Andouille Sausage Tortellini Skillet Meal is an easy one pan meal that's ready in 30 minutes. Andouille sausage and cheese tortellini are coated in a cheesy tomato sauce.
You'll love this andouille sausage tortellini skillet meal because it requires only a few ingredients and it's ready in less than 30 minutes. Plus, it's all cooked in a single saute pan!
Andouille sausage is a hot, cajun sausage that adds a ton of flavor to this dish. It pairs perfectly with cheese tortellini and a creamy cheese sauce. Andouille sausage also makes an appearance in my corn chowder recipe!
Make this andouille sausage meal for a quick, weeknight dinner. Add a light side dish like kale apple slaw or roasted zucchini and squash to stretch the servings even further!
Sausage substitute
If you are not a fan of spicy or hot sausage, feel free to substitute with your favorite sausage instead. Italian sausage or chorizo would both make great substitutes.
Keep in mind that substituting sausage for an unseasoned meat means you'll want to add additional seasoning to the dish. The andouille sausage adds a lot of flavor because it is already seasoned with garlic, pepper, onions, and spices.
If substituting with an unseasoned meat, I suggest adding ¼ teaspoon of paprika and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes for extra flavor.
Thickening your sauce
Thickening your sauceThere is something magical about pasta skillet meals. You don't need any sort of thickener, like flour or cornstarch, to make your sauce.
Because your pasta is cooked in the same pan, it releases starch into the liquid, which helps to thicken the sauce. No extra ingredients required!
If you follow the measurements exactly, your skillet meal should have the perfect amount of liquid needed for the pasta in the recipe. If your sauce looks thin, allow it to rest for 5 minutes after cooking.
Your sauce will continue to thicken as it stands, because your pasta is continually absorbing liquid. If your sauce gets too thick, you can always add a splash of broth or water to thin it back out.
Leftovers
This cajun tortellini meal keeps well as a leftover and can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
📖 Recipe
Andouille Sausage Tortellini Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into bite size pieces
- 1 small onion, diced
- 14.5 ounces canned petite diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 10 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil. When hot, add sliced andouille sausage and onions and cook until sausage is browned on both sides, about 5 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and tortellini. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce to medium-low heat. Cook until pasta is al dente (check your pasta package's cooking directions for exact times). Most of the liquid should be absorbed in this step.
- Remove lid and add heavy cream. Stir and cook until warmed through, about a minute.
- Remove from heat. Add cheddar cheese, stir, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Sauce will continue to thicken as it rests.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Optionally, add scallions or chives as a garnish.
- Refrigerated cheese tortellini can be substituted with frozen or dried tortellini. If using dried, you may need to add an extra splash of liquid to the pan while your pasta cooks.
- Andouille sausage can be substituted with your favorite type of sausage - chorizo or Italian sausage are great choices.
- If your sauce looks thin, allow it to set for 5 minutes. The pasta will continually absorb liquid as it sits.
Good question Liz (below). I drained half of it. I followed all of the suggestions chorizio too spicy for my belly. I used sweet and marinated with the onion, garlic, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp regular paprika & a spritz of olive oil. It was a huge hit ! Thank You Heather your tips are spot on. I will definitely make this again!
Are you supposed to drain the diced tomatoes? Because many pasta recipes it wants the juice to be in it? Super beginner cook and my was very liquid-y and more orange/red than your picture
Hi Liz, the liquid from the tomatoes and the chicken broth are absorbed by the tortellini as it cooks in the pan, so there should be very little liquid left after the pasta has cooked. Next time, if there's still a lot of liquid in the pan after the pasta has cooked, some of that can be drained out before adding the heavy cream and cheese.
I made this and I loved it. The flavor was very good despite not having a lot of seasoning in it. I will definitely be making this on a regular basis.Thank you for the recipe.
I’ve made this several times! Easy week day meal that tastes like it took a lot longer to make than it does. I use milk and minced garlic. I’ve used dried, frozen and refrigerated tortellini and they’ve all come out great. Aldi’s has dried tortellini for under $2 in mushroom and cheese options.
Easy and delicious meal! 10/10 will definitely make this again =)
Delicious!
added smoked paprika. And had no half and half so used milk. Still turned out great. I see this in our meal rotation!!
My husband & I loved it! I used Rotel instead of the diced tomatoes and added Alfredo sauce instead of the heavy cream & cheese because I didn’t have it but it still came out delicious! I also used frozen tortellini. I would leave a picture but it won’t let me.
Can frozen tortellini be used? If so, should it be parboiled? Thanks!
Frozen tortellini will work as a substitute! Just toss them in as directed - they may need one extra minute of cooking time.
I made this for dinner last night. I thought it was wonderful. It was so easy to put together and the flavors were great. The sausage gave it just enough heat to make it flavorful. We did sprinkle the top with a little parmesan cheese and loved it. Thanks for a great recipe!
Very delicious! Everyone loved it! Thanks
If using dried tortellini, would you recommend cooking according to package first? I did not read your recipe well enough and bought dry instead of fresh!
Hi Kristen, dry tortellini should still work in this recipe. Your skillet meal will need a bit longer to cook (I'd check the dry tortellini package for cooking times) and you may need to add a splash or two of water if the pan begins to dry out. Let us know how it goes!
I have half and half but not cream, can i use that? adjustments?
Hi Beth! Half & half should work, but your sauce may be a little on the thin side. I'd recommend using about 1/3 of a cup, checking the consistency, then adding more as desired.
thanks, i never have heavy cream, but
always have half and half.
Used fire roasted tomatoes and instead of heavy cream used half evaporated milk and half sour cream. Was great!
Really enjoyed the recipe. Felt like the spice level was not up to where I would like for it to be. So next time I may dice up a jalapeno or two and throw that in. That's just me though. Still very tasty
Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Mike! Jalapenos sound like a great addition.
This was very good…35 minutes, start to finish….may try fire roasted tomatoes the next time.
Thank you for the great review, Scott. Glad you enjoyed it!
So I bought the tortellini from the refrigerator section and later found out you can buy it dry. Which one should I use?
Hi holly, I used the refrigerated tortellini for this recipe.