Baked Tortellini with Smoked Mozzarella and Parmesan

Once again, surrounded by a world full of snow and no chance of escaping the dull confines of duplex life to dine out, I decided a rich, one-pot meal was in order.  After digging through lists of "try this" and "this looks delicious" recipes, I settled on a recipe from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes, and set out to make it my own and perfect for my boyfriend and I.  Here's what followed...

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 cup marinara sauce
1/6 cup mascarpone cheese
1/8 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 (8 oz.) refrigerated tortellini 
1 ounce smoked mozzarella (If you don't like smoked cheeses, regular mozzarella will be fine) 
Grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a circular baking dish.

Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend.

Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes and drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat.

Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with thin slices of the smoked mozzarella and sprinkle with parmesan.

Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melts, about 30 minutes.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dish up and serve with some crusty bread.  Delicious!
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
*This recipe would work with any sort of filled pasta, and would also be great with some Italian sausage or other fillings added in.  Be creative!