What a great weeknight meal! This no-chop, one-pot wonder comes together in 45 minutes with just a handful of pantry staples. Refrigerated or frozen tortellini plump in a meat sauce that’s brawny with hot or sweet Italian sausage and garlic. Top with a blanket of melted mozzarella, for more of a baked pasta result, and finish the dish with a grating of Parmesan.
Our frozen package of tortellini from Costco weighed in at one-and-a-half pounds instead of the 1 pound listed under ingredients, and we used it all. Sweet Italian sausage was our preference, although we added a 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and one teaspoon of dried oregano to punch up the flavor.
And the amount of shredded mozzarella was a tad over 4 ounces, but who doesn’t love more gooey cheese?!
One-Pot Tortellini With Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 lb. hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 (28-oz.) can whole or crushed tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
- About 1 lb. fresh or frozen cheese tortellini (no need to thaw)
- Finely grated Parmesan, for serving
- ½ cup/4 oz. grated mozzarella
Directions
- Finely grate the garlic into a large Dutch oven or skillet. Add the olive oil and tomato paste and set over medium-high heat. When it sizzles, stir until the oil is a rusty red, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sausage, breaking it into small pieces. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is starting to crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes. (If using whole tomatoes, break them up with your spoon.) Season with dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes (optional), and salt and pepper. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer over medium until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the tortellini, cover and cook until tender, 7 to 10 minutes, stirring halfway through and scraping any that might be stuck to the bottom of the pot. If the sauce looks dry, add ¼ cup water (which was needed due to the fact we were cooking 50% more pasta).
- For the melted-cheese top like a baked pasta, heat the broiler with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Sprinkle the tortellini with the mozzarella. Broil until melted and browned in spots, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with Parmesan.
Recipe from Lidia Bastianich
Accounting for Taste 