Baked Tortellini with Sausage
Ingredients
Baked Tortellini:
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
- 2–3 carrots
- 2–3 stalks of celery
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 large cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 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
To Go On Top:
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- finely chopped parsley
For Serving:
- garlic bread
Instructions
- 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
Sauté the veggies:
- 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.
5 min - 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.
8 min - 5
Finish: Sprinkle some grated parm on top along with some chopped parsley, and dunk into that baby with some chunks of garlic bread. SO GOOD.
