How about something really easy for dinner tonight? This cheesy tortellini bake is it!
Even your pickiest eaters are going to love this hearty and comforting pasta dish. Saucy, meaty, cheesy… yep, this one checks all the boxes!
If you have a few minutes to spare, and an oven, you’re going to love this one-pan weeknight dinner.
There’s just something about baked pasta dishes. They’re kind of the ultimate comfort food. Recently, we tried Tortellini al Forno, which has been a hit.
This time we wanted something tomatoey and meaty. It’s more like our ever popular Johnny Marzetti, but easier, and with tortellini!
Why You’ll Love This Cheesy Tortellini Bake
- It just takes a few minutes of your time. Just brown the meat, mix everything together, then let your oven work for you.
- It’s very forgiving. Missing an ingredient? No worries, it’s very hard to screw this up!
- Everyone between the ages of 1 and 101 will happily devour this.
- One skillet = less cleanup!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ground beef – You can make a meatless version, but we love this pasta casserole meaty. You can substitute ground pork, or for a lighter dish, ground chicken or turkey. Some Italian sausage would also go great here.
- Seasonings – Fresh garlic and dried basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, red chili flakes, salt and pepper. If you have some fresh herbs, feel free to use 1 tablespoon of fresh in place of 1 teaspoon of dried.
- Pasta sauce – Any of your favorite store bought brands will do for this quick meal. Or, if you really want to go all out, you can make some homemade marinara.
- Cheese tortellini – Refrigerated, uncooked.
- Cheese – Mozzarella and parmesan. You can substitute the parm for asiago or romano for a little different flavors.
How to Make This Cheese Tortellini Bake
Use a skillet large enough to accommodate everything. We used a 12”, but it was pretty full, so use a 13-14” if you have one.
Heat up the skillet and brown ground beef until there is no more pink. Add in garlic and cook for a couple of more minutes, till the garlic starts to soften up.
Stir in pasta sauce, herbs and 1.5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, then stir in tortellini.
Add cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until pasta is cooked.
If you would like to give it a little color, remove the foil and broil for a few minutes.
Can I Use Frozen Tortellini?
Yes, you can use frozen, or for that matter dried. However, the process will be slightly different.
First, cook the tortellini al dente, according to the directions on the package.
After assembling the casserole, reduce baking time to 15 minutes, to avoid overcooking the tortellini.
What to Serve With Cheesy Tortellini Bake
Our first choice would be a nice fresh salad. Our Avocado Tomato Pesto Salad would go great. Or for something simpler, our Spanish Pipirrana Salad.
Crusty bread is always a winner with pasta. Our No Knead Bread is perfect with this dish.
If you’re serving a larger crowd, try Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. Or, if you have some great summer cherry tomatoes, Cherry Tomato Confit or Cherry Tomato Gratin would both look gorgeous on your spread.
Leftovers and Storage
This tortellini bake is great as leftovers. You can cover your casserole tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Reheat on the stovetop with an extra splash of water.
It also freezes well, so makes a great meal prep option. I like to break leftovers into individual portions, wrap in cling wrap, put the wrapped portions into ziploc bags, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
The next time you see some tortellini in the refrigerated section of your supermarket, don’t pass them by. Think about this hearty and comforting pasta bake, which your whole family is going to love.
Sometimes, great food doesn’t need to be complicated. Take it easy on yourself, you’re still going to get rave reviews for this one…
Cheesy Tortellini Bake, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great pasta recipes!
Mediterranean Pasta
Creamy Sausage Pasta
Gigi Hadid Pasta
Rasta Pasta
Sicilian Pasta
Creamy Chicken Pasta
Clam Lingune
Cheesy Tortellini Bake
This Tortellini Bake is an easy, one-skillet, dinner loaded with meat, sauce and melty cheese that the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1lb ground beef
- 3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 24oz pasta sauce
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1.5 cups water
- 22oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Heat olive oil in a 12-14 inch oven safe skillet over medium high heat.
- Add ground beef and brown until no pink remains, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- Add in garlic and cook for a minute or two.
- Stir in pasta sauce, water, and all herbs. Bring to a simmer, then stir in tortellini and mix till everything is well combined. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake about 20 minutes, or till tortellini is cooked.
- If desired, remove foil at the end and broil a few minutes to brown up cheese.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 538Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 101mgSodium 1065mgCarbohydrates 47gFiber 4gSugar 6gProtein 33g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Never miss a recipe!
Join the GypsyPlate mailing list and get easy dinner recipes right in your mailbox. From homestyle comfort food to exotic dishes from around the world.
