This Baked Tortellini with a sausagey tomato sauce is pretty basic but it’s ohhhh so good. It’s my comfort food weakness right now. Highly recommend dunking in there with some buttery garlic bread!
Baked Tortellini with Sausage
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How was this so simple and so amazingly delicious?! I stayed true to the recipe aside from omitting the sausage and instead added some crispy prosciutto on top with the cheese. I love how veggie packed it is. I will definitely make this again. It almost feels SOS-like in terms of effort versus outcome.
Mary C.
This Baked Tortellini Is My Weakness Right Now.
I started making this as a cozy weekend moment – we’re having a friend over for dinner, we’re ready to tuck in at home, we just want a big pan of carby delight to dive into with butter-soaked crispity pieces of garlic bread.
And then it moved into, like, I can’t wait till the weekend for that so let’s make that again on Tuesday night for dinner.
And now it’s just in the permanent repertoire! Unlike the AFC, it’s not really a nightly situation – this guy is heavy and rich and unapologetically extra, and once a week is about all I can handle. So I save it for a night when I am extra hungry and looking for a comfort food hug, and it delivers every time.
I loosely based this around one of my favorite soups of all time – Ang’s Tortellini Soup. But since it’s already pretty heavy with the cheese on top, I don’t think it needs the cream in there. That said, follow your heart. If you’re wanting some creaminess or a few dollops of garlic herb Rondele in there (a weirdly specific vision I’ve had), please don’t deny yourself this joy.
And DO NOT SKIP the garlic bread – I know it’s an extra step, and you can buy it if you must! But dunking a chunk of garlic bread into that skillet and building a perfect bite with sauce, bread, and a little piece of cheesy tortellini is an elite experience that I don’t want you to miss out on.
Welcome To My House! Come Make This Baked Tortellini With Me.
1
Brown Your Sausage.
I like to let it sit for a minute so it gets *actually* crisped and browned on the outside.
2
Chop and Sauté Your Veggies.
I am lazy so I did my veggies in the food processor into a very fine mince. But you can also be proper and chop them.
Sausage gets cooked, veggies get cooked, then they both went back in together. Check out the browning on the sausage. YUMMO!
3
Add Tortellini, Etc.
Here goes the sauce and tortellini…
And here comes the spinach. We’re going to simmer.
At this point I’ve made a very nice little mess. Typical.
4
Bake that Baby Up Under a Cheese Blankie.
I use shredded mozz and grated parm! Plus a bit of parsley for beauty.
5
Eat This With Garlic Bread. Please. Yum.
It’s very carb-on-carb and it’s SO delicious. Chunks of garlic bread are the perfect vehicle to scoop up that flavorful tomatoey, sausagey sauce plus a bite or two of tortellini. OMG I’m drooling.
Watch How To Make This Baked Tortellini
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Baked Tortellini with Sausage
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6+ servings 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Baked Tortellini:
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage (I use a mild one for my kids, but spicy would be delicious)
- 2–3 carrots, chopped
- 2–3 stalks of celery, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 25-ish ounce jar of tomato sauce OR a can of San Marzano tomatoes
- 10–15 ounces of refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups baby spinach, torn
To Go On Top:
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- finely chopped parsley
For Serving:
Instructions
- Brown the sausage: Heat a very large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and the sausage; break apart with a wooden spoon and brown until it’s got some nice color. Transfer to a bowl and drain out any of the oil that you don’t want (I usually drain off about a tablespoon, leaving a tablespoon in the pan).
- Sauté the veggies: If you’ve got some browning on the bottom of your pan – great. Add the veggies and they should start to pull up some of that yummy brown flavor. Add the fennel seeds. Cook until the veggies are fragrant and soft – you can add a bit of salt or oil if you’re feeling chefy. Then add the sausage back in.
- Add everything else: Add your tomato sauce, your tortellini, and 1 cup of broth. The pan will be full. Let it come to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes or so to cook the tortellini. If you need more liquid to cook the tortellini, go ahead and add some or all of the remaining broth. Sometimes I just pop a lid on and leave it for a while on low heat.
- Spinach and cheese: Give it a taste – if you used canned tomatoes instead of a jar of sauce, it will probably need some salt. Add the spinach and stir it in until it wilts. Top the whole thing with the mozzarella cheese and pop it into the oven at 375 for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melty.
- Finish: Sprinkle some grated parm on top along with some chopped parsley, and dunk into that baby with some chunks of garlic bread. SO GOOD.
Notes
Package sizes for tortellini range between 10-20 ounces, and the amount of tortellini you add here can be dependent on your pan size – I can never fit a full 20, but sometimes I feel like I can fit a little more than 10? Basically… it’s flexible. Grab a package of tortellini and fit what you can in there.
In the photos above, I’m using a 3 quart All Clad sauté pan. If you have doubts about the size of your pan being big enough, I would suggest just sizing up into a Dutch oven or similar so you don’t run out of room!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: tortellini recipe, tortellini, pasta recipe, baked tortellini
Frequently Asked Questions For Baked Tortellini
How do you make a meatless baked tortellini?
Use a plant-based ground sausage in place of the regular Italian sausage to make this meatless – I really enjoy the Impossible Sausage. You could also just omit the Italian sausage, but be sure to add a bit more fennel, more salt, and maybe even some Italian seasoning or red pepper flakes to compensate for the flavor.
What is the best brand of tortellini?
I prefer fresh / refrigerated tortellini and I really love the Rana cheese tortellini and the Good and Gather cheese tortellini, both found at Target. I normally love Trader Joe’s… buuut their cheese tortellini is the only brand I’ve tried that I don’t super love. I think it’s something about the shape and the texture that just doesn’t do it for me.
What is the best kind of sauce for baked tortellini?
I enjoy this with both jarred tomato sauce and also just a can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes that I smash in the pan. If you’re using a store bought sauce, I’ve found that Rao’s can be a bit oily here – there’s already a lot of fat from the sausage, the cheese, etc. so, while Rao’s is very popular and very yummy, I would opt for something with slightly less oil. I’ve been using Carbone’s sauce lately and really enjoying it, and of course, we love our DeLallo sauces!
How long do baked tortellini leftovers last?
I enjoy the leftovers for 1-2 days. The tortellini will absorb liquid as it sits in the fridge so it will get a bit more mushy and there will be less of a sauce. But it’s still quite delicious and sometimes I just eat it cold out of the fridge.
Some Friends For Baked Tortellini
February 23, 2024
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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I just had to drop by and say how much your readers will likely adore your Baked Tortellini with Sausage recipe. It’s the perfect blend of cozy and delicious, making it an instant hit. The detailed instructions and tips, especially about not skimping on the garlic bread, truly made all the difference. It’s recipes like these that remind people why they love cooking, and looking at your blogs for food inspiration. Thank you again Lindsay, for sharing such a gem. Keep these amazing food blogs coming! 😊
You’re doing great. Nice article. It was a real pleasure to read your article.
FANTASTIC!! This is an easy to half make ahead meal. I chopped the veggies up and threw them in the fridge until I was ready to make it this evening and it was so quick!
I also am thinking throwing some mushrooms in next time I make this. Absolutely fantastic! Highly recommend
Could I use frozen tortellini instead?
Yes, that should work just fine! It’ll just need a little more time to cook through.
Made the Baked Tortellini!! YUM! I doubled the spinach & added a can of white beans. This is so easy & delicious!! Thank you!!
(Took pics but don’t know how to upload)
Enjoy your posts. Thank you
Flavorful/easy/fast! I made it in a. Dutch oven, added 20oz tortellini, more cheese and spinach. I didn’t have fennel but it was still amazing
Glad to hear it, Valerie!
What a lovely yummy and comforting recipe! I love tortellini, so I will definitely try to this one!
Made this for today’s dinner. It was so so so so so so good!
Kids loved it too!
Defo making this again 🙂
I made this and my family LOVED it!!! We are vegetarian so I used the impossible sausage and it turned out delicious. And the bread linked is to die for with it!! Thanks for sharing ❤️
I was really impressed by Carbone’s sauce. Delicious dinner!
How was this so simple and so amazingly delicious?! I stayed true to the recipe aside from omitting the sausage and instead added some crispy prosciutto on top with the cheese. I love how veggie packed it is. I will definitely make this again. It almost feels SOS-like in terms of effort versus outcome.
Hi, hoping to make this tonight but the recipe is for marry me chicken, not the tortellini bake!
I had the same issue…
Hi Nora! That was a glitch on our part – fixed now!
When I hit this to get the recipe it comes up with marry me chicken and not the baked tortellini
Hi Aminda! That was a glitch on our part – fixed now!
Hi, I was planning to make this tonight for dinner but for some reason now the recipe showing is for Marry Me Chicken and not the baked tortellini. Help please! 🙂
Hi Caley! That was a glitch on our part – fixed now!
Hi! This looks so tasty! For some reason, the pictures are of the tortellini, but the recipe is of “marry me chicken.” Not sure if its a glitch or just me, but just FYI!
Hi Jenna! That was a glitch on our part – fixed now!
Again, a great recipe. the photos look amazing. I can’t wait to do it. thanks
Hi, is there a jarred tomato sauce from target you’d recommend?
I love Rao’s!
I found post to be good. The shared are greatly appreciated
Hello! Would it be alright to use a CAN of tomato sauce? Or would we need to supplement with additional sugar?
Thanks!
Canned tomato sauce might not be quite the right texture (too smooth), but you could do a can of San Marzano or whole tomatoes!
SO good and easy!!! I used frozen tortellini because that’s what I had and it was really good!Q
LOVE this recipe!! Now that we are in busy sports season, was hoping to prep/make ahead and reheat at dinner time. Any tips or suggestions? Thanks