Sausage Peppers and Onion Tortellini Skillet

Why Is My Sausage Peppers and Onion Tortellini Skillet So Good!

• One skillet does everything: the sausage, peppers, onion, and sauce all cook together, so you get layers of flavor without a stack of dirty pans.
• The tomato cream sauce is rich but not heavy, and it’s built right in the same pan the sausage cooked in, so it picks up all that flavor.
• Three cheese tortellini adds its own built-in cheesiness, so the dish feels indulgent without a long ingredient list.
• It’s a true 30-minute dinner, quick enough for a weeknight but hearty enough to serve to guests.

Ingredient Notes

• Sweet Italian sausage: This recipe uses sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed and rolled into small pieces. If you prefer more heat, hot Italian sausage swaps in easily.
• Bell peppers: Red and orange bell peppers add sweetness and color. Any color combination works here since it’s really about the sweetness and crunch they bring.
• Vidalia onion: A sweet onion variety like Vidalia mellows out as it cooks and balances the richness of the cream sauce. A regular yellow onion works too if that’s what you have.
• Tomato sauce: This calls for plain, unseasoned canned tomato sauce, not a jarred pasta sauce. The seasoning in the dish comes from the herb de Provence and red pepper flakes, so starting with a plain sauce keeps the flavors from getting muddy.
• Heavy whipping cream: This is what turns the tomato sauce into a creamy sauce that coats the tortellini instead of a thin, watery one.
• Three cheese tortellini: Fresh or refrigerated tortellini cooks quickly and holds up well in the skillet. Frozen tortellini works too, just cook it according to the package instructions before adding it to the sauce.
• Herb de Provence: This herb blend, typically a mix of thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and other French herbs, adds an earthy, aromatic note that works well with the Italian sausage and tomato cream sauce.

How to Make Sausage, Peppers, and Onion Tortellini Skillet

1. Prep the sausage and vegetables. Remove the casings from the Italian sausage and pinch off small, roughly half-inch pieces. Slice the bell peppers and onion so everything is ready to go before the skillet heats up.
2. Cook the tortellini separately. Boil the tortellini according to the package, then drain and set it aside. Cooking it apart from the sausage and vegetables keeps it from getting waterlogged or falling apart once it’s stirred into the sauce.
3. Heat the oil. Warm the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat before adding anything else.
4. Brown the sausage with the peppers and onion. Add the sausage pieces, peppers, and onion to the skillet and cook until the sausage is almost cooked through. Breaking the sausage into small pieces here means it cooks quickly and evenly with the vegetables instead of needing to be browned on its own first.
5. Build the sauce. Stir in the tomato sauce and heavy cream, then press the garlic straight into the skillet along with the herb de Provence. Stirring the garlic in raw at this stage lets it cook gently in the sauce rather than browning too fast on its own.
6. Add the tortellini and finish. Stir the cooked tortellini into the sauce and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated through and coated.

More Tortellini Recipes To Try

• Roasted bell pepper tortellini soup
• Caprese tortellini bake
• Italian tortellini salad
• Greek tortellini salad
• Pesto Alfredo tortellini
• Creamy tortellini with peas and asparagus

Sausage Peppers and Onion Tortellini Skillet Recipe

This sausage, peppers, and onion tortellini skillet is a one-pan dinner that comes together while the tortellini water is still going. Sweet Italian sausage, bell peppers, and onion cook down in a skillet, all tossed with tortellini in a tomato cream sauce. It's ready in about 35 minutes, and it's all made in one pan.

4.60 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 890kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage
• ▢ 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper
• ▢ 1 orange bell pepper
• ▢ 1 small Vidalia onion
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 1/3 cup tomato sauce
• ▢ 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 20 oz three cheese tortellini
• ▢ Salt
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp Herb de provence
• ▢ 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Take skin off the sausage and pinch off 1/2 inch balls. Slice peppers and onions.
• Cook tortellini, strain and set aside.
• Preheat oil in a skillet.
• Cook sausage, onions and peppers until sausage is almost done.
• Add tomato sauce and heavy cream and stir well. Press garlic into the skillet and stir it in the seasoning.
• Stir in cooked tortellini and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Nutrition

Calories: 890kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 1154mg | Potassium: 496mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 2878IU | Vitamin C: 84mg | Calcium: 284mg | Iron: 6mg

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