When you take the best parts of a Philly cheesesteak — tender shaved beef, sautéed peppers and onions, and a blanket of melty provolone — and toss it with cheese-filled tortellini, you get comfort food magic in one skillet. This recipe hits that sweet spot between quick weeknight dinner and cozy indulgence.
Ingredients Needed
There are a lot of creamy pasta recipes out there, but this one stands out because it nails both flavor and texture balance.
Here’s exactly what you’ll need:
The frozen quick steaks (we use Steak-Umms) cook up fast and give that authentic cheesesteak flavor without the fuss of slicing ribeye. The cream cheese and half-and-half base creates a silky sauce that clings to every tortellini pocket instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan. And because the tortellini cooks right in the sauce, it absorbs the savory broth and beef drippings as it simmers — meaning no wasted flavor and no separate pot to wash.
Cooking Everything in One Pan Makes This Dish Work
One-pan recipes aren’t just about fewer dishes — when done right, they’re about building flavor smarter. In this Philly Cheesesteak Tortellini, each ingredient adds something to the next.
The steak leaves behind browned bits that season the onions and peppers; the vegetables release a little sweetness that rounds out the sauce; and the tortellini cooks right in that creamy, savory mix, absorbing every layer along the way. Every bite tastes like a creamy, cheesy version of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich.
Serving Instructions
Serve right away. As the pasta cools, it continues to drink up the sauce. If you’re serving later, keep an extra splash of beef broth or half-and-half on hand to loosen it before reheating.
Storage Notes
Philly Cheesesteak Tortellini is best right after cooking — that’s when the sauce is still creamy and luscious. But leftovers keep nicely for up to three days in an airtight container. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat with a splash of milk or broth to loosen it back up.
More Philly Cheesesteak Recipes
- Philly Cheesesteak Sliders
- Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
- Philly Cheesesteak Dip
Philly Cheesesteak Tortellini
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 9 ounces quick steaks, kept frozen, packaging papers removed and cut down to four smaller pieces to fit inside skillet (Steak-Umms brand)
- 1 cup diced sweet yellow onion, vidalia onion cut into ½ inch sized pieces
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper, seeds and stem removed and cut into ½ inch sized pieces
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 ½ cups half & half dairy creamer
- 19 ounces frozen cheese tortellini
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded provolone cheese
Instructions
- To a large, 12 inch, skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the frozen pieces of quick steak.
- Allow the quick steak to cook, and brown, undisturbed for 2 minutes on the first side. Using a spatula, flip the quick steak pieces over to cook and brown the other side for an additional 2 minutes or until no pink remains. Be careful not to break up the quick steak pieces too much as you want to see larger pieces of steak in the finished dish.
- Using a slotted spatula (a fish spatula works great), remove the cooked and browned quick steak from the skillet and place it onto a plate, leaving some of the fat in the skillet to cook the onions and bell peppers. Set aside.
- To the hot skillet add the diced sweet yellow onion and diced green bell peppers. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly golden brown, tender and the onions are translucent.
- To the cooked vegetables, add the cream cheese and stir to combine until the cream cheese has melted.
- Return the cooked quick steak to the skillet and add the salt, black pepper, beef broth and half & half. Gently stir to combine, being careful to not break apart the steak pieces too much.
- Bring the liquids to a boil and add the frozen cheese tortellini to the skillet. Stir to cover all the cheese tortellini with the liquids. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid.
- Allow the philly cheesesteak tortellini to gently simmer for 10 minutes or until the cheese tortellini is cooked through and the sauce has thickened and been absorbed by the tortellini. Be sure to stir the mixture often to prevent the cheese tortellini from sticking.
- Remove the lid and add the shredded mozzarella and shredded provolone cheese to the surface of the Philly cheesesteak tortellini. Replace the lid and allow the cheeses to gently melt in the skillet for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir the melted cheese into the pasta and sauce before serving.
Notes
- If you cannot find pre-packaged block style provolone cheese to shred, you can ask your deli counter to slice a 4 ounce piece of provolone cheese for you. This will yield approximately 1 cup when shredded. Alternatively, you can finely chop approximately 6 slices of prepackaged deli style sliced provolone cheese to yield the 1 cup needed for this recipe.
- Steak-Umms brand is a very commonly found brand of quick steaks. You can certainly use your favorite brand of quick steaks for this recipe.
- If using cheese tortellini found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, you will need to note that the cook time may be slightly shorter than it is for the frozen tortellini. You will need to keep an eye on the cheese tortellini to ensure it is not overcooking before adding the shredded cheeses.
- For a richer, and thicker, sauce you can substitute heavy cream for the half & half in the recipe.
Nutrition
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