Baked Tortellini with Sausage

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This Baked Tortellini with Sausage comes together in about an hour and with less than 10 ingredients. It's ideal for a busy weeknight when you're short on time but still want to get a hot and filling meal on the table!

A deep white bowl with Baked Tortellini with Sausage with parsley and parmesan on top. It sits on top of white marble and a green napkin.

This Baked Tortellini with Sausage is a quick and easy weekday dinner. This is simply delicious and only requires a few minutes of prep to throw together. The pasta is loaded with Italian sausage, spices and flavor. It's also perfect base to add in whatever fresh or leftover vegetables you have in your fridge or freezer!

Fresh tortellini pasta is delicious and filling. It's my favorite shortcut since all you need to do it bake. I love using it as the staple ingredient in this recipe and in my Tortellini Caprese Pasta Salad. You'll love this Baked Tortellini with Sausage when you are short on time and want to get a hot meal on the table. Not to mention, this recipe feeds a crowd and makes the best leftovers.

Three white bowls with Baked Tortellini with Sausage on a white marble background with side white plates with bread and gold utensils.

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Quick and easy dinner
Dinner in 1 hour or under
Feeds a crowd and makes the tastiest leftovers
Hot, comforting and delicious
Crowd and family-pleaser

Ingredients

Olive Oil - I use an extra virgin olive oil. Used to get our base for this dish started.
Onion - could use white, yellow or sweet depending on what you have at home
Garlic - minced and cooked to add extra flavor to this pasta.
Italian Sausage - can be substitute for any kind of ground meat like beef, chicken, pork or turkey. However, you may have to increase the amount of seasoning to compete with the existing seasoning in Italian sausage.
Herbs & Spices - I used a combination of chili flakes, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. But, you could also add in Italian seasoning.
Refrigerated Tortellini - Use your favorite store bought refrigerated tortellini. Cheese, meat, or mushroom filled will work great in this baked ravioli recipe.
Pasta Sauce - to make this recipe easy, I use a high quality marinara or pasta sauce ( I like Rao's Marinara). However, if you have the time and energy you can make your favorite homemade spaghetti sauce.
Cheese - I use mozzarella cheese to top before baking and use bit of parmesan right before serving. I like Tillamook's thick cut part skim mozzarella but you could also use whole milk.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Side by side photos. Each step is labeled in the upper left corner with a black number in a white circle. The left '1' shows diced onion in a large red skillet on the stove. The right '2' shows cooked onion, garlic and chili flakes in a large red skillet on the stove.

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. While oven is pre-heating, sliced onions and mince garlic. Add the oil and onion to a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté for 4-5 minutes until onion is translucent.
Lower temperature is medium, then add garlic and spices to the onions and cook for another 1-2 minutes until garlic becomes fragrant.

Side by side photos. Each step is labeled in the upper left corner with a black number in a white circle. The left '3' shows sausage, onion and garlic in a large red skillet on the stove. The right '4' shows the tortellini and marinara added to the skillet and tossed.

Then, take out the onion and garlic and set aside in a small bowl. Add in Italian sausage and continue cooking, breaking the meat up with your spoon or spatula until sausage has browned (about 8-10 minutes). Add the onions and garlic back to the sausage in the last 2-3 minutes.
Turn off the burner, add in cheese tortellini, marinara sauce and water. Stir until all ingredients are distributed evenly.

Side by side photos. Each step is labeled in the upper left corner with a black number in a white circle. The right '5' shows the tortellini, sausage and tomato sauce in a white casserole dish. The right '6' shows the same casserole dish with shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

Turn pasta into a 9x13 casserole dish/pan and spread out evenly.
Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over top of the pasta.

Side by side photos. Each step is labeled in the upper left corner with a black number in a white circle. The left '7' shows the baked tortellini and sausage with melted mozzarella on top. The right '8' shows baked tortellini with sausage in a white casserole dish with bubbly golden brown on top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the tortellini is cooked and the cheese has melted.
Broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese up a bit. Making sure to carefully watch the pasta the entire time it is in the broiler so it doesn't burn.

Side by side photos. Each step is labeled in the upper left corner with a black number in a white circle. The left '9' shows a bit of parsley on the baked cheese tortellini with sausage. The right '10' shows the tortellini with sausage and cheese in a white bowl with parsley and parmesan on top.

Let the pasta sit for a few minutes to slightly cool, season with additional salt and pepper if necessarily.
Sprinkle with parsley, parmesan and serve.

Expert Tips

Switch up the Ingredients!: This recipe is a great base to a delicious meal and you can add in extra veggies or ingredients based on what you have on hand. This baked pasta would be great to add fresh spinach, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, zucchini, squash, etc. Or leave out the meat, to make this easily vegetarian for a wonderful Meatless Monday meal.
You can use refrigerated or frozen tortellini: I prefer to use this brand of refrigerated tortellini as it seems to have more flavor and it cooks quicker than frozen tortellini pasta. If you choose to use frozen tortellini, just plan to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes (or more) so that the frozen tortellini has time to warm through entirely.
Broil til brown!: one of my favorite parts of this recipe is the bubbly and golden brown cheese! It's so delicious. Make sure to put your pasta bake under the broiler for about 1-2 minutes until cheese is golden brown. Just make sure to watch it closely so it doesn't burn.

Baked Tortellini with Sausage in a deep white bowl topped with parmesan and parmesan.

Recipe FAQ

Can I freeze this recipe?

Yes! Just complete the assembly and freeze. When you want to cook, bake it for longer than suggested.

Do you have to boil tortellini before cooking? How do you know when the tortellini is fully cooked?

Nope! Baking the tortellini in the sauce will provide enough moisture to cook the tortellini to a perfect al dente.
You will want to make sure the tortellini is tender but had a bite still to make it a perfect al-dente.

What should I serve with this recipe?

I love to eat pasta with some good bread with butter or olive oil or even toasted garlic bread. Also, with a side salad. Maybe, a classic Italian or caesar or my chophouse BLT Wedge Salad or a simple Raw Rainbow Ribbon Carrot Salad.

What kind of pasta sauce should I use?

I recommend a a good quality tomato sauce. It's so easy to find at the grocery store. I like to use marinara sauce for this recipe (I use Rao's Marinara) but any type of jarred pasta sauce will work well.