
I didn’t have enough ham, but I was hungry for the Tortellini and Ham recipe WildOne posted, so I decided to try it with smoked sausage. I also had a couple of tomatoes from the garden that needed to be used and thought they would pair well with the sausage, too. And of course, I replaced the peppers with broccoli for the pepper hater.
What I came up with is something that tasted different enough I thought it needed its own post, but at the same time it curbed my craving for Tortellini and Ham. I really enjoyed both recipes and I think which one I make will depend on what meat I have at the time.


- 1 package (19 ounces) frozen three cheese tortellini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10-12 ounces smoked sausage, sliced
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 12 ounce bag frozen chopped broccoli
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ClearJel (cornstarch)
- 1/2 cup homemade chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 4 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided
- Cook tortellini according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook smoked sausage in olive oil over medium heat until browned on one side. Flip sausage and add broccoli and onion. Cook until broccoli is crisp tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer.
- Combine the ClearJel or cornstarch, broth, basil, parsley and pepper; stir into sausage mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
- Add tomatoes and heat until tomatoes are just warmed.
- Add 2 tablespoons cheese. Drain tortellini; toss with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- You could use boxed cheese tortellini.
- You can use fresh broccoli.
- You could use canned chicken broth.
