Make dinner in a flash with this One-Pot Sausage and Cheese Cappelletti recipe! Skip the dishes with this savory pasta dish packed with Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, basil, garlic, and oregano.
There are several good reasons why one-pot pasta dishes are my go-to meal for busy nights. The first one is pretty obvious – it’s ONE-POT. This means less clean up and my kitchen doesn’t look like something blew up in it. I’m messy when I cook and notice that there is considerably less of a mess when I’m making one-pot pasta for dinner.
Another reason is that they are incredibly easy to make. There is no need to pre-cook the noodles. They cook right in the sauce! You don’t need your colander when you are dealing with one-pot pasta recipes. They are just a matter of adding in your ingredients in sequence and letting your stove work its magic.
As someone who budgets her money, I certainly appreciate how inexpensive one-pot pasta meals are to create. All you need is pasta, sauce, veggies, cheese, and meat to make a memorable meal your family will enjoy. I typically always have these ingredients on hand.
I used hot Italian sausage in this Sausage and Cheese Cappettelli, but if you prefer it to be less spicy, you can use mild Italian sausage. It’s cooked first along with the onions and garlic in a large Dutch oven.
Once your sausage is cooked, it’s dumping time! Literally, just dump your other ingredients (minus the cheese) into your pot.
I used fresh cappelletti for this recipe. You could use any type of fresh pasta or dried if you prefer. Just remember if you use dried pasta, you will need to adjust the cooking time. Fresh pasta does not require as long to cook.
Why You’ll Love Sausage and Cheese Cappelletti
- Made with fresh pasta
- Make dinner in under 30 minutes
- It is all made in one pot, so you’ll have fewer dishes to wash
- Easy to feed a crowd or large family
- Kid-friendly meal
- Simple, delicious, and budget-friendly – what’s not to love about one-pot pasta recipes?!
Ingredients
- Italian sausages – Mild or hot Italian sausage.
- Sweet onion – Helps create the flavor base of this one-pot recipe.
- Garlic – You can use garlic powder in a pinch.
- Fresh cappelletti pasta – Fresh stuffed pasta similar to tortellini.
- Prepared pasta sauce – Use your favorite red sauce.
- Beef broth – Helps make a rich sauce for the pasta to cook in.
- Dried oregano – Can be swapped for Italian seasoning.
- Fresh basil
- Mozzarella cheese – The perfect finish for this one-pot pasta dish.
How to Make One-Pot Sausage and Cheese Cappelletti
- Step One: Add onions, garlic and Italian sausage to a Dutch oven over medium high heat. With a wooden spoon, crumble the sausage and stir ingredients together. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until sausage is cooked. Drain excess fat, if needed.
- Step Two: Stir in pasta sauce, cappelletti, dried oregano and beef broth. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium. Stir in fresh basil.
- Step Three: Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until pasta reaches desired tenderness.
- Step Four: Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella cheese. Serve immediately.
Equipment Needed
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What to Serve with One-Pot Sausage and Cheese Cappelletti
This is a hearty one-pot pasta dish easily stands on its own, but I do recommend serving with a simple salad and some bread to soak up the delicious sauce.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t worry if it seems like there is a lot of liquid as you are preparing the recipe. You will need it to cook the pasta, once it is added, and then it will thicken up nicely.
- Be sure to wait until the last 15 minutes of cooking time to add the pasta.
- Also, don’t forget to remove the pot from the heat before stirring in the cheese just before serving.
Variations and Substitutions
- Tortellini can be used if you can’t find Cappelletti
- Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese for garnish.
- Use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.
- Add some additional heat with red pepper flakes.
- Add some fresh veggies such as baby spinach.
- Use ground beef instead of sausage.
Storage Instructions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Can I Freeze?
Yes, you can freeze Sausage and Cheese Cappelletti after it’s cooked and cooled in freezer containers for up to 3 months.
However, if you know ahead of time that you want to freeze it, I recommend cooking it without the cappelletti and freezing it. The reason being that the cappelletti may become mushy after it’s thawed.
Cook up a fresh batch of tortellini and add it to the thawed soup when you’re ready to serve.
What is Cappelletti?
Cappelletti is a filled pasta similar to tortellini. Cappelletti is filled with cheese or a meat mixture. The main difference between cappelletti and tortellini is the shape. While tortellini is round, cappelletti is made from pasta squares and shaped like little hats.
More One-Pot Recipes
- One-Pot Chicken Cacciatore
- One-Pot Chicken & Broccoli Rice
- One-Pot Chili Rigatoni
- One-Pot Unstuffed Pepper Pasta
- One-Pot Chicken & Stuffing
You’ll also like this Sausage Jambalaya.
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One-Pot Sausage & Cheese Cappelletti
Ingredients
- 4 Italian sausages mild or hot, casings removed
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups fresh cappelletti pasta uncooked
- 1 jar pasta sauce about 3 cups
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh basil roughly chopped
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Add onions, garlic and Italian sausage to a Dutch oven over medium high heat. With a wooden spoon, crumble the sausage and stir ingredients together. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until sausage is cooked. Drain excess fat, if needed.
- Stir in pasta sauce, cappelletti, dried oregano and beef broth. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium. Stir in fresh basil.
- Cover and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until pasta reaches desired tenderness.
- Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella cheese. Serve immediately.
Kitchen Tools
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Rosanne Robinson says
this dish looks so yummy, can’t wait to try it!
Rosanne Robinson says
this dish looks so yummy, can’t wait to try it, thx!
Rosanne Robinson says
This dish looks so yummy, can’t wait to try it. I’ve never heard of Cappelletti pasta before, thx for sharing!