One Pot Creamy Kielbasa Tortellini

This One Pot Creamy Kielbasa Tortellini is smothered in a light cheddar cheese sauce and takes less than 30 minutes to make. Even picky eaters love it!

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve posted a recipe for a one dish meal, and that’s been way too long! I think I may be slightly addicted to these easy dinners, but they get the job done. Now that the kids are back in school, my energy level is at zero by dinnertime. And with homework, there’s not a lot of time to spend washing dishes, so these one-dish wonders, as the Hubs calls them, are perfect!

I usually make these meals with chicken or beef, but this time I wanted something completely different. I grew up eating kielbasa, or Polish sausage, but we don’t have it that often. And when we do have it, I usually make it with fried potatoes, or with haluski, or I serve it like a hot dog, in a bun. The kids like it though, and since it’s already cooked, it doesn’t take long at all to make.

If you’re a Polish sausage fan, you might like these quick and easy kielbasa recipes

• Polish Sausage Dogs
• Kielbasa Sauerkraut Sliders
• Kielbasa and Haluski
• Sheet Pan BBQ Smoked Sausage
• Sheet Pan Smoked Sausage Dinner

So the other day, my little guy asked for chicken tortellini, and since I had made that earlier in the week, I decided to combine kielbasa with the tortellini and see how the family liked it.  I made this one pot creamy kielbasa tortellini — an easy dinner recipe!

Tortellini needs a creamy sauce, and since cheddar cheese goes so well with kielbasa, I made a light creamy cheddar cheese sauce to coat the pasta and meat. I also added some frozen peas and a dash of fresh parsley to add a little more color to the dish.

I love using onions and garlic, and I usually use fresh. But, we were in a time crunch, so I opted to use dried onions and garlic, instead. If you have some extra time, by all means use the fresh. But there’s nothing wrong with using dried spices!

My family is divided about cheese. Some love it, and some don’t. The first time I made this one pot kielbasa tortellini skillet, I used about 3 cups of cheese, and some folks said that was way too cheesy. Of course, the cheese lovers thought it was just right!

This time, I only added 2 cups of cheddar cheese, and it was creamier, but just a tad less cheesy. Everyone loved it though, and there were no complaints. It’s creamy, slightly smoky, cheesy and just a wonderfully satisfying meal.

And because you cook it all in one pot, clean up is super easy, as well! Happy mom, happy life, right?

New! If you have an Instant Pot, try Instant Pot creamy kielbasa tortellini!

How to Make One Pot Creamy Kielbasa Tortellini

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4.95 from 37 votes

One Pot Creamy Kielbasa Tortellini

By: Dee

Smoked sausage and cheese tortellini and peas in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound kielbasa thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1 20-ounce package of cheese tortellini
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried minced onions
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ ¼ cup frozen peas
• ▢ 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• ▢ 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ▢ Chopped parsley optional

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Instructions 

• In a large skillet, heat the kielbasa until warm
• Add the tortellini, water, onions, paprika and garlic powder
• Cover, and cook on high, stirring occasionally, until tortellini is almost done
• Stir in the peas
• Uncover to let liquids reduce. Reduce heat to medium low, and stir in the mustard, cream and cheddar cheese
• When cheese melts, top with chopped parsley, if using, and serve

Notes

This recipe calls for 1 20-ounce package of refrigerated, fresh tortellini or 2 9-ounce packages. I used Buitoni brand. Using less than that will affect results. 

Sauce will be on the thin side. 

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

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