Baked Tortellini with Sausage
    DinnerItalian

    Baked Tortellini with Sausage

    This Baked Tortellini with a sausagey tomato sauce is pretty basic but it's ohhhh so good. It's my comfort food weakness right now. Highly recommend dunking in there with some buttery garlic bread! 

    Prep Time
    30 min
    Cook Time
    10 min
    Total Time
    40 min
    Servings
    6
    Difficulty
    medium

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    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
    • 1 lb. ground Italian sausage (I use a mild one for my kids, but spicy would be delicious)
    • 2-3 carrots, chopped
    • 2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
    • 1 yellow onion, minced
    • 3 large cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
    • one 25-ounce jar of tomato sauce OR a can of San Marzano tomatoes
    • 10-15 ounces of refrigerated cheese tortellini
    • 1 1/2 – 2 cups chicken broth
    • 2 cups baby spinach, torn
    • 0.50 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
    • 0.25 cup grated Parmesan
    • finely chopped parsley
    • this garlic bread

    Instructions

    1. 1

      Brown the sausage: Heat a very large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and the sausage; break apart with a wooden spoon and brown until it’s got some nice color. Transfer to a bowl and drain out any of the oil that you don’t want (I usually drain off about a tablespoon, leaving a tablespoon in the pan).

    2. 2

      Sauté the veggies: If you’ve got some browning on the bottom of your pan – great. Add the veggies and they should start to pull up some of that yummy brown flavor. Add the fennel seeds. Cook until the veggies are fragrant and soft – you can add a bit of salt or oil if you’re feeling chefy. Then add the sausage back in.

    3. 3

      Add everything else: Add your tomato sauce, your tortellini, and 1 cup of broth. The pan will be full. Let it come to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes or so to cook the tortellini. If you need more liquid to cook the tortellini, go ahead and add some or all of the remaining broth. Sometimes I just pop a lid on and leave it for a while on low heat.

    4. 4

      Spinach and cheese: Give it a taste – if you used canned tomatoes instead of a jar of sauce, it will probably need some salt. Add the spinach and stir it in until it wilts. Top the whole thing with the mozzarella cheese and pop it into the oven at 375 for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melty. 

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