Meatball Tortellini Bake

 

 

I'm almost embarrassed to share this "recipe" with you today, but it was so delicious I am going to anyways.  It's a really simple make and goes together with just a few store cupboard ingredients. 

I adapted this recipe for Meatball Tortellini Bake from one I found in the One Dish Meals Cookbook by Pillsbury.   

What can I say I love one dish meals, and the easier the better.  I have been known to get happily stuck into a pot of buttered cooked spaghetti noodles with nothing but salt, pepper and cheese on them. I am not stranger to simple delights!

This easy and quick recipe uses only four main ingredients.  Frozen/refrigerated Tortellini, a jar of spaghetti sauce, some thawed frozen meatballs and grated mozzarella cheese. That's it. Simple.

 

I confess the original recipe used frozen/fresh ravioli. I didn't have any of them in the house, but in the spirit of making do with what I did have, I had some leftover tortellini that I had frozen from making Cheesy Baked Tortellini back in November.

Proof that I do try to use up all that I have in the house if possible!

 

There's really not a lot of difference between ravioli and tortellini, well, in my opinion anyways. Both are filled pastas.  My tortellini was filled with cheese and bacon.

You could use any kind of stuffed pasta shapes I think. Just be sure to use one that will go well with the other ingredients,  so I think a cheese one is best of all. 

I also cut the recipe down to make only two to three servings, depending on how hungry you are.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MEATBALL TORTELLINI BAKE

If you want to double it, simply double the quantities.  Four simple ingredients. That's all.

• 12 ounces (340g) frozen Tortellini
• 10 ounces (283g) frozen cooked meat balls thawed
• 1 (14 oz/400g) jar of good pasta sauce
• 3 ounces (3/4 cup/85g) grated mozzarella cheese

 

I used approximately 1/2 bag of the ready to cook cheese and bacon tortellini you can buy in the refrigerator section at the shops.  I had use half the bag previously and froze the rest to use another time. This worked beautifully.

I had made extra turkey meat balls when I made these Honey Sriracha Meatballs last week, and frozen them.   This is what I used for this recipe, but you can use any kind of meatball that you have.

Just make sure that the meatball you use is a nicely flavored one. This goes for every kind, and all of the ingredients in this dish. If you use the best that you can find, then you know your dish will be delicious.

Yes, I used pre-grated Mozzarella cheese. Normally I like to grate my own cheese, but this time for the sake of expediency, I did not.

 

HOW TO MAKE MEATBALL TORTELLINI BAKE

Seriously when I say nothing could be easier I mean it. This is simple. Simple. Simple.

Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Spray a 1 1/2 liter/quart baking dish with some nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Cook the Tortellini according the package directions. Drain well. Place into the baking dish. Top with the meatballs.

Pour the pasta sauce over top and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until thoroughly heated through and the cheese has melted. Serve hot.

 

To thaw the meatballs I threw them on a baking tray and shoved them into the oven while I was cooking the tortellini.  It didn't take too long for them to thaw out.

I used a really good pasta sauce. It took about half the jar and that was plenty.

For all of its simplicity this was really, really good. I love simple meals like this. I think that if you use good quality ingredients to begin with, you can't go wrong.

It cooks simply and quickly. You will have enough time to throw together a nice tossed salad while it is baking and how simple is it to make some garlic bread?  Just spread some leftover hot dog or burger buns, cut sides, with some garlic butter, sprinkle on some cheese and throw them into the oven for the last 10 minutes of bake time for the casserole. 

Easy peasy lemon squeasy!

 

If, like me, you are a fan of the simple supper, you might also enjoy the following:

SKILLET BRATS AND SPUDS -This is a deliciously easy pan fry that includes spicy bratwurst, cabbage and potatoes. Cooked all in a skillet, there is a delicious touch of  cream and cheese that tip these simple ingredients over the top into something very special indeed! 

PROPER WELSH RAREBIT - This very popular supper dish is a lot easier to make than one would suppose! Its surprisingly hearty and quite delicious! You can make the rarebit  mixture ahead of time, ready to spoon onto the bread and then grill for a quick and easy supper that works very well with a salad or chips on the side.

Yield: 3

Author: Marie Rayner

Meatball Tortellini Bake

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Quick, easy and delicious. Use quality ingredients for a quality dish.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces (340g) frozen Tortellini
• 10 ounces (283g) frozen cooked meat balls thawed
• 1 (14 oz/400g) jar of good pasta sauce
• 3 ounces (3/4 cup/85g) grated mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Spray a 1 1/2 liter/quart baking dish with some nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Cook the Tortellini according the package directions. Drain well. Place into the baking dish. Top with the meatballs.
3. Pour the pasta sauce over top and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until thoroughly heated through and the cheese has melted. Serve hot.

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