One-Pot Cheesesteak Tortellini Pasta
The newest breakout on the channel — a Philly cheesesteak and cheese tortellini in one pot, sauce and all. Shaved steak, peppers, and onions fold into a fresh-grated cheese sauce, then everything rests under the lid until it comes together. This is the video where I tell you: be the cook that you want to be.
That line comes out of the seasoning rundown: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, whatever Cajun or all-purpose blend you like, and red chili flakes if you want a little heat. Those get you the maximum flavor profile, but if you've got more on the shelf, use it. The other thing I flag before any cooking starts: have your tortellini cooked and waiting. I even circle back to it mid-video — if you was following me in the beginning, you already know — because once the cheese melts into the sauce, the noodles go straight in, steak right behind them.
The order matters in this one. The steak browns first, in a pan hot enough to show a little smoke, then comes out and stays out until the very end — after the vegetables, the seasonings, the flour, the broth, and the cream have all gone in ahead of it. Do everything I said to the tea, and yours should come out looking like the plate at the end of the video.
Watch me make it — video from my YouTube channel
The recipe
One-Pot Cheesesteak Tortellini Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 12 oz shaved steak
- 20 oz (family size) Buitoni three-cheese tortellini (cooked ahead of time)
- 1/2 stick butter (4 tablespoons; I use garlic butter, regular works)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar (plus more to taste for topping)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- garlic powder, to taste
- red chili flakes, to taste (optional)
- Cajun or all-purpose seasoning blend, to taste (optional; I use Tony Chachere's, a no-salt version)
How to Make It
- Cook the three-cheese tortellini ahead of time and set aside (the noodles should already be cooked before the sauce starts).
- Chop the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and onion; set them aside.
- Heat the pan until it just starts to show a little smoke.
- Add the 1 pound of shaved steak and brown it.
- Remove the browned steak and set it aside.
- Add the half stick of butter to the same pan.
- Before the butter fully melts, add the onions and both bell peppers.
- Sauté the vegetables for 5 to 6 minutes, until the bell peppers start to turn translucent.
- Season with the Cajun/seasoning blend, garlic powder, a little black pepper, the optional red chili flakes, and salt.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over the vegetables.
- Mix the flour in well and toast it for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the 2 cups of beef broth, incorporating it slowly.
- Stir in the 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Add the cooked tortellini.
- Return the browned steak to the pan.
- Top with a little more shredded cheddar to taste.
- Put the lid on and let it sit on very low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, watching it closely.
Curtis's Tips
- Use freshly grated cheese: packaged pre-shredded cheese doesn't melt as well, and fresh-grated is what gives the smooth consistency and creamy texture.
- I use garlic butter, but regular butter works fine.
- The red chili flakes are optional, for "a little heat" — add "as much as your heart desires."
- Tony Chachere's is just my preference — any all-purpose seasoning blend you like works; the one I use has no salt in it, which is why I like it.
- "Be the cook that you want to be" — the listed seasonings give the maximum flavor profile, but add more if you want.
- Go easy on the black pepper ("not too much").
- Just a tablespoon of flour — "not so much of it."
- For the final covered rest, make sure the heat is very low and watch it closely.
- Have the tortellini already cooked at the start so it's ready to drop in when the sauce comes together.
Why this works
Shaved steak goes into a pan that's already showing a little smoke — that's the ready cue. It browns, comes out, and waits. The beef broth later deglazes that same pan, so the sauce gets built right on top of what the sear left behind. The tablespoon of flour — just one, not so much of it — gets mixed into the sautéed peppers and onions and toasted for two to three minutes before the broth goes in slowly. The half cup of heavy whipping cream brings that creamy texture, and the cheese is the last thing into the sauce — which is why I push freshly grated over packaged pre-shredded: the packaged stuff doesn't melt as well, and fresh-grated is where that smooth consistency comes from.
FAQ
Do the tortellini cook in the sauce?
No — the tortellini is the one make-ahead in this recipe. I call it out at the start of the video: get the noodles cooked before the sauce work begins, so they're ready the moment the cheese melts in. The tortellini goes into the sauce, the browned steak goes back in after it, a little more cheese goes over the top, and then the lid goes on.
What kind of cream do you use here?
Heavy whipping cream — about half a cup, added after the two cups of beef broth have been slowly worked in. That's what brings the creamy texture to this sauce. The cream question comes up on nearly every creamy dish I post, so for the record: heavy whipping cream is what's in this pot.
Do I have to use Tony Chachere's?
No. I say it in the video: find any all-purpose seasoning blend you like and use that. The reason I reach for the no-salt Tony's is that the blend brings no salt of its own — I add salt separately, last, after the Cajun blend, the garlic powder, and the black pepper have gone onto the vegetables. And go easy on that black pepper — not too much.
My sauce came out thin — what did I miss?
Check three moments against the video. The flour: one tablespoon over the sautéed vegetables, mixed in really well and toasted for two to three minutes before any liquid goes in. The broth: those two cups go in slowly, not all at once. And the finish: lid on, heat very low, for five to ten minutes, watching it closely.
Estimated nutrition, per serving (recipe makes about 4 servings): ~915 calories · 43 g protein · 51 g fat · 71 g carbs. Computed from the ingredient list using standard reference values — an estimate, not a lab analysis; your exact brands and portions will vary.
