Ground Beef Tortellini

Name: Ground Beef Tortellini Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 20 ounces fresh cheese tortellini; 1 pound ground beef; 1 Tablespoon minced garlic; ½ cup onion ((finely diced)); 2 Tablespoons salted butter; 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 cup heavy cream; 15 ounces diced tomatoes; 2 cups baby spinach ((chopped)); ¼ cup basil ((fresh, chopped)); 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning; ¼ teaspoon sea salt ((or to taste)); ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

By Laura

Posted Sep 28, 2025

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This Ground beef tortellini recipe is a delicious meal that’s easy to make in 20 minutes. Tortellini is served in an irresistibly creamy sauce made with ground beef, tomatoes, spinach and parmesan cheese.

ground beef tortellini with diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and grated parmesan cheese in a skillet with a wooden spoon

I often turn to one-pot pasta dishes when I’m short on time but still want to cook a delicious meal for my family – and this ground beef tortellini recipe is one of our favorites (along with spinach tortellini and meat sauce for spaghetti).

The sauce is a combination of tomatoes, cream, ground beef, fresh basil and spices that only takes 15 minutes to make! Tossed with cheesy tortellini, it’s a dish your entire family will love.

Serve it on it’s own, or with some crusty no knead bread or homemade breadsticks for dipping.

ground beef tortellini with diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and grated parmesan cheese, in a white bowl with a silver fork.

Ground Beef Tortellini: Ingredients & Substitutions

overhead photo of the labeled ingredients in this Ground Beef Tortellini recipe like tortellini, spinach, diced tomatoes, ground beef, and italian seasoning

Fresh Cheese Tortellini. I prefer fresh over dried tortellini because of taste & texture, and because it only takes 2-4 minutes to cook! However, any variety of tortellini works well.
Ground beef. ground Italian sausage is a delicious substitute for ground beef. You can also use a leaner meat like ground chicken or ground turkey, but you’d need to add an additional 2 Tablespoons olive oil to cook and brown the meat.
Onion. choose your favorite variety, red, yellow, etc.
All-purpose flour. you can use a gluten-free flour blend if you prefer.
Heavy cream. half and half and whole milk both work well in this recipe.
Diced tomatoes. sometimes I substitute crushed tomatoes for diced, especially because some of my children do not like chunks of tomatoes in their pasta!
Baby spinach. I suggest using fresh spinach and chopping it before adding.
Fresh basil. this is optional, but really adds a lot to the dish, so I suggest using it if you can.

How to Make Ground Beef Tortellini

Let’s walk through how to make this recipe together, and as always – be sure to watch the video.

Begin by cooking the tortellini according to the package instructions – fresh tortellini cooks much quicker than dried. Drain and set aside if it finishes cooking before sauce is done – but do not rinse.

While the tortellini is cooking, cook the ground beef, onion and garlic in a large skillet until the ground beef is no longer pink and is lightly browned. Break the ground beef into small pieces as you stir and it cooks.

making Ground Beef Tortellini - ground beef, garlic and onion in a pan before cooking

making Ground Beef Tortellini - ground beef & onion mixture cooked in a pan with a wooden spatula

Then, add the butter and flour to the ground beef and stir until the butter is melted.

making Ground Beef Tortellini - flour and butter added to cooked ground beef before melting

making Ground Beef Tortellini - ground beef & butter in a pan mixed with a spatula

Next, stir in the heavy cream, tomatoes, spinach, Italian seasoning salt and pepper and parmesan cheese and bring to a boil.

making Ground Beef Tortellini - cream, tomatoes, parmesan, spices and spinach added before mixing

making Ground Beef Tortellini - sauce mixed with the ground beef mixture in a pan

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly, but is still a touch liquidy (you don’t want to cook off all the moisture).

up close photo of a wooden spatula stirring Ground Beef Tortellini sauce in a pan

After the sauce is slightly thickened, add the cooked tortellini and stir until coated.

tortellini added to sauce before stirring

Ground Beef Tortellini in a pan with a wooden spatula

Serve

Then serve the ground beef tortellini immediately with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil.

We like serving this recipe with some of our favorite Italian recipes like bruschetta for an appetizer and panzanella salad on the side.

Store/Freeze

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.

Ground Beef Tortellini Recipe FAQS

Can I use meat tortellini?

You can use any variety of tortellini you prefer – cheese, spinach, meat, etc. You can also just use regular tubular pasta like penne.

What goes well with tortellini?

The sauce in this recipe pairs perfectly with tortellini. You can also make this lemon butter tortellini sauce, homemade marinara sauce, meat sauce, or pesto tortellini.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, you can easily scale this recipe to serve a large crowd. Click the “2X” button in the recipe card to double the ingredients.

Do you eat tortellini with a fork or spoon?

This is totally personal preference. I personally eat it with a fork.

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