Published: Sep 16, 2026
Plump cheese tortellini are bathed in a creamy Italian sausage sauce in this fast and easy recipe. With just 7 main ingredients (plus spices!), family-friendly dinners don’t get easier than this.
Because You Can Never Have Enough Pasta Recipes, Right?
Quick, easy, and pretty dang cheap, this creamy Italian sausage tortellini checks all the dinnertime boxes.
The sauce comes together with ground Italian sausage, canned tomatoes, a splash of cream, plenty of Parm, and fresh basil for a hit of herby goodness. Fennel seeds and red pepper flakes enhance the flavor of the sausage, and you’re welcome to scale the heat levels up or down depending on your personal preference.
While you could use shelf-stable tortellini for this recipe, I like mine pillowy soft and plump which is why I always grab the fresh kind from the refrigerated section.
This is a creamy, cheesy pasta dinner that’s easy enough for a weeknight but delicious enough to serve to guests, too.
Enjoy!
Key Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Italian sausage — Use sweet or hot Italian sausage, depending on your love of spicy heat.
- Yellow onion — When sautéed with the sausage, the onion helps build the flavor foundation of the sauce.
- Spices — We’re enhancing the flavor of the sausage with extra red pepper flakes and crushed fennel seeds.
- Crushed tomatoes — I like my sausage tortellini a little chunky so I opted for crushed tomatoes rather than tomato sauce.
- Butter + heavy cream — The butter gives the sauce a lush flavor and mellows the acid in the tomato sauce, enhancing the creamy factor.
- Parmesan cheese — Buy a block and grate it yourself for maximum meltability.
- Cheese tortellini — You can use any type of tortellini you like, but I prefer the fresh kind sold in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.
- Fresh basil — The perfect way to finish this creamy pasta dish.
Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions
- Sub the ground Italian sausage for ground pork (the sauce will be less flavorful, FYI)
- Instead of cheese tortellini, pick a different filling
- Swap the cream for half and half to scale back the richness of the sauce
- Add extra red pepper flakes to make the sauce spicy
How to Make Creamy Sausage Tortellini
- Brown and season the sausage with the onion. Cooking the sausage with the diced onion and spices really wakes up their flavors.
- Add the tomatoes and simmer. Stir the crushed tomatoes and butter into the pan and let the sauce gently simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Make it creamy. Stir in the butter and grated Parm. If you shredded the cheese yourself, it should melt smoothly without clumping up.
- Boil the tortellini. Fresh tortellini only takes a few minutes to cook. You’ll know it’s done when the pasta floats to the top of the pot.
Heidi’s Tip: Save some of the starchy pasta water to loosen up the sauce, if needed.
- Finish and serve. Add the cooked tortellini to the pot of sauce and gently stir to combine. Sprinkle a little more Parm and fresh basil over top before serving.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Creamy Sausage Tortellini Recipe
Plump cheese tortellini are bathed in a creamy Italian sausage sauce in this fast and easy recipe.
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Servings 6
Calories 637kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion , chopped
- ½ pound ground Italian pork sausage
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds , crushed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt , divided
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 ½ cups crushed tomatoes , from a 28-ounce can
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 20 ounces fresh cheese tortellini
- ¼ cup slivered basil leaves
Instructions
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Cook the sausage and aromatics. In a large skillet over medium, add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and ½ yellow onion. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden. Add ½ pound ground Italian pork sausage, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and cook for 3 minutes, breaking the sausage into small pieces, until the sausage is browned and the onion translucent.
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Add tomatoes for the sauce. Add 2 ½ cups crushed tomatoes and 2 tablespoons butter, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Add the creamy ingredients. Stir in ½ cup heavy cream and ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, and simmer.
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Boil the tortellini, sauce, and serve. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 20 ounces fresh cheese tortellini and cook for 4 minutes or until they plump and rise to the top. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water to loosen the sauce. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the cooked tortellini to the pot with the sauce. Gently stir to combine, adding 2 tablespoons of reserved water as needed. Serve with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup slivered basil leaves.
Nutrition
Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 1378mg | Potassium: 442mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 768IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 296mg | Iron: 4mg
Sides to Make This a Meal
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