Lasagna vibes with less stress.
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
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1 cup (about 8 ounces) whole milk ricotta
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1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more leaves for garnish
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1 large garlic clove, grated on a rasp grater
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1/2 teaspoon fine salt
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1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 pound hot Italian-style chicken sausage, removed from casings
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1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce (about 3 cups)
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1 cup water
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1 (10-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
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1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach (about 5 cups)
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1 cup (4 ounces) shredded low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F with a rack in the middle position.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot, garnished with additional fresh basil leaves.
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 | |
|---|---|
| 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. | |
