Italian Sausage Tortellini Bake is tortellini pasta cooked to perfection with a hearty homemade marinara sauce and Italian sausage. This dish has the perfect amount of tartness balanced by a hint of sweet garlic and basil. Perfect for any weeknight or weekend meal.
While you’re here, be sure to check out this Mouthwatering Homemade Lasagna, and even better- this Fried Lasagna!
Italian food is ALWAYS a hit in my house. Pasta in general, is a favorite among us. The starchy goodness of a noodle, paired with any form of sauce, turns out to be a hearty and satisfying meal.
Which pasta is tortellini?
Tortellini noodles are a “ring” shaped pasta that are notorious for having a delicious filling. The filling can vary from meat, to cheeses, or even a mushroom or tomato filling. The most amazing part about this pasta is that it has a long shelf life. Most stores either sale it freeze-dried (on the shelf), or frozen.
Either way, you can stock your pantry and use it at a later date. The noodles cook super fast, so it takes the hassle out of dinner. They also provide a fun meal for even the most picky eaters in the household. Something like the “element of surprise” as to what’s inside that pasta!
How is tortellini made?
Tortellini is often served with a broth, in soup form, or in a dish with an alfredo or spaghetti sauce. In this particular recipe, we created a pasta “bake” with Italian sausage, a delicious homemade marinara sauce. Make a nice size batch of this marinara sauce and store it away for when you need it.
I freeze mine in large freezer bags, if you know how to can your preservatives, that’s an even better way to store it! Of course you can use store bought marinara sauces, but let’s be honest, homemade is always better! Trust me, if you can take a good 30 minutes to an hour out of one of your evenings or weekends, just make yourself a batch of homemade sauce. Cost effective, and healthy = WIN-WIN!
Which dish is best to cook this in?
If you don’t already have one,
this cast iron skillet from Amazon is PERFECT for this dish, and it’s only $14.00!! You will find yourself using your new cast iron skillet for almost all your cooking, it’s my favorite skillet, hands-down!
I’m telling you, this dish is SO EASY to make, and your family is going to love you 10x over and ask for more!
Do you make any other homemade sauces and store them for later? Let me know in the comments below!
Italian Sausage Tortellini Bake
Italian Sausage Tortellini Bake is tortellini pasta cooked to perfection with a hearty homemade marinara sauce and italian sausage. This dish has the perfect amount of tartness balanced by a hint of sweet garlic and basil. Perfect for any weeknight or weekend meal.
Ingredients
- 1 pack Sweet italian sausage
- 2 packs Tortellini pasta, cheese tortellini used in this recipe
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup Pepper & onion trio mix, found in the frozen isle at most grocers
- 4 cups Homemade spaghetti sauce, see recipe below
- 8 ounces Shredded parmesan cheese
- 6 cups Water, for boiling the tortellini
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet or stock pot. Add italian sausage and brown on all sides.
- Add water and salt to a large stock pot and boil on medium high. Once water reaches a rolling boil, add tortellini. Cook according to package instructions, usually 8-10 minutes, or until pasta is al-dente. Once they are done, drain and set aside.
- When Italian sausage is browned, remove from pan and set aside to cool on a cutting board.
- Add the onion trio to the same pan, saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add homemade marinara sauce and turn heat down to medium low to allow sauce to simmer.
- Once Italian sausage has cooled, slice it to 1/2 inch thick slices. Add it back to the pan with the sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add tortellini pasta to the pan and combine.
- Turn oven on broil. Transfer pasta to an oven safe dish (if not already using one). Sprinkle cheese over the top and broil until top cheese is bubbly and browned. BE SURE TO WATCH IT BECAUSE THE BROILER WILL BURN THE DISH VERY QUICKLY.
HOMEMADE MARINARA SAUCE
Notes
Cast iron skillet works best for this dish- as you can transfer it directly to the oven to broil the cheese (click the link for inexpensive skillet from Amazon).
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