BAKED TORTELLINI RECIPE
By: Nicole Johnson
Published: Monday, June 19, 2017 - 10:09am

Ingredients




1 19 ounce bag frozen cheese tortellini
8 ounces mozzarella cheese sliced
Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoon Gourmet Garden chunky garlic paste or 2 teaspoons fresh chopped garlic
1 28 ounce can Hunt's tomato sauce (you can sub a different type but the end result will be different. Different tomato sauce brands contain drastically different amounts of sugar, salt, and other seasonings and make a huge difference.)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs paste or 1 teaspoon dried Italian Herb blend
2 teaspoons Gourmet Garden Basil or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmigianno Reggiano or grated parmesan if you are in a pinch!
Garnish with Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Basil
Meat Layer
1 pound ground beef
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely diced vidalia onions
1/4 cup finely diced fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 egg lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
Spinach
1 - 8 ounce bag frozen chopped spinach
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup chicken stock
pinch nutmeg

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 350. 2 For the sauce, heat olive oil over medium low heat and add the garlic paste or fresh garlic to the oil. Stir frequently and cook for 1 minute. Add in tomato sauce, sugar, and the rest of the herbs. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add in the parmigiano during the last 5 minutes, stir to combine. 3 Mix together the meat ingredients, and place into a greased 9x9 pan. 4 In a medium skillet combine the olive oil, garlic, cream, chicken stock, and nutmeg. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Break up the frozen chopped spinach in the bag by banging it against the counter a few times. 5 Place the spinach over the top of the meat mixture in the pan. Drizzle the spinach sauce over the spinach. 6 Place the frozen tortellini on top of the spinach mixture. You may not be able to fit the entire bag on the pan. 7 Top with as much of the sauce as you can fit into the pan, and cover with cheese. 8 Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for 10 minutes. slice and serve.

About

Baked tortellini is a super easy dish to whip together, and is loaded with veggies and cheese. Some call it “lazy-man’s lasagna”, some call it “Italian Meatloaf”, I call it DELICIOUS.
Check out my blog post here!