Cheesy Baked Tortellini

It was the end of the work week and I really wanted to have something comforting for dinner and this turned out to be very tasty and perfect for a Friday night! It's quick and easy... you can make the marinara sauce yourself, however, I just didn't have it in me to go that route. I didn't want to go out to eat either because quite frankly every time we have lately it's been a big disappointment (gosh it sounds like we are just so picky- NO, we just want quality when we spend our hard earned mula!)

Q is the best husband - he picked up the last minute ingredients on his way home and we both enjoyed such a comforting meal together to unwind from the week. We also had some bread (umm how can you eat pasta without more carbs, right?!) and salad. Here's how we made the pasta dish....


Cheesy Baked Tortellini      

Serves 4-6

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

ingredients

• 2 cups marinara (store bought or homemade)
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 lb frozen cheese tortellini
• 2 oz thinly sliced smoked mozzarella (or just regular ole mozzarella shredded or sliced will work too)

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray evenly.

2. Mix the marinara sauce, mascarpone cheese and fresh herbs in a large bowl to blend together. Cook the tortellini in a pot of salted, boiling water until JUST tender, about 2 minutes and drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat evenly. Transfer this mixture to the baking dish and spread around evenly.

3. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Note: it's a good idea to put the baking dish on a baking sheet JUST in case the dish decides to boil over it won't do so on the bottom of your oven but on the sheet instead!

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Giada De Laurentiis Everyday Pasta