Italian Sausage and Tortellini Dinner with Sweet Potatoes and Bell Peppers

Italian Sausage and Tortellini with Sweet Potatoes and Bell Peppers is an easy 30-minute weeknight dinner that a whole family will love! It has everything you want in a complete meal: protein (sausage), veggies (sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and green onions), and pasta (tortellini). This recipe is perfect for meal prep, making ahead, and freezing.

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Dinner with Sweet Potatoes and Bell Peppers

This is one of those rare recipes that combine healthy ingredients with comfort food. This family-friendly weeknight dinner is packed with sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and green onions. Add spicy Italian sausage and cheese tortellini to the mix, and you have a winner! This delicious recipe is packed with flavor and made with simple ingredients in any pantry.  You can easily make it ahead or freeze and serve any day of the week to your family and friends. It also looks colorful and fancy enough to make for the Fall and Winter holidays (Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve).

Why make it

• 30-minute recipe. This complete and well-balanced meal takes only 30 minutes! Not a wrong choice for a busy weeknight.
• Festive dish. While this recipe could become one of your family's new favorite weekday dinners, it also looks pretty when served, thanks to all the colorful ingredients. Impress your family and friends by making the Italian sausage tortellini with sweet potatoes when it's time to entertain guests.  Made in 30 minutes, you can spend more time socializing instead of cooking in the kitchen.
• Restaurant-worthy dinner. The combination of flavors is fantastic. You have a ton of veggies combined with Italian sausage and Italian cheese tortellini. This dish looks like something you would order at a high-end restaurant.
• Perfect for the holidays. Impress your family and friends by making this Italian sausage tortellini for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Eve.

Main ingredients

• Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious root vegetables packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. I used orange sweet potatoes (rich in antioxidants) in this recipe. I like to peel the potatoes that I use in recipes.
• Bell peppers. Use multi-colored bell peppers for presentation. I used 3 bell peppers in this recipe: red, yellow, and green.
• Sausage. This recipe uses spicy Italian sausage, adding many savory flavors and spice to the sweet potatoes and bell peppers. You can also use mild or sweet Italian sausage. Chicken sausage will work, too.
• Minced garlic adds fantastic flavor and aroma to any dish!
• Green onions are also healthy and provide excellent color to any dish!
• Tortellini adds balance and carbs to the sweet potato skillet.
• Olive oil is used for cooking veggies.
• Spices include smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt.

How to cook sweet potatoes

1. First, make sure you have peeled and cubed sweet potatoes.
2. Toss them with olive oil, salt, and ground black pepper on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer without overcrowding.
3. Roast on the middle rack in the preheated oven at 400 F for about 15 or 20 minutes until the desired softness.

How to make Italian Sausage Tortellini Dinner

1. Roast sweet potatoes in the oven at 400 F on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet for about 15 or 20 minutes.
2. Cook tortellini in a large pot of water.
3. Cook Italian sausage and veggies (chopped bell peppers) with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and salt for about 10 minutes until the sausage is cooked through. Add chopped green onions.
4. Combine all the ingredients you just cooked in the same large skillet. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes.

Variations, substitutions, and add-ins

What I love the best about this recipe is that it's flexible and easily adjustable to whatever you have available in your fridge or to your preferences.

• Sweet potatoes can be replaced with roasted cubed butternut squash or carrots. You can also use regular small potatoes.
• Veggies. I used lots of bell peppers in this sweet potato skillet. You can add whatever vegetables you have in your fridge: broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, Brussels sprouts, etc.
• Spices. I recommend smoked paprika, chili powder, Italian seasoning, and Cajun seasoning - you can use all or some of them. You can use your favorite spice mix.
• Add cheese. While I don't use any cheese here, a grated Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago sprinkle would be an excellent addition.
• Add cream. While this Italian sausage tortellini dinner tastes amazing just as it is, you can elevate it even further by adding a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half. For dairy-free creaminess, add unsweetened coconut cream.
• Toppings. Add toasted nuts (pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts) or top with roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
• Fresh herbs. Mix in fresh herbs, such as thyme, basil, oregano, or marjoram.
• Can you make it gluten-free? Use store-bought gluten-free ravioli instead of tortellini. Or, use short pasta, such as farfalle (bow tie), fusilli, penne, or rigatoni.
• Can you make it meatless? Yes, use plant-based sausage, such as the Beyond Sausage brand. Or, use mushrooms (Portobellos work exceptionally well!) and exclude regular sausage.

Can you make this ahead?

Yes, this is a meal-prep-friendly recipe! There is no cream, no cheese, and no complicated ingredients. Make the whole recipe in advance, refrigerate it, and serve within 5 days. Or freeze it for up to 2 months.

Storage and Reheating Tips

What I love about the best is that it stores and reheats well!

• Fridge. Refrigerate the leftover Italian sausage tortellini in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Freezer. You can freeze this in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
• Reheat on the stovetop. Reheat it in a large skillet on the stovetop on medium heat for about 10 minutes or until warmed through. Add a little bit of olive oil when reheating.
• Reheat in the microwave oven. You can also microwave the refrigerated leftovers.

What to serve with it

• Bread. Serve a warm slice of crusty bread with this Italian sausage tortellini dinner. Italian bread, garlic, and olive bread loaf are all delicious choices. Or, add baguette or sourdough bread.
• Simple salad. I would suggest a basic spinach or arugula salad, probably sprinkled with toasted nuts, a small amount of shredded Parmesan or crumbled goat cheese, and dressed with your favorite salad! Or, try these salads:
• Strawberry Spinach Salad with Pecans
• Arugula Salad with Pears, Apples, Cashews
• Beet and Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

Other sweet potato recipes you might like

• Maple Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
• Baked Chicken Thighs and Sweet Potatoes with Spinach in creamy Parmesan Sauce
• Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms and Sweet Potatoes
• Creamy Sausage Tortellini Soup with Spinach and Sweet Potatoes

Other Italian Sausage Pasta recipes you might like

• 30-Minute Italian Sausage Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Tomato Sauce
• Creamy Butternut Squash Italian Sausage Pasta with Spinach
• 30-Minute Italian Sausage Spaghetti
• One-Pot 30-Minute Italian Sausage Orzo Soup

5 from 14 votes

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Dinner with Sweet Potatoes and Bell Peppers

Italian Sausage and Tortellini with Sweet Potatoes and Bell Peppers is an easy 30-minute weeknight dinner that a whole family will love! It has everything you want in a complete meal: protein (sausage), veggies (sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and green onions), and pasta (tortellini). This recipe is perfect for meal prep, making ahead, and freezing.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 4 people

Calories per serving 613 kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

• 8 oz cheese tortellini
• 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1-inch dice (about 2 medium sweet potatoes)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 10 ounces spicy Italian sausage
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 red bell pepper medium
• 1 green bell pepper medium
• 1 yellow bell pepper medium
• 4 green onions chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions 

Roast sweet potatoes

• Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss diced potatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• Roast for about 15 or 20 minutes. In the meantime, proceed with the recipe.

Cook tortellini

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions (usually about 5 minutes). Drain. Proceed with the rest of the recipe while you cook the tortellini.

Assemble sweet potato skillet

• Heat a large cast iron skillet for 2 minutes over low-medium heat. Add crumbled sausage, Italian seasoning, and smoked paprika, and sauté for about 5 or 10 minutes, breaking the meat into small pieces, until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove cooked sausage to a plate, making sure that juices remain in the skillet.
• To the same, now empty, skillet with juices, add chopped bell peppers and cook for about 10 minutes until softened.
• Add back cooked sausage. Add roasted sweet potatoes, chopped green onions, and cooked and drained tortellini. Stir to reheat and combine. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes.

Nutrition

Nutrition Information

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Dinner with Sweet Potatoes and Bell Peppers

Amount per Serving

Calories

613

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

34

g

52

%

Saturated Fat

 

11

g

69

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

4

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

15

g

Cholesterol

 

75

mg

25

%

Sodium

 

832

mg

36

%

Potassium

 

794

mg

23

%

Carbohydrates

 

55

g

18

%

Fiber

 

7

g

29

%

Sugar

 

9

g

10

%

Protein

 

22

g

44

%

Vitamin A

 

17375

IU

348

%

Vitamin C

 

124

mg

150

%

Calcium

 

155

mg

16

%

Iron

 

4

mg

22

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Disclaimer:

The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Keyword sweet potato skillet

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