Cheesy Tortellini Casserole

Do you ever get a craving for lasagna, and start thinking of the different ingredients you’ll need, but stop when you remember that it will take close to 2 hours to make and you want something sooner rather than later?

This cheesy tortellini casserole is for those moments. It’s a bit like a baked lasagna—with pasta, cheese, tomato sauce—but a lot easier to put together.

Of course the reason it’s so easy to assemble is that you are starting with already made cheese filled tortellini, which can usually be found in the frozen food section of your grocery store (if not, frozen ravioli will work too).

As you boil the water for the tortellini, you make the sauce. Then toss the cooked tortellini with the sauce, put in a casserole dish, cover with Mozzarella and bake until bubbly. That’s it!

In this version we are including chopped cremini mushrooms because they taste great, and chopped chard for a healthy green. You could use spinach instead of the chard, or skip it all together.

Or you could use sausage instead of the mushrooms for a meat-based approach. This hearty vegetarian casserole is perfect for a Meatless Monday meal.

Cheesy Tortellini Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) prepared frozen cheese tortellini
• Salt
• 12 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, roughly chopped or sliced into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbsp)
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 large bunch swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped (about 2 cups) OR 2 cups fresh chopped spinach OR 1/2 cup frozen spinach
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil or 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 to 6 ounces Mozzarella cheese slices, enough to cover the surface of the casserole

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