Chicken Sausage and Tortellini Skillet Pasta Bake

Lasagna vibes with less stress.

By
Nicole Hopper
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Nicole Hopper
Nicole Hopper is a recipe tester and developer located in Birmingham, Alabama.
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and
Sharon Hsu
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Sharon Hsu
Sharon Hsu is an enthusiastic recipe and technique developer best known for her expertise in crafting visually appealing cafe and bakery-style treats. She thrives on exploring new concepts in the culinary world, seamlessly blending traditional baking methods with innovative flavors and techniques to create culturally rich creations. She appreciates how food has consistently been at the heart of countless cherished memories and aims to inspire others to bake and cook for their loved ones as an expression of love.
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Published on 03/5/24
Tested by
Spruce Eats Test Kitchen
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Tested by Spruce Eats Test Kitchen
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios, home of the Spruce Eats Test Kitchen, is housed in a 40,000-square-foot facility based in Dotdash Meredith’s Birmingham office, is a hub for food content creation for the nation’s top food and lifestyle publications.
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A skillet of chicken sausage and tortellini pasta, garnished with fresh basil leaves

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Cool:: 5 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 to 6

This hearty meal is cheesy, cozy, and comforting all in one pot. Prepared in just 35 minutes, it’s everything you could want in a skillet pasta dish. Opting for Italian-style chicken sausage and a high-quality marinara sauce ensures a burst of rich flavors. Rather than cooking the tortellini separately in boiling water, you cook them directly in the sauce, which allows them to absorb all those savory flavors, and the starches from the pasta help thicken the sauce 

This dish is well balanced with the sweet, tangy marinara sauce, the creamy ricotta, and the slightly spicy, juicy pieces of chicken sausage. The baby spinach becomes silky and adds a nice pop of color. The cheese tortellini are savory, perfectly tender, and make for really satisfying bites. 

All the ingredients are readily available at your local grocery store. Use refrigerated, pre-made tortellini, not the shelf-stable kind, for this recipe. Shelf stable tortellini won’t be able to cook directly in the sauce with this ratio of water. For the ricotta, I recommend the Galbani brand—it is reliably thick, smooth, and creamy.

Serve this with a crisp, refreshing light salad or if you’re like me, I love to use toasted garlic bread to soak up the extra sauce from my plate. 

Recipe Tips

  • Stick to refrigerated tortellini—Make sure to use refrigerated tortellini, not the shelf-stable kind, for this recipe. I like Rana brand, but any brand will do! Shelf stable tortellini take much longer to cook and won’t be able to cook directly in the sauce with this ratio of water.
  • Use a better ricotta—For the ricotta, I recommend Galbani brand. It is reliably thick, smooth, and creamy, and I find that sometimes some other brands can be watery. 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (about 8 ounces) whole milk ricotta

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more leaves for garnish

  • 1 large garlic clove, grated on a rasp grater

  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 pound hot Italian-style chicken sausage, removed from casings

  • 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce (about 3 cups)

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 (10-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini

  • 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach (about 5 cups)

  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F with a rack in the middle position.

    Ingredients to make chicken sausage and tortellini skillet pasta bake

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  2. Stir together 1 cup whole milk ricotta, 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil, 1 large garlic clove, grated, 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

    A small bowl of ricotta, chopped basil, garlic, salt, and pepper being stirred together with a spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large (11- to 12-inch) oven-safe skillet over medium-high. Add 1 pound hot Italian-style chicken sausage, removed from casings, and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the sausage into bite-size crumbles, until browned, about 5 minutes.

    A large skillet with a wooden spoon breaking up ground chicken sausage

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  4. Stir in 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce and 1 cup water and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer and stir in 1 (10-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini begin to plump, 2 to 3 minutes.

    A skillet with ground chicken sausage, tortellini, and tomato sauce

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  5. Gradually stir in 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach, one handful at a time, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.

    A wood spoon stirring baby spinach into a skillet with tortellini, tomato sauce, and ground chicken sausage

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  6. Dollop the reserved ricotta mixture in heaping tablespoonfuls over the tortellini and sausage mixture in the skillet, and sprinkle 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded low-moisture part-skim mozzarella around the ricotta dollops.

    A skillet with ground chicken sausage, tortellini, tomato sauce, baby spinach topped with dollops of ricotta cheese and shredded mozzarella

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  7. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil until the cheese is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

    A baked chicken sausage and tortellini skillet pasta bake

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

  8. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot, garnished with additional fresh basil leaves.

    A skillet of chicken sausage and tortellini pasta, garnished with fresh basil leaves

    The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

How To Store

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 


To make ahead, prepare the dish through step 6, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 day, and then bake in the oven until heated through and sauce is bubbling.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Any tortellini will do—Substitute cheese tortellini for any other flavor of refrigerated tortellini.
  • Sub a different sausage—Substitute chicken sausage for Italian-style turkey or pork sausage. Because pork sausage contains more fat, you will need to spoon some of it off after browning.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
495 Calories
25g Fat
35g Carbs
32g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 495
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 9g 47%
Cholesterol 107mg 36%
Sodium 1687mg 73%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 32g
Vitamin C 10mg 51%
Calcium 367mg 28%
Iron 3mg 19%
Potassium 856mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)