French Onion Beef and Tortellini

This one pan French Onion Beef and Tortellini Skillet is a complete meal, filled with ground beef, cheese-stuffed tortellini and veggies!

Everything is cooked in just one pan, making dinner time a breeze and clean up even easier.

ground beef and tortellini with peas, onions and carrots in a skillet.

What Is French Onion?

When you hear the words “French Onion”, do you immediately think of French Onion Soup?

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I know I do, but I also think of the sweet and nutty flavors of caramelized onions in a rich beef broth, topped with a cheesy and crusty bread.

I thought – why not take those same flavors and give it a spin with this simple pasta and ground beef recipe? Turns out it was a great idea.

Ingredients Needed

Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make this French Onion Ground Beef Recipe. As always, you can find the full list in the printable recipe card below.

  • Ground Beef use a lean ground beef or swap with some steak strips!
  • Yellow Onion a yellow onion is more sweet in flavor – giving you that perfect balance
  • Onion Soup Mixadds a punch of flavor with minimal effort
  • Beef Brothstick with a low sodium broth to avoid an over-salty finish
  • Gruyere Cheeseperfectly sweet and nutty
  • VegetablesI love using a frozen pea and carrot blend, but use whatever your family enjoys.
  • Sour Creamto add a little tang and give the finish some creaminess.
  • TortelliniUse a cheese-filled tortellini, the refrigerated kind that only takes a few minutes to cook in boiling water. If using a dried tortellini, you’ll need to add more broth and cook for longer.
Ingredients for skillet recipe on wooden surface with ground beef and tortellini.

How To Make It

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it’s all prepared and cooked in just one pan! It’s my specialty. Let me show you just how simple it is to whip up this weeknight family dinner…

Brown Beef

Start by cooking the ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break up the beef and cook until it is no longer pink.

Drain off any excess fat and then return the skillet to the stove top – add in the garlic and onion soup mix and cook until fragrant.

skillet filled with ground beef mixture and vegetables with beef broth and tortellini located at the side of it.

Add Veggies

Stir in the veggies and pour in the beef broth – then bring the mixture to a simmer.

PRO TIP: Feel free to swap out the veggies for any sort of vegetable that your family enjoys. I always have peas and carrots in the freezer, so it’s what we usually add.

Stir in Tortellini

Once the mixture is bubbly, add in the refrigerated tortellini and cook, stirring often, until the tortellini is tender.

skillet filled with ground beef and tortellini.

Add Cheese and Sour Cream

To give this dish a little extra creaminess and tang, we’re going to stir in some Gruyere cheese and sour cream once the tortellini is tender.

Once the cheese is melted into the beef, it’s ready to enjoy!

Garnish with some black pepper, parsley and sprinkle a little more cheese on top if desired. It’s a complete meal ready to go, but we also like to serve with a side salad, or some breadsticks.

Make Ahead and Storage

This recipe is best when made fresh, and since it all comes together in under 30 minutes, it’s perfect for an easy weeknight dinner when you’re in a pinch.

You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or stove top until heated through. Freeze any leftovers in these silicone trays for up to 3 months, then let defrost in the fridge before reheating in microwave.

wooden spoon filled with tortellini ground beef mixture in skillet.

Caramelized Onions?

You may notice that with this recipe I didn’t caramelize the onions – why not?

Well – I wanted to keep this recipe under 30 minutes and see if the added onion soup mix will still bring out that nice onion flavor. It does!

However, if you want to caramelize the onions (if time allows) I whole-heartedly recommend it. Simply add the onions to the pan prior to the beef and cook them in a little olive oil, following this method on my French Onion Beef and Rice Skillet.

plate with beef and tortellini on top.

More Ground Beef Skillet Recipes

Ground beef is my all time favorite ingredient to use for quick and easy meals. Here are a few more skillet recipes that utilize ground beef.

I hope you give this tortellini and ground beef recipe a try tonight! I think you’ll really enjoy it!

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4.78 from 9 votes

French Onion Beef and Tortellini Recipe

Quick and easy ground beef and tortellini in a french onion-inspired sauce with veggies and cheese.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 608 kcal
Author: Shawn

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef, lean
  • ½ large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 oz onion soup mix, just the mix
  • 1 cup peas and carrots, frozen, or preferred veggie
  • 2 cups beef broth, low sodium
  • 10 oz cheese filled tortellini, about 3 cups of the refrigerated kind
  • 1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • ½ tsp black pepper

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Instructions

  • Brown the ground beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until the beef is no longer pink and the onion is tender. (see notes for extra step in caramelizing the onions). Drain off any excess fat from the pan and return it to the heat.
  • Add in the garlic and soup mix and cook until fragrant and incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add in the veggies and beef broth and bring mixture to a boil.
  • Stir in the tortellini and cover the pan, stirring occasionally to allow the tortellini to become tender. They should be cooked in about 7 minutes time. Once pasta is tender add in the sour cream and shredded cheese over low heat and stir until combined. Season with pepper and enjoy!
Notes
CARAMELIZED ONIONS: 
  • Add 2 tsp avocado oil or olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion in the hot oil, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown and caramelized. This can take up to 20 minutes. *If the onion starts to burn, reduce the heat and add a little more oil to the pan. 
  • Remove onions from the pan and cook the ground beef in the same pan. Once the beef is cooked and the fat is drained, add the onions back to the beef along with the garlic and soup mix – continue with recipe. 

Nutrition

Calories: 608kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 1338mg | Potassium: 471mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3055IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 414mg | Iron: 4mg
Keywords: French onion, Ground Beef, Tortellini
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?don’t forget to share a picture and mention @iwashyoudry on Instagram or tag #iwashyoudry!
4.78 from 9 votes

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Recipe Rating




11 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    This recipe was easy to make and liked by my family. I substituted corn for carrots and used frozen peas from our garden. It was very good with a hearty flavor, though I think it needs something more to make pop a little. Maybe some pepper or a little cayenne. I’ll definitely play around with it the next time I make it.

  2. 5 stars
    Made this yesterday and it was very good. I couldn’t find shredded Gruyere seperate and was too lazy to go to another store so I used Gruyere/swiss shredded combo, I used frozen mixed vegetables and plant based ground beef. Will definately make again.

  3. 5 stars
    I just made this recipe exactly as written a couple of nights ago, and it turned out very good. It was also easy to prep and cook, which is very important to me because I have a hard time making meals nowadays due to pain and limited mobility. Please keep these quick and easy recipes coming. I really appreciate it!

  4. 5 stars
    This was so good ! My husband had seconds ! Very easy to make. Definitely a fan favorite in our house! Thank you for sending delicious recipes!!

  5. 5 stars
    Made this tonight for dinner exactly as written and it was fantastic! Highly recommend using the Gruyere cheese as it really adds to the flavor of the dish. Will absolutely make this again.

  6. 4 stars
    My family thought this was good, but I thought it was pretty bland. With some added spices, it could be a great meal. I gave it 4 stars because it was very easy and quick to make.

  7. 5 stars
    Made a mistake by buying ravioli but it didn’t matter IMO. Also, didn’t have any gruyere cheese so I used mozzarella and that seemed just fine also. It is a quick meal and hubby and I really enjoyed it.