Friday, March 27, 2009

Tasty Tortellini

I wouldn't consider this recipe to be cooking. It is more assembling than anything else. But just because it doesn't require any skill doesn't mean it isn't delicious. This is the perfect recipe to glam up a weekday meal without the extra effort.

Cheesy Baked Tortellini
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
  • Olive oil
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red peper
  • 1 pound purchased cheese (or any other variety) tortellini
  • 2 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.

Measure out the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl.

Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes.

Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. The heat from the pasta will melt the cheese and help the mixture blend smoothly.

Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish.

Top the mixture with the sliced mozzarella

and Parmesan.

Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

Serve as a side or the main dish with some warm bread.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

There is nothing wrong with simply assembling sometimes. Especially if it turns out looking that good.

Gabriela (Gabi With An Eye) said...

Oh Elizabeth your tortellini look absolutely delizioso!

Kerstin said...

I'm all about easy weeknight meals and this looks great - I especially love the mascarpone cheese in it!

teresa said...

Oh wow, this looks like heaven on a plate, delicious!

Jessica said...

That looks like some serious cheesy, pasta goodness! I think that those are the best kinds of meals on a weeknight -- the ones that are really homey and comforting but not insanely time consuming. I am definitely making a mental note to try this!

Ruth Daniels said...

One great thing about food blogging is the stumbling across wonderful blogs I'd never otherwise visit.

Very glad I stumbled here - beautiful photos and delicious meals...my perfect combination.

One of these days I hope you plan on sharing your pasta delights with Presto Pasta Night Roundups www.prestopastanightroundups.com

And by the way...in my world, most of the best dishes are simple and require little in the way of "recipe". Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to try it out....never thought to use Mascarpone in a savory dish before...silly me.

Spryte said...

Wow!! That looks so good!

Mahmudul Hasan said...

Wow!! looking delicious to me.I would definitely try this at my home.
Tortellini recipes