Sheet Pan Pesto Tortellini Dinner

Written By Scotty Jeffus

Who doesn’t love a hearty sheet pan dinner? I certainly love sheet pan dinners because…well, I am very lazy and do not enjoy doing dishes.

Today’s dish could not be more simple, it is some tortellini, kielbasa, and brussels sprouts all baked together then finished with Italy’s green gold: pesto.

Also, if you have the time I’m sure you could make cheese tortellini from scratch, but I am going to use store bought tortellini to make this a more accessible weeknight dinner.

Let’s do it!

Serves 4

  • 1 package (2 pounds) cheese tortellini (refrigerated or frozen)

  • 2 pounds pork kielbasa or any pre-cooked sausage, thinly sliced on the bias

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed, stemmed and cut in half

  • Vegetable oil

  • Salt and Pepper

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts

  • 2 big bunches of fresh basil leaves

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for topping

  • 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

  1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

  2. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Once finished, lay on the sheet pan along with the kielbasa and brussels sprouts. Toss everything with a drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until everything is browned all around.

  3. While everything bakes, make the pesto by placing the garlic, pine nuts, and basil into a food processor (see below for mortar and pestle option), and pulse until finely chopped.

  4. Slowly add the olive oil and continue to blend until smooth, then add the Parmigiano and lemon juice, pulse to combine, taste and season the pesto with salt and pepper as needed.

  5. Once the tortellini, kielbasa, and brussels sprouts are roasted, let them cool for about 5 minutes. Toss everything with the pesto, top with a scattering of grated cheese, and dig in!

So, if you’re like me and you want to make your pesto in a mortar and pestle, then what I suggest is to bash the garlic first until it’s almost like a paste, then add the pine nuts and continue bashing until they break down.

You’ll also want to chop the basil before adding it in as mortar and pestles don’t really chop ingredients so much as they crush.

Anyway, add the basil, then proceed with adding the oil as normal.

Scotty Jeffus
Next

Spasagna