Cheese Tortellini with Sweet Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions

In honor of National Tortellini Day today (although it was purely coincidental, I learned about National Tortellini Day this morning after I already had this dish on the menu for tonight!) I made one of my favorites!  This is a big hit with my boys as well.  I always use whole wheat cheese tortellini - but you could certainly use whatever you'd like.  Even a "heavier" pasta - like rigatoni.   I also always use sweet Italian turkey sausage, again, this could be substituted for hot Italian or regular pork sausage.  The red sauce was some of my homemade sauce out of the freezer, make your own or use store bought!  Add a salad and garlic bread - this hearty dish easily serves 4.

Cheese Tortellini with Sweet Italian Sausage, Peppers and Onions
Serves 4 (add a salad and garlic bread to complete the meal)

9 oz package tortellini (I used whole wheat cheese)
3/4 pound sweet Italian turkey sausage (3 links)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt & Pepper to taste
Olive Oil
Tomato Sauce
Parmesan Cheese, grated

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions.  If using link sausage, take out of casing, and add to a pan over medium-high heat.  Using a wooden spoon, crumble the sausage as it cooks, once it is no longer pink and it is browned, remove from pan and let drain on paper towels. 

At this point, you can use the same pan for the vegetables, I did wipe out the pan with a paper towel a little bit and added a little more olive oil.  Or you can leave the pan as is after you remove the sausage.  Cook the peppers, onion, and garlic for 5-7 minutes.   Combine the sausage back in the pan with the vegetables.  Add the basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.  I do use The Melting Pot's Garlic and Wine Seasoning a lot!  I used some of that tonight as well. 

Once the tortellini is cooked, drain and add into the pan with the sausage and vegetables.  Add as much tomato sauce as you need to cover everything, or to your liking.  Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
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