Cheesy Baked Tortellini Casserole

Cheesy Baked Tortellini Casserole is an easy weeknight meal with fresh tortellini, ground beef, tomato sauce and cheese. It’s simple enough for a family dinner and can be easily doubled for enough to feed a crowd.

If you’re tired of boring spaghetti, make my tortellini casserole to change up pasta night. Serve it with a Wedge Salad and Garlic Bread for a complete meal.

Easy Cheesy Baked Tortellini

If you’re looking for an easy weeknight dinner recipe that’s super simple to make, look no further than this easy, cheesy Baked Tortellini Casserole! Using fresh, refrigerated tortellini, and a simple homemade meat sauce, this recipe can be whipped up in under 15 minutes and ready to eat in less than an hour.

If you want a meatless meal, you can omit the ground beef and just use jarred tomato sauce. The dried herbs add a lot of flavor to sauce, but if you’re short on time you can skip that step. Or make your own Homemade Marinara Sauce. For the cheese, definitely use a block and shred it yourself, but don’t skip it – trust me!

How to Make Baked Tortellini

I love how simple this recipe is to make for dinner any night. You only need a handful of ingredients, like ground beef, marinara sauce, herbs and spices, cream cheese and mozzarella.

1. Make the meat sauce. Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling as you go. Drain off as much grease as possible. Stir in marinara sauce and add herbs and spices.
2. Add tortellini and cheese. Stir in the uncooked, fresh pasta, cream cheese and half of the Mozzarella. Once all the cheese is melted, pour the pasta mixture into a casserole dish. *Note – If your skillet is oven safe and large enough, you can bake it in the skillet and only dirty one pan!
3. Bake and serve. Cover the casserole with the remaining Mozzarella cheese, then with non-stick foil. Bake for about 30 minutes. If you want to brown the top, remove the foil and turn on the broiler for a few minutes.

Make Ahead, Storage and Freezing

Make Ahead: Because the pasta isn’t cooked, this recipe could easily be prepped up to 24 hours ahead of time. Prepare the casserole (don’t bake it) and let it cool for 30 minutes before covering tightly with foil. Keep in the fridge overnight and pull it out when you start to preheat the oven. Bake as directed. It would also be a great meal to take to a friend or neighbor in need.

Storing leftovers: This casserole makes 6-8 servings, so if you happen to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or a family portion in the oven.

Freezing: This is an excellent freezer meal! You can prepare the whole casserole ahead of time, let it cool and freeze it, tightly covered with plastic wrap and foil. Or, prep up to the baking step, then cover tightly (let the sauce cool down first) and freeze. It will remain fresh in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then bake as directed.

Serving Suggestions

I love adding color to my pasta casseroles with fresh herbs. Fresh minced parsley or basil just looks so pretty on top of this baked tortellini. Serve with a garden salad and some cheesy garlic bread, or get creative and add some fresh spinach or zucchini to the sauce. Just make sure any veggies you add are cooked tender-crisp first.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Why don’t you cook the tortellini first? Cooking the pasta before adding it to the casserole would essentially cook it twice and result in mushy pasta. I love making the baked tortellini this way because it lets me skip the step of boiling the tortellini.
• Can you use frozen tortellini? You can, but let it thaw first. You can speed up the process by soaking it for a couple of minutes in cold water, just make sure it’s dry before you add it to your casserole.
• Don’t forget the foil. Covering the casserole allows steam to build up so the pasta cooks as the casserole bakes. The pasta comes out nice and tender with a crazy good flavor.
• If you don’t have non-stick foil, a trick is to stick a few toothpicks in about halfway down to hold up the foil and keep it from sticking to the cheese.
• If you’re short on time, boil the tortellini to cook it, then mix with the other ingredients. Bake uncovered for 8-10 minutes.
• For added flavor, use half ground beef and half ground italian sausage.

More Easy Weeknight Dinners

• Ramen Noodle Stir Fry
• Easy Slow Cooker/Crockpot Chili
• Best Tamale Pie Recipe
• Million Dollar Spaghetti
• One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice
• Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
• Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

Recipe

Cheesy Baked Tortellini Casserole

5 from 3 votes

Kristin Maxwell

Cheesy Baked Tortellini Casserole is loaded with seasoned ground beef, marinara sauce, cream cheese, and melted mozzarella. The tortellini cooks right in the casserole with no boiling needed. Great for family dinner or easy to double for a crowd.

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 24 ounces marinara sauce
• 24 ounces fresh refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella divided
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• Fresh minced parsley or basil for garnish

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Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until browned and no longer pink. Drain off as much grease as possible.
• Add marinara sauce, oregano, basil, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for about 1 minute.
• Stir in the fresh tortellini, cream cheese, and 1 cup of mozzarella. Stir until the cream cheese is completely melted and everything is well combined.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. If your skillet is oven-safe and large enough, you can bake it right in the skillet.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella evenly over the top. Cover tightly with nonstick foil.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the tortellini is tender and the cheese is melted.
• Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown the top, or turn on the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely.
• Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh minced parsley or basil if desired.

Notes

• Don't boil the tortellini. Fresh refrigerated tortellini cooks during baking. The foil traps steam that cooks the pasta through.
• Foil trick: If you don't have nonstick foil, insert a few toothpicks into the casserole to hold the foil up and prevent sticking to the cheese.
• Shred your own mozzarella. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent smooth melting. Freshly shredded works best.
• Frozen tortellini: Thaw first, drain well, and pat dry before adding.
• Meatless option: Skip the ground beef and just use the marinara sauce with the herbs and seasonings.
• Protein swap: Use half ground beef and half Italian sausage for extra flavor.
• Short on time? Boil the tortellini first, then mix with the sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Doubling: Use two 9x13-inch dishes. Keep the bake time the same.
• Make ahead: Assemble up to 24 hours ahead, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Bake as directed.
• Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or covered in the oven at 350°F.
• Freezing: Cool completely, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake as directed.

Keyword baked tortellini

Nutrition

Calories: 689kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 42gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 134mgSodium: 1595mgPotassium: 640mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 870IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 389mgIron: 6mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of "Yellow Bliss Road" is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

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