Blackstone Tortellini with Sausage (Creamy Garlic Parmesan)

A flat griddle can’t hold boiling water, so the tortellini itself gets cooked in a pot on your stovetop, not on the steel. After that, the griddle takes over. One wide, hot surface browns a pound of sausage, builds a cream sauce from the fond it leaves behind, and gives the drained tortellini enough room to pick up real color where it touches bare steel, something a crowded stovetop skillet can’t manage without steaming everything soft instead.

---

Ingredients

• 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 lb Italian sausage (sweet or hot), casings removed
• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
• 2 cups baby spinach
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt and black pepper
• Fresh basil or parsley, for serving

---

Instructions

Step 1: Boil the tortellini In a pot on your stovetop, bring salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini per package directions, usually 3-5 minutes for refrigerated tortellini, until they float. Drain and toss with a small drizzle of oil so they don’t clump while the rest of the dish comes together.

Step 2: Preheat the griddle Set the Blackstone to medium (350-375°F) and preheat 8-10 minutes. Add the avocado oil.

Step 3: Brown the sausage Add the sausage to the griddle, breaking it into crumbles with your spatula as it cooks. Cook 6-8 minutes until deeply browned and no pink remains, internal temperature 160°F. Push the sausage to one side of the griddle, leaving the rendered fat behind.

Step 4: Build the sauce In the cleared zone, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant, using the sausage fat already on the steel. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits with your spatula. Let it reduce by half, about 2 minutes, then add the heavy cream and red pepper flakes. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Step 5: Thicken with parmesan Sprinkle the parmesan over the cream in a few additions, stirring it in each time until it melts and the sauce thickens slightly. This takes 2-3 minutes. Keep the heat at medium; parmesan can break and turn grainy if the sauce gets too hot too fast.

Step 6: Combine everything Add the drained tortellini and spinach to the sauce. Fold the sausage back in. Toss everything together directly on the griddle for 2-3 minutes, letting some of the tortellini rest against the bare steel long enough to pick up light color while the spinach wilts and the sauce coats every piece.

Step 7: Serve Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with extra parmesan and torn basil or parsley. Serve immediately; the sauce thickens further as it cools.

---

Tips

Don’t skip pushing the sausage aside. Building the sauce in the same zone the sausage browned in is what gives it flavor. A clean pan and bottled broth would taste flat by comparison.

Watch the parmesan. Added too fast over heat that’s too high, it clumps or turns grainy instead of melting smoothly. Add it in small handfuls and keep the heat moderate.

Refrigerated tortellini, not dried. Dried tortellini takes much longer to boil and has a denser, chewier texture that doesn’t pick up griddle color the same way. Refrigerated (the kind sold in the pasta case, not the shelf-stable aisle) is what this recipe is built around.

Give the tortellini room in the final toss. Piling everything into one dense mound steams it instead of letting the pasta touch the steel. Spread it out across the cleared zone for the last couple minutes.

---

What to Serve With It

Garlic butter brushed on toasted bread makes a fast side for scooping up extra sauce. A simple green vegetable cuts the richness: asparagus or broccoli both sear in a spare zone while the sauce comes together.

---

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days. The cream sauce thickens considerably when cold. Reheat gently on the griddle or stovetop over medium-low heat with a splash of chicken broth or cream to loosen it back up; a microwave works too but stir halfway through so the sauce doesn’t separate.

---

More flat-top recipes: Blackstone Sausage and Peppers · Blackstone Dinner Ideas · Blackstone Garlic Butter

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you boil pasta directly on a Blackstone griddle?

No. A flat griddle has no way to hold standing water, so there’s no boiling surface on the steel itself. Boil the tortellini in a pot on your stovetop, then bring the drained pasta to the griddle to finish in the sauce with the sausage. The griddle’s job here is browning and building the sauce, not boiling.

What kind of tortellini works best on the griddle?

Refrigerated cheese tortellini, the kind sold in the pasta case rather than the dry shelf-stable aisle. It cooks in 3-5 minutes and has a texture that picks up light color when it touches the hot steel during the final toss. Dried tortellini takes longer to boil and won’t brown the same way.

What temperature should the Italian sausage reach?

160°F internal, the standard safe temperature for ground pork and sausage. Break it into crumbles as it browns so every piece cooks through evenly and check with an instant-read thermometer if you’re unsure.

Can you use frozen tortellini?

Yes. Boil straight from frozen, it usually just needs a minute or two longer than refrigerated tortellini. Check the package for the exact time and drain as soon as the pieces float.

Can you make this without sausage?

Yes. Skip the sausage and start the sauce directly with butter and garlic instead of rendered fat. Add a pinch of extra salt since the sausage normally contributes some of the dish’s seasoning, and consider extra red pepper flakes for the flavor the sausage would have added.