This Instant Pot creamy tortellini with sausage is bathed in an Italian flavored cream sauce. Using frozen cheese tortellini and precooked sausage makes for a quick and easy meal!

You’ll love how easy it is to make this Instant Pot creamy tortellini, with a rich and flavorful sauce and some sausage to boot!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase, this site may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure policy here.

This may be hard to believe, but I had no idea what tortellini was when I was growing up. It wasn’t until I had already graduated from college that I had my first brush with this filled pasta.

I quickly realized that buying a package of tortellini and jar of sauce from the store was a super convenient and easy weeknight meal, especially when paired with a salad and some bread.

For those reasons, tortellini was on my weekly meal plan almost every week during the early years of my marriage.

A few years later, I began learning how to make my own sauces and discovering more and more uses for tortellini.

I love using frozen tortellini because it’s a frugal and fast way to get dinner on the table. Looking for more frugal recipes? Check out my list of 40 of the best easy and cheap instant pot recipes for dinner!

This Instant Pot creamy tortellini and sausage is one of those recipes! The tortellini is paired with smoked sausage or kielbasa and bathed in a creamy Italian-flavored sauce, making for a super simple and fast meal.

Similar to this Instant Pot bacon chicken ranch gnocchi, it’s easy to use packaged pasta and add a homemade creamy sauce for big impact!

I’ve written more about how to cook tortellini in the Instant Pot and how to cook pasta in the Instant Pot, if you need more tips for using your Instant Pot this way! You can even cook frozen ravioli in your Instant Pot!

You can also check out this delicious Instant Pot tortellini and sausage soup or this cheesy Instant Pot pepperoni pizza tortellini for another easy tortellini dish! If you love Mexican food, you’ll love this Instant Pot enchilada tortellini casserole!

Using some kielbasa or smoked sausage is a simple way to add flavor to a dish. I use it in my Instant Pot sausage and rice recipe, too! I prefer beef sausage, but you can use any variety you like–pork, chicken, Andouille, etc.

New to Pressure Cooking? Check Out These Helpful Resources:

How to Make Instant Pot Creamy Tortellini and Sausage

You’ll start by browning some sliced smoked sausage in the Instant Pot, using the Saute setting. Technically, you can skip this step if you want, since the sausage is already cooked.

I like to brown it to bring out the flavor more–but it’s totally up to you and how much time you have.

Deglaze the pan with some broth, then add in a package of frozen tortellini and sprinkle a packet of Italian dressing seasoning mix on top. Do not stir.

Lock the lid in place and cook for two minutes at high pressure, followed by a quick release of pressure.

Give everything a good stir and add in some frozen peas and cubed cream cheese.

Pop the lid back into place for about 5 minutes to allow the cream cheese to melt.

Remove the lid and stir everything once more, then serve! This meal makes a great addition to Pasta Night or Instant Pot Night on your weekly Themed Meal Plan.

How Long to Cook Frozen Cheese Tortellini in the Instant Pot?

Frozen tortellini cooks quite quickly–because this kind of pasta isn’t dried (like boxed pasta), it doesn’t take long at all.

I found 2 minutes (followed by a quick release) to be perfect for allowing the pasta to still be al dente and not mushy. Since this tortellini is filled with cheese, you don’t want it to get too soft or else it will break apart when you stir it.

If you are using refrigerated tortellini instead of frozen, I would recommend the same cook time for the pasta. Your Instant Pot will come to pressure a little bit faster since the contents are not as cold, so 2 minutes should still work just fine without over-cooking.

Notes and Adaptations for Creamy Instant Pot Tortellini

I used smoked beef sausage (which I also tend to refer to as kielbasa, even though they aren’t technically the same) but you could use whatever variety of sausage you want. Sliced Italian sausage or ground Italian sausage would be tasty, or you could also use smoked turkey sausage or chicken sausage.
Or, if you’re not a fan of sausage, you can leave the meat out all together or you could add some chopped chicken breast pieces. In that case, place the chopped raw chicken on the bottom of the insert pot, then proceed with the recipe as written.
If you want the sauce to be a little bit thinner, you can increase the amount of broth to 1.5 cups, then let the sauce thicken a bit as it stands after you’ve stirred in the melted cream cheese.
Feel free to use refrigerated tortellini if desired–just be sure to get the larger 20-oz family-size package to be similar in amount to the 19-oz frozen package.

Recommended Equipment

Instant Pot (I have the DUO60 model, which I love) or another electric pressure cooker
Chef’s knife for slicing sausage and cubing cream cheese
Cutting board

More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes You’ll Love:

Yield: 6 Servings

Instant Pot Creamy Tortellini with Sausage

Name: Instant Pot Creamy Tortellini with Sausage
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 tsp olive oil; 6 oz smoked sausage, sliced; 1 cup chicken broth; 19-oz package frozen cheese-filled tortellini; 1-oz packet Italian dressing seasoning mix; 4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed; 1/2 cup frozen peas

This Instant Pot creamy tortellini with sausage is bathed in an Italian flavored cream sauce. Using frozen cheese tortellini and precooked sausage makes for a quick and easy meal!

Prep Time 3 minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
6 oz smoked sausage, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
19-oz package frozen cheese-filled tortellini
1-oz packet Italian dressing seasoning mix
4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
1/2 cup frozen peas

Instructions

Add olive oil and sliced sausage to the insert pot of an Instant Pot. Using the Saute function, heat the sausage for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally and browning it slightly.
Deglaze the pot by adding the broth and using a wooden or plastic spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the insert pot.
Turn off the Saute function by pressing Cancel. Add in frozen tortellini and stir to combine.
Sprinkle the Italian dressing seasoning mix over the top, but do not stir.
Lock the lid into place and use the Manual/Pressure Cook setting to select a 2 minute cook time at high pressure.
Once the cook time is complete, perform a quick release of pressure. After the pressure has released and the valve pin has dropped, carefully remove the lid.
Stir the pasta gently. Next, add in the cubed cream cheese and frozen peas, then place the lid back on top of the pot for 5 minutes while the heat inside the pot melts the cream cheese and warms the peas.
Remove the lid and stir gently until the sauce is distributed throughout all of the pasta. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

I used smoked beef sausage (which I also tend to refer to as kielbasa, even though they aren't technically the same) but you could use whatever variety of sausage you want. Sliced Italian sausage or ground Italian sausage would be tasty, or you could also use smoked turkey sausage or chicken sausage.
Or, if you're not a fan of sausage, you can leave the meat out all together or you could add some chopped chicken breast pieces. In that case, place the chopped raw chicken on the bottom of the insert pot, then proceed with the recipe as written.
If you want the sauce to be a little bit thinner, you can increase the amount of broth to 1.5 cups, then let the sauce thicken a bit as it stands after you've stirred in the melted cream cheese.
Feel free to use refrigerated tortellini if desired--just be sure to get the larger 20-oz family-size package to be similar in amount to the 19-oz frozen package.

Did you make it and love it? I appreciate your 5-Star Rating!

I love seeing my recipes come to life "in the wild"--don't forget to tag @marginmakingmom or use #marginmakingmom on Instagram so I can see your creation!

13 Comments

Vanessa Smith says:

at

Could you substitute the sausage and use frozen meatballs? I love the Italian Style meatballs from Costco.

1. Chrysti Benner says:
  
  at
  
  Hi Vanessa! I think it would work fine–my only uncertainty is whether or not the meatballs would heat all the way through in the 2 minute cook time, and a longer cook time would make the tortellini mushy. You could give it a try–I love the idea of using meatballs instead of sausage! If you have the time to thaw the meatballs beforehand, I think that would solve the problem. I hope that helps! 🙂
  
  1. Vanessa says:
    
    at
    
    Hi, thanks for the reply… I browned them first in a T olive oil, wiped out h cooker with a paper towel and that did the trick. It came to pressure pretty quickly and everyone loved this. Thanks for the recipe!
    
    1. Chrysti Benner says:
      
      at
      
      Thank you for letting me know how it turned out, Vanessa! I’m so glad to hear it was a hit! 🙂
      
Lainey says:

at

While the flavor of the recipe was good, the pasta (which has a traditional cook time of only 2-3 minutes) turns out super gummy after pressuring up, pressure cooking, depressurizing and cooking an additional 5 minutes. It needs to be added at the end.

1. Chrysti Benner says:
  
  at
  
  Hi Lainey! Sorry you didn’t enjoy the texture–feel free to try a 0 or 1 minute cook time to see if that produces results more to your liking.
  
Jen Gilbert says:

at

I ran out of Italian seasoning. I DID have canned diced tomato’s flavored with Italian seasoning. It was AMZING with the added seasoned canned tomato’s. I recommend trying this additive.

1. Chrysti Benner says:
  
  at
  
  Thanks for sharing, Jen! What a great idea–good way to add some veggies, too! 🙂
  
Janice says:

at

This was delicious and really easy to put together. We loved it!

1. Chrysti Benner says:
  
  at
  
  Thanks so much for your kind words, Janie! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂
  
Holly says:

at

Can you use dried tortellini instead?

1. Chrysti Benner says:
  
  at
  
  Hi Holly! I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe, but the general rule of thumb for dried tortellini is to take the cook time on the package, divide it in half, and subtract 1 minute to get the cook time you’ll need to use. You may also need more broth, since dry tortellini will absorb more liquid than frozen.
  
Sharon Schroeter says:

at

Could I use frazen ravioli instesd of frozen tortellini?
Thank you