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Extra Cheesy Tortellini Bake

Extra Cheesy Tortellini Bake — Three-cheese tortellini baked with pasta sauce AND three more cheeses!! Cheese lovers will adore this easy baked tortellini casserole that’s ready in 30 minutes!!

Extra Cheesy Tortellini Bake - Three-cheese tortellini baked with pasta sauce AND 3 more cheeses!! Cheese lovers will adore this easy comfort food that's ready in 30 minutes!! - 3

Cheesiest Baked Tortellini Casserole

My refrigerator could be confused as a small cheese shop because at any given time I have at least 20 types of cheese.

Multiple different types of blue and brie, aged cheddar, white cheddar, extra sharp cheddar, gouda, gorgonzola, goat, mozzarella, parmesan, pecorino, swiss, and on it goes. And I can’t help myself from buying new kinds.

If you love cheese as much as I do, you’re going to love this very easy and extra cheesy tortellini pasta bake that’s ready in 30 minutes.

I boiled three-cheese tortellini (parmesan, pecorino, and ricotta) and as soon as they were done, I put them in a bowl with a big dollop of mascarpone cheese and let it melt. It seeps into the crevices of the tortellini and is so wonderful.

The mascarpone-coated tortellini are tossed with pasta sauce and topped with parmesan and mozzarella before being baked to golden, bubbly perfection.

Ingredients in Cheesy Tortellini Bake

To make this quick and easy recipe for baked tortellini, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Refrigerated cheese tortellini
Mascarpone cheese
Pasta sauce (feel free to make homemade marinara , if desired)
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil and / or parsley (optional, for garnishing)

How to Make Baked Cheese Tortellini

The steps for this tortellini pasta bake are simple. Here’s an overview of the recipe:

Cook the tortellini according to package directions, then drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the mascarpone and stir until all of the mascarpone has melted and tortellini are evenly coated.
Add the pasta sauce and stir to coat evenly.
Transfer tortellini and any sauce to an 8×8-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Evenly sprinkle over the parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350ºF or until the cheese is melted and as lightly golden browned and bubbly as desired.

If you’ve never worked with mascarpone cheese, sometimes called Italian cream cheese, it’s reminiscent of very well-softened American cream cheese, but it’s smoother, lighter, and more heavenly.

You could probably get away with using regular cream cheese in this baked tortellini casserole recipe, although I haven’t tried it.

Yes! You can use any flavor of tortellini that you’d like. I used 3 cheese, but any kind will work (so long as it’s the refrigerated type and not the dry tortellini found on the shelves!).

Yes! You can prep it up to 2 days in advance and bake it off when you’re ready. It makes a good-sized batch, which is great for planned leftovers. And the leftovers freeze well for busy nights when pulling something from the freezer is a lifesaver.

Ingredients

▢ one-20 ounce package , 1 pound 4 ounces three-cheese tortellini (spinach, sausage, etc. tortellini may be substituted), cooked according to package directions
▢ ⅓ cup about 3 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened to room temp
▢ 2 cups red pasta sauce , I used a basil-infused sauce
▢ 2 ounces about 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
▢ 8 ounces about 2 cups mozzarella cheese, finely grated
▢ 1 tablespoon fresh Italian flat-left parsley or fresh basil , finely minced for garnishing, optional

Instructions

Cook tortellini according to package directions, drain, transfer to a large bowl, add the mascarpone, and stir to encourage the mascarpone to melt. Stir until all mascarpone has melted and tortellini are evenly coated.
Add the pasta sauce and stir to coat evenly.
Transfer tortellini and any sauce to an 8×8-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Evenly sprinkle the parmesan cheese.
Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese. If desired, cover with foil and at this point you can refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking or bake now.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F, and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and as lightly golden browned and bubbly as desired.
Prior to serving, optionally garnish with parsley or basil. Serve immediately.

Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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A baking dish filled with baked pasta topped with melted cheese and garnished with parsley. - 14