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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
One Pot Creamy Kielbasa Tortellini
Ingredients
- 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
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have a wonderful day, friends!
Sharing at
Weekend Potluck, TT&J
Made this tonight..tasted great but although i followed the recipe exactly…it came out as soup..ended up taking out a cup of the liquid out at the end in order to make it look like in your pic..thinking of draining the water out next time bfr putting all the final ingredients in..will definitely make again!
I’m sorry to hear that, Maribel. We make this often, and even though we like ours with extra sauce, it’s never like soup. Did you use the large package of tortellini?
This was so easy! thank you for the recipe 🙂
Thanks, Jenna! It’s one of our favorites, so I’m glad you liked this! 🙂
Seriously easy and delicious. Double the peas.
This recipe was AWESOME!! Soooooo easy to make and my entire family loved it and want me to make it again soon! Thanks for sharing it!
I’m so glad you liked it, Kimberly. It’s one of our favorites! 🙂
This is my new favorite meal!! But, next time, I will cut way down on the water…it ended up being tortellini soup for us, but still delicious!!
Hmm, I’ve never had that problem. Did you use the 20-oz package of tortellini? I’m glad you liked it, though. 🙂
Can I use frozen tortellini? I didn’t see if it mentioned if you used frozen or refrigerated 🙂
I used refrigerated, but frozen tortellini should work. It’ll just take a little longer. 🙂
Would it make much difference to make with without the Dijon? My husband hates anything “mustard-y”. I don’t want to sacrifice taste by leaving it off though!
The Dijon just gives it a little extra flavor and makes the sauce slightly thicker. It’s not as strong as regular mustard, but you can leave it out if you really don’t like it. 🙂
Making this for dinner tonight. Are you supposed to drain off any of the water?
Most of the water gets absorbed, so you shouldn’t have to drain any. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I used this recipe as a jumping off point and it was delicious! I sautéed mushrooms and diced onions before adding the kielbasa. I used some chicken broth to replace about half of the water and cooked it mostly uncovered so there wouldn’t be too much sauce. I added some smoked paprika in addition to the regualar. It was absolutely yummy!! Thank you for sharing!
Happy Thanksgiving!
That sounds wonderful, Lisa. I’ll have to try it next time! Happy Thanksgiving to you! 🙂
Your One Pot Creamy Kielbasa looks awesome, thanks so much for sharing it with us at Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you are having a great day and we sure look forward to more of your recipes!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen