Creamy Herb Tortellini Recipe With Sausage

TORTELLINI WITH SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Combine sausage links and water in a large skillet and bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until juices run clear, about 15 minutes. Drain off water and cook links in the skillet, stirring frequently, until browned, 2 to 4 minutes more. Remove from skillet, allow to cool, and cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices. Wipe skillet clean using a paper towel.
• Place skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion to hot oil and cook until tender but not brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, oregano, and red pepper. Add cooked sausage and bell pepper to the skillet. Bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer to desired thickness, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a saucepan, about 5 minutes. Add tortellini, reduce heat slightly and boil until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and return pasta to the warm saucepan. Stir parsley into the sausage mixture, pour over pasta, and serve immediately.

CREAMY HERB TORTELLINI

Steps:

• Cook tortellini according to package directions.
• While the tortellini is boiling, heat the butter in a small skillet over medium low heat. When butter is almost fully melted, add the herbs, onion and garlic.
• Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. You don't want it to sizzle, you are just warming them in the butter, so the low heat is important.
• Put the creme fraiche in a serving bowl large enough to hold the tortellini. Add the warm butter herb mixture and stir to combine - it doesn't have to be stirred to a smooth consistency, the hot pasta will take care of that.
• Drain the pasta and add to the serving bowl, mixing well to coat pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

BAKED TORTELLINI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil; stir in tortellini and return to a boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tortellini float to the top and filling is hot, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir Italian sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes, breaking into bite-sized pieces as it cooks. Drain and discard grease, but do not rinse or clean the skillet. Place cooked sausage into a 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the same skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion until slightly browned and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add bell peppers, zucchini, and squash; reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in diced tomatoes, Neufchatel cheese, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Heat until combined and smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Pour cooked tortellini into the baking dish with sausage. Add vegetable mixture and stir gently to combine. Drizzle with marinara sauce; top with shredded Parmesan cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

THREE-CHEESE TORTELLINI WITH CREAMY ITALIAN SAUSAGE MARINARA

Steps:

• In a large, heavy stockpot or dutch oven, brown the Italian sausage, breaking it up to the consistency you desire.
• Add the onions and cook until they are soft. Drain the grease from the pot.
• Add garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, basil, oregano, parsley, marjoram, sugar, salt, pepper, and rosemary (if desired). When adding the water, consider how long you will be simmering. The water helps to merge the flavors, but you do not want the sauce to be too thin. If you will be simmering your sauce for a shorter amount of time, add less water. Stir all these ingredients together and bring to a slow boil.
• Stir in red wine.
• Simmer on low for at least an hour. Then add the cheeses and the heavy cream. Stir well, until the cream and cheeses are well blended into the sauce. Stir occasionally while the tortellini is cooking to prevent the sauce from sticking and to prevent the cream from scorching.
• Bring water to a boil in another pot for the tortellini. Add a little olive oil to prevent the tortellini from sticking. Once the water comes to a boil, add the tortellini. Cook according to the package directions.
• I usually reserve some of the sauce for spaghetti for another day -- I add some sauteed mushrooms then. I try to ration the sauce to the amount of tortellini. If you like lots of sauce, use all the sauce. But if not, save some for another pasta dish. It freezes well. At my house, it never lasts long enough to freeze!