Looking for a quick and easy dinner that the whole family will love? This super easy Blackstone tortellini recipe is just what you need.
Delicious chicken-apple sausage, cheese-filled tortellini, and a mix a veggies will make this one a kind dinner a hit with the whole family.
Best of all, it comes together quickly and it cooks 100 percent outside on the griddle, so no kitchen mess to clean up.
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Why You'll Love My Blackstone Tortellini
I’m always looking for easy dinner ideas, and Blackstone tortellini is one of my family's favorites.
It’s inspired by Todd Toven’s “Toddelleni” recipe from the video below. As soon as I watched Todd’s video I knew I had to give it a try. Of course, I mixed the ingredients up a bit and used what I already had in the house.
And that’s the beauty of my Blackstone tortellini recipe. There are no rules at all. Feel free to mix and match whatever proteins and vegetables you prefer to really make it your own dish. I’ll list some suggested substitutions below so scroll down to get some ideas.
Ingredients and Substitutions
I've made Blackstone tortellini for my family dozens of times. Sometimes I follow the exact recipe I share below, but I often mix and match based on whatever ingredients we happen to have in the pantry and refrigerator.
One of the best things about Blackstone tortellini is that you can customize it as much as you want.
For protein, I really like the chicken and apple sausage you see in the picture above. But I've made this dish with Italian sausage, kielbasa, grilled chicken and even chicken cutlets made on the Blackstone.
You can use homemade Italian dressing if you have it, or just pick up a bottle of your favorite dressing at the supermarket. Greek salad dressing also works well, though in that case I would omit the parmesan and use feta cheese instead.
As for vegetables, I like the combination of white onions, red bell peppers, and green spinach. It's a delicious combo that looks great too.
Other options include broccoli, zucchini, sliced mushrooms, cherry tomatoes (try these fire roasted tomatoes for more flavor!), minced garlic, or a jar of roasted red peppers.
How To Make Blackstone Tortellini
You can scroll down for the full recipe card with detailed instructions, but here are the basic steps and some tips that will ensure this creative dish becomes a regular part of your dinner rotation.
Start by preheating your griddle to medium heat. It will take around ten minutes for the griddle to reach cooking temperature and you can use that time to prep the ingredients.
It helps to have an infrared thermometer to check the temp of your griddle’s cooking surface. Shoot for a temperature of around 350 F. Any hotter than that and you’ll risk burning your tortellini and sausage before the inside is fully cooked.
Remember, a Blackstone can get insanely hot but that doesn’t mean you actually want to cook at those temperatures.
While the griddles heats up you can prep the veggies. Slice the onion and pepper into strips and wash the baby spinach. Grab some oil and your favorite salad dressing and you’re ready to cook.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the griddle (I like to use avocado oil but use whatever vegetable oil you have on hand) and cook the sausage. Once its cooked you can remove it from the griddle, slice the sausage on a bias (diagonally) into pieces about ¼ to ½ inch thick, and set it aside until later.
Next, add the sliced onion and pepper to grill to start cooking, adding more oil as needed. Let them cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Then turn the burners on one side to very low and push everything onto that side so it will finish cooking over low heat.
Add the tortellini and drizzle with more oil. Give the tortellini a toss until well coated and cook until they’re tender and warm. Fresh tortellini will cook very fast, but frozen will take a few extra minutes.
Next combine the tortellini with the vegetables and add in the sliced sausage. Once combined, remove from the heat and place in a large bowl. Pour on the Italian dressing and toss until everything is completely coated.
I like to sprinkle on some grated parmesan to bring it all together but that step is optional. Serve while still warm.
Easy Blackstone Tortellini With Sausage and Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 pound sausage
- ¾ cup onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 24 ounces tortellini fresh or frozen
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- ½ cup Italian salad dressing
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
- Preheat your griddle to medium-high (about 350 F).
- Add a small amount of oil and cook sausage until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Remove from the heat and slice sausage on the bias into slices about ½ inch thickness, then put aside.
- Slice the onion and pepper into bite size pieces and add to the griddle with a bit of oil
- Once the veggies have softened but still have bite, move them to one end of the griddle and turn that burner down to very low to keep the veggies warm.
- Add the tortellini and drizzle with more oil, then toss until the pasta is coated.
- Once tender, combine the tortellini with the vegetables, add in the sliced sausage and spinach. Toss to combine and cook until spinach is wilted but not soggy.
- Transfer everything from the griddle to a serving bowl. Toss with salad dressing and grated parmesan and serve immediately.
Notes
- Feel free to mix up this Blackstone tortellini and serve whatever vegetables you like best. Spinach, fire roasted tomatoes, and roasted red peppers all go great in this dish. You can also swap in the Italian sausage, kielbasa or grilled chicken, or make it strictly vegetarian.
- You can use fresh or frozen tortellini, but obviously frozen will take longer to cook. There's no need to defrost them, just toss the frozen pasta right onto the griddle with plenty of oil.
- I used to add the salad dressing and toss it all together right on the griddle itself, but I've learned its better to transfer everything from the griddle to a serving bowl and then add the dressing. Doing it this way makes cleanup MUCH easier.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Blackstone tortellini is a simple dish that can be ready in less than 30 minutes. Just drizzle some oil on the griddle and place the tortellini in it. Toss it so the pasta gets coated and cooks evenly. In just a few minutes the tortellini will be warm and fork tender.
Definitely. I like my Blackstone tortellini with Italian sausage, but you can swap it for kielbasa, cubed ham, or grilled chicken. Or skip the meat altogether and make it a vegetarian dish.
No, there’s no need to defrost it. Just add it to the griddle frozen and it will cook just fine. Just be sure to use enough oil to keep it coated or it could burn. Obviously, frozen tortellini will take a few extra minutes to cook.
Honestly, you can use pretty much vegetables you like. That’s what I like best about this recipe. Just like my Blackstone fried rice, I use whatever veggies I have on hand or are in season. Some of the veggies I’d suggest are fresh spinach leaves, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms.
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