Freezer Friendly Italian Sausage Tortellini

Cheesy filled pasta made in a skillet with veggies and sausage meatballs. What could be more delicious? This simple make ahead Italian sausage tortellini has everything you need to make a hearty meal for your family in one pot. In addition to being quick and easy to prepare, this stovetop dinner can also be made ahead of time and frozen until you’re ready to enjoy it.

To take the mental load of “what’s for dinner?” completely off your plate (pun intended!), check out the Freezer Meals 101 Club where we take away all the guesswork of freezer cooking and make it easy for you to get your freezer stacked so you can relax.

Tortellini is so versatile. I usually buy the 3 pack of cheese tortellini at Costco and then can either triple one recipe and freeze or I buy two and make two each of three recipes so that I have 6 meals to add to my freezer.

Some of our other tortellini favorites are Baked Tortellini Alfredo and Tortellini Soup. 

Italian Sausage Tortellini Recipe

Ingredients:

• 500 grams Italian sausage, shaped into meatballs
• ½ green pepper, diced
• ½ yellow pepper, diced
• ½ red pepper, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 jar pasta sauce
• 900 grams cheese tortellini

For Day of Cooking:

• ¼ cup water

Assembly Instructions:

1. Slice through the casing of the sausages and shape the meat into meatballs. Place the meatballs in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, around 30 minutes.
2. Allow the meatballs to cool completely, then place them in a large freezer bag with the diced peppers, mushrooms, onion, pasta sauce, and tortellini.
3. Remove excess air from the bag and seal to close. Freeze the ingredients until you’re ready to prepare the pasta.

Cooking instructions:

1. Transfer the pasta ingredients to the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
2. Pour the contents of the freezer bag into a large skillet, along with ¼ cup of water. Cook over medium high heat until the tortellini is cooked through.

Note: if you prefer you can use ground Italian sausage and brown it in place of using sausage shaped into meatballs. I sometimes have a hard time finding the sausage in casings at the store, so I often substitute the ground sausage.

How Do You Store Italian Sausage Tortellini?

Your family is going to love this quick pasta dish, so you may not have any left when dinner is over! But if you do have a few leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. They’ll stay good for up to four days. To reheat the tortellini, warm them up in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat.

What Type of Tortellini is Best for this Italian Sausage Tortellini Recipe?

Since this recipe is made with meat and veggies, it’s best to pair the ingredients with a cheese stuffed tortellini. You can use either frozen or refrigerated tortellini when prepping the ingredients for your make ahead meal. If you plan on using frozen pasta, make sure to keep the tortellini frozen until you’re ready to mix it with the rest of your ingredients to keep it from thawing out while you prep the rest of your meal.

What Do You Serve with Tortellini?

This amazing recipe has everything you need for a full meal – all cooked in one pot! But that doesn’t mean you can’t add a side dish or appetizer to your dinner to add even more flavor to dinner. Try serving your sausage tortellini with these sides:

• Garlic bread
• Side salad
• Steamed vegetables with garlic butter
• Dinner rolls
• Breadsticks

Print

Italian Sausage Tortellini

Prep Time

35 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Keyword: pasta, tortellini

Servings: 6

Calories: 781 kcal

Ingredients

• 500 grams Italian sausage shaped into meatballs and cooked
• ½ green pepper diced
• ½ yellow pepper diced
• ½ red pepper diced
• 1 cup mushrooms sliced
• 1 onion diced
• 27 oz. pasta sauce
• 900 grams cheese tortellini

For Day of Cooking:

• ¼ cup water

Instructions

Assembly Instructions:

1. Slice through the casing of the sausages and shape the meat into meatballs. Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, around 30 minutes.

2. Allow the meatballs to cool completely, then place them in a large freezer bag with the diced peppers, mushrooms, onion, pasta sauce, and tortellini.

3. Remove excess air and seal. Freeze.

Cooking instructions:

1. Thaw.

2. Pour the contents of the freezer bag into a large skillet, along with ¼ cup of water. Cook over medium high heat until the tortellini is cooked through.

3. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.