Is it the weekend yet? I know I can't be the only one asking this question on a Thursday morning. My weekend is going to be jam-packed with excitement as we head to Arden, NC for spiritual renewal. I'm very much looking forward to ushering in the fall season in one of my favorite places in NC. There's so much to do before the weekend rolls around, though, and I am absolutely done with spending tons of time on meal prep this week. I still have a family to feed, so I need quick, easy meals that are so simple to throw together and require minimum clean-up.

One dish dinners are becoming more of a norm for our family. In the past, I wouldn't have dreamed of trying to pull one of these types of meals over on my husband, who grew up disliking the different foods on his plate touching. I've seriously considered buying him one of those divided plate for grown-ups. So, for most of our married life, dishes like casseroles and a lot of pasta dishes have been on the no-go list.

Since I started working more and working outside of my home, I am home less and less. Dinners have to be easy, and they have to be fast to put together, while still incorporating ingredients that everyone likes.

Sausage, pasta and steamed veggies are staples for us, and since I come from a long line of Italians, I love combining pasta with different proteins, veggies, and sauces. I've never met a pasta dish that I didn't like! My hubby is a big fan of tortellini and loves alfredo sauce. Sure, I could just throw together tortellini alfredo, but that gets boring if you serve it over and over again. I love variety! To make the meal a little more interesting, I decided to add a few other ingredients for a new (to us) take on a classic dinner dish.

Sausage & Tortellini One Dish Dinner

You will need:

Fresh Cheese Tortellini (the kind that's already cooked)

1 Kielbasa Beef Sausage

1 Bag of Frozen Peas (A steamer bag makes this super easy)

1 Jar of Alfredo Sauce

*Parmesan cheese

Make it!

First, slice the kielbasa on the bias and add to a heated skillet. Don't add any oil to the pan beforehand. The sausage has a lot of fat and will cook well on its own. Brown the sausage or cook through completely, and then drain any excess grease from the pan, removing the sausage first.

Add the alfredo sauce to the skillet. Warm it through, and then add the cooked sausage and fresh cheese tortellini to the skillet. While these heat back through, pop the frozen peas into the microwave and steam for 4 minutes.

Once the peas are mostly cooked, add them to the skillet with the sausage and tortellini.

Add more alfredo sauce as needed and heat through.

Gently fold the ingredients in with the sauce- avoid stirring.

Enjoy it!

Plate your delicious one-dish dinner, and top with grated Parmesan cheese.

 Serve with a side salad and garlic bread, if you like!

There you have it! You just need one skillet to make this tasty dish, and you have very little to clean up afterward.

Hubby's take on it: He loves it! He really wasn't sure that he wanted to eat these foods altogether in alfredo sauce, but he really loved the flavor combination and asked for me to plan on making it again soon. I'm claiming this as a small victory!

I hope you'll give this tasty one dish dinner a try, and if you do, be sure to let me know what you thought of it!

What types of easy dishes do you make during the week?