and crushed canned tomatoes. Stir well, simmer, and cook until tomatoes are cooked.
• Season with salt and pepper as needed, pour heavy cream and chopped spinach.
• Stir and cook for a minute on low heat.
• If the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water to adjust the consistency.
• Remove from heat.
• Add cooked pasta to the sauce along with ½ the amount of mozzarella cheese.
• Note: I added pasta to the casserole dish, topped with sauce and cheese, and tried to stir to combine, thought it was hard to mix. Recommend you combine sauce and pasta in the skillet and then transfer to the casserole.
• Transfer to a 9×13 casserole dish.
• I reduced recipe to half and used smaller casserole dish (as seen in video).
• Top the casserole with the remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil, and broil for a few minutes to lightly brown the cheese.
• Garnish with parsley and red chili flakes. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

1. You can use fresh, frozen, or dried tortellini to make the soup.
2. Dried tortellini must be cooked before baking. Skip this step if using fresh or frozen tortellini.
3. Do not overcook tortellini pasta. 
4. Brown Italian sausage well before adding in aromats and tomatoes.

 

Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 1368kcalCarbohydrates: 90gProtein: 50gFat: 90gSaturated Fat: 39gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 273mgSodium: 2644mgPotassium: 637mgFiber: 9gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 3685IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 588mgIron: 4mg

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