Let me first say that this dinner was an absolute success! My mother-in-law earlier this week asked if they could stay the night on Thursday to catch an early morning flight out of the Grand Rapids Airport and to take us out to dinner. Immediately I thought, I should cook them dinner instead! I then realized that I never cooked them dinner before-crazy that is has taken this long to happen and totally on the bad daughter-in-law list.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do one of my “go-to” recipes or try something new but I eventually decided to jump in with new recipes for both the main course and dessert! Here is my recipe for Italian Sausage Tortellini 🙂
Apologies for the lack of “in process pictures”…I realize now that I need 4 arms to cook dinner, dessert and take pictures of cooking and need to recruit my hubby to take the pictures. Lesson learned-stick with me!
I used a 14 inch skillet but had to eventually pour it into my Cast Iron Dutch Oven to make it easier to stir. This will feed 4-6 people depending on serving size.
Start by heating some olive oil in a pan. Add onions and garlic and stir until brown.
Next you will need to add the sausage into the pan. Use a spatula or specialty utensil to break up the sausage into bite size pieces. You don’t want to break it up small like taco meat, but, more like small bite size meatballs. I was kinda all over the place at this point that I just kinda made them the size that I liked.
Next Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, cream and tortellini. 
I used the frozen Meijer brand cheese tortellini. I took them out of the freezer the night before and put it in the fridge to defrost. The pasta was ready to go by the time I was ready to add them to the pan!
Here is where the pictures lack 🙁
Bring the contents to a boil. Then cover, reduce head and simmer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes the tortellini should be soft and cooked with the sauce slightly thickened. Taste the sauce and add seasoning to taste. I added pepper and garlic salt-it wont need much due to the Italian Sausage seasoning.
Add a couple handfuls of spinach, and cover to wilt. It should wilt quickly then gently stir.
The spinach is totally optional. If you are weary about it, it gives the dish a great color and you can’t even taste it. C’mon, you know you want to give it a try!
If your sauce isn’t thick enough (which happened in my case) just simmer uncovered for a few minutes and that should do the trick. Also consider adding a little bit more cream at a time to see if that helps with its consistency.
I served my dish in a pasta bowl topped with Parmesan, side salad and french bread with olive oil and of course a glass of delicious red wine!
One Pot Italian Sausage Tortellini
YIELD: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
– 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
– 2 Cups of Diced Onions
– 1 1/2 lb. of Italian Sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Italian Sausage)
– 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
-3/4 Cup of Chicken Broth
– 2 Cans (14.5 ouce) of Petite Diced Tomatoes
– 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
– 19 Ounces of Tortellini (1 Bag of Frozen Meijer Tortellini)
– Salt, Pepper or other spices to taste
– 2 Cups of Spinach
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and brown. Combine with sausage and use spatula or special utensil to break up sausage into small meatball size pieces. Increase heat to medium-high and brown sausage.
2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream and tortellini to sausage mixture. Stir to combine and increase heat to a boil.
3. Cover then reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes or until tortellini are tender and heated through. Taste sauce and add seasoning to taste.
4. Add spinach and cover to wilt. After wilted, stir in gently. Remove from heat and serve.
This recipe is sure to impress your guests; I know it impressed my mother-in-law 🙂
Cheers!
