Chicken and Sausage Tortellini Casserole

Key Ingredient Notes

• Ground Italian sausage: I use mild sausage to keep this kid-friendly, though spicy works too if you want more heat. Either way, look for one seasoned with fennel and garlic, the classic Italian sausage flavor this casserole is built around.
• Refrigerated cheese tortellini: Refrigerated tortellini is already tender and cooks quickly, which is what this casserole’s quick bake depends on. A spinach and cheese tortellini is a good swap if you want a little extra color.
• Three-cheese pasta sauce: A jarred three-cheese pasta sauce gives this casserole a head start on flavor, since it’s already got cheese built in. Pick one you’d be happy eating on its own, since it’s the base of the whole dish.
• Vidalia onion: Its natural sweetness balances the acidity in the tomato sauce without adding a sharp onion bite.
• Brown sugar: Just a small amount rounds out the acidity in the tomato sauce. It’s not enough to make the dish taste sweet, just balanced.
• Asiago, Parmesan, Romano, and mozzarella: I mix the first three cheeses straight into the sauce for sharpness and depth. Then I save the mozzarella to melt on top. Grating your own cheese off the block gives the smoothest melt, since pre-shredded bags contain anti-caking additives that affect texture.

How to Make Chicken and Sausage Tortellini Casserole

1. Boil the tortellini. Cook it in salted water until just al dente, then drain and set it aside in a large mixing bowl. Undercooking it slightly here keeps it from turning mushy once it goes back in the oven.
2. Prep the chicken and sausage. Cut the chicken breast into small, even chunks and roll the ground sausage into small balls. Keeping the pieces similar in size helps everything cook through at the same rate.
3. Brown the meat. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken and sausage with a little salt until done. Transfer the meat to the bowl with the tortellini and keep the drippings in the pan.
4. Build the vegetables. Dice the tomatoes and onion and add them to the same pan you used for the meat. Sautéing them right in those drippings for a few minutes builds a lot of flavor.
5. Add the garlic. Stir in the crushed garlic and cook for about a minute, just until fragrant.
6. Simmer the sauce. Pour in the pasta sauce, minced basil, brown sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Bring it to a simmer, then take it off the heat once everything is well combined.
7. Preheat and prep the dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 1.5 to 2 quart casserole dish.
8. Combine everything. Add the Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses to the bowl with the meat and tortellini. Pour in the sauce and mix until everything’s evenly coated.
9. Assemble and bake. Spread the mixture into the prepared casserole dish, top with mozzarella, and bake for about 15 minutes. Since everything is already cooked, this bake is really just to melt the cheese. Watch it rather than going strictly by the clock.
10. Serve. This casserole is best served right away, while the cheese is still bubbly. The tortellini hasn’t had a chance yet to soak up too much sauce.

Ways to Serve Chicken Sausage Tortellini Bake

• Crusty bread for scooping: A loaf of crusty Italian bread works great for scooping up the sauce. My homemade Parmesan garlic and herb breadsticks are another good option.
• A peppery green salad: A Caesar salad or a simple arugula salad with lemon cuts through the richness of all that cheese.
• Roasted vegetables: My roasted green beans and mushrooms or garlic butter roasted Brussels sprouts add color and a fresh bite next to all the cheese and pasta.
• A glass of red wine: A medium-bodied red like Chianti, Sangiovese, or Barbera pairs naturally with the tomato and Italian sausage flavors here.

How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat Chicken and Sausage Tortellini Casserole

• Store: in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
• Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this casserole. The tortellini is already fully cooked before it goes into the oven. Freezing and thawing already-cooked pasta tends to turn it mushy.
• Reheat: individual portions in the microwave in 30-second increments, or warm larger portions in a covered pan over medium-low heat. Either way, heat it until it’s steaming hot before eating.

Chicken and Sausage Tortellini Casserole Recipe FAQs

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Four Cheese Chicken and Sausage Parmesan Tortellini Casserole

Two proteins in one casserole just makes sense to me, so this one combines chicken and Italian sausage. Boil the tortellini ahead of time, and you'll need only about 15 minutes in the oven to melt the cheese. The payoff is a rich, cheesy dinner that tastes like it simmered for hours, even on the busiest weeknight.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 533kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

• ▢ 12 oz chicken breast
• ▢ 10 oz ground Italian sausage mild or spicy
• ▢ 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 9 oz refrigerated tortellini pasta
• ▢ 18 oz pasta sauce three cheese
• ▢ 3 Roma tomatoes
• ▢ 1 small Vidalia onion
• ▢ 3 lg garlic cloves
• ▢ 5-6 basil leaves
• ▢ Salt
• ▢ Red pepper flakes
• ▢ 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
• ▢ 1/3 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
• ▢ 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1/3 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
• ▢ 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• Cook tortellini al dente, drain and set aside into a large mixing bowl.
• Cut chicken into small chunks. Roll small balls out of ground Italian sausage.
• Heat up a large cooking pan over medium heat and add some vegetable oil.
• Cook chicken and sausage (seasoned with a little bit of salt) until just done and take it out into the bowl with tortellini. (Keep the juices from cooking meat in the pan, you will cook veggies in it.)
• Dice tomatoes and onion and add it to the cooking pan. Saute for a few minutes.
• Crush and chop garlic cloves and add it to the cooking pan. Mix and cook for about a minute.
• Add pasta sauce, minced basil leaves, brown sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir everything and bring to simmer. Take off heat.
• Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a casserole dish. (1.5 to 2 quart size will work well.)
• Add grated Asiago, Parmesan, and Romano cheeses to the bowl with meat and tortellini. Mix well and add pasta sauce. Mix everything together.
• Spread the mixture evenly in the casserole dish.
• Top with Mozzarella cheese evenly and bake for about 15 minutes.
• Serve right away.

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1375mg | Potassium: 764mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 902IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 370mg | Iron: 3mg

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