Every last one of you needs an easy throw in the pot dinner to make during the week! I know I sure do. That’s exactly what you will find with this new Tortellini with Broccoli and Chicken Sausage recipe.
I’ve been making variations of this recipe for years. In fact, I almost think of it as a non-recipe because it’s so easy and requires minimal ingredients. A dash of this here. A dash of that there. Throw in some mushrooms or asparagus. Whatever you want…this is a very versatile recipe. However, my favorite combination is tortellini, broccoli, and chicken sausage flavored with parsley and cheese.
I don’t know where to go first with this recipe. Okay, I’ll start with the wine. Wine, garlic, and lemon are a match made in food heaven. Buuut…if you don’t have wine because you accidentally drank the whole bottle during a Netflix marathon with some girlfriends then you can use chicken stock. Truth be told, my originally plan was to use chicken stock but I ran out. I’m serious.
Another thing, if you make the tortellini ahead of time this recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes. I made the tortellini on Sunday and then stored in the refrigerator till I prepared the recipe on Wednesday.
I used chicken sausage flavored with parsley and cheese. That’s my favorite but I’m sure any chicken sausage will do.
I started by removing the casing and browning the sausage in my Le Creuset 5 1/2 quart dutch oven using a little olive oil.
As the sausage was browning I stirred in 3 finely chopped garlic cloves.
After the sausage was browned and cooked through I deglazed the pan with 1/4 cup white wine. Like I said you could use chicken stock. The point is to get all the yummy brown bits off the bottom. Next toss in a 12-ounce bag of frozen broccoli florets. I love frozen because it’s easier. Fresh broccoli would need to be steamed or cooked first.
Cook the broccoli until it’s heated through and softened a bit. Then stir the sausage and broccoli together because you want it to get all that delicious flavor from the sausage and wine.
Now for the tasty tortelinni. I used a 12-ounce bag of tortellini that, like I said, I cooked ahead of time. If you cook the tortellini the day you make this I would just cook it in the same pot prior to making the rest of the meal.
Mix it all together and cook until all the tortellini is heated through. Then add in the parmesan cheese and lemon.
As you can tell this is a super simple dish with a light sauce. The flavors come from the sausage, lemon, garlic and cheese. Is there any better flavors on this planet? YUM!
I could eat this all day long! It’s comforting yet not over the top. It’s truly one of my favorite “throw in a pot” and cook meals.
Of course it’s very dangerous for me to have any type of pasta cooked and waiting to be eaten. So good news! This recipe can be portioned out and frozen. Yes I love you too. xoxo
Now you can enjoy this scrumptious pasta dish in moderation. You will get 8 generous 1-cup servings out of this recipe. I added a little extra to each of the containers because I know my kiddos will want some too which is why you see 6 containers. And I may have ate some prior to pictures. I purchase the meal prep containers you see from Amazon.
Enjoy!
- 1 (12 ounce) bag tortellini, cooked al dente
- 1.5 lbs chicken sausage (6 links), casings removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ¼ cup white wine or chicken stock
- 1 (12-ounce) package frozen broccoli florets
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese and more for serving.
- In a dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add the sausage and brown on both sides. Break up the sausage as it cooks. When the sausage is almost cooked through add in the garlic and cook until the sausage is no longer pink in the middle.
- Add in the frozen broccoli and cook until it's warm but not completely heated through.
- Stir in the tortellini and lemon juice and cook until all the ingredients are completely heated through.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and serve.
- If desired serve with extra cheese.
Make-ahead instructions
This recipe comes together very quickly when the tortellini is made ahead of time. I recommend prepare the pasta on Sunday and keep it in the refrigerator for when you need it. Also, the completed recipe can be frozen into portions. Heat in a microwave bowl for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
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