Easy Baked Tortellini and Meatballs is a wonderfully delicious dinner option any night of the week! Everyone in the family will love this cheesy, delicious pasta!
EASY BAKED TORTELLINI AND MEATBALLS
Love it? Pin it to your DINNER board to SAVE it!
Follow Real Housemoms on Pinterest for more great recipes!
If your family is anything like mine, then a consistent dinner favorite is always pasta. Both my husband and son are big-time pasta lovers, and if they had it their way, they would eat it for dinner every night of the week. One of their favorites that they are always asking for is tortellini. Tortellini is typically available in both the refrigerator and freezer section of the grocery store, so I try to stock up when I can. Whenever they’re ready for delicious, easy casserole recipes, I will make this Easy Baked Tortellini and Meatballs.
This simple pasta just takes a few minutes to prep before sliding it into the oven. In addition to store-bought tortellini, this recipe also uses frozen, store-bought Italian meatballs. If you have a favorite meatball recipe, feel free to use it. However, when I need something quick and easy, using refrigerated pasta and frozen meatballs becomes a big time-saver.
I typically start by defrosting the meatballs in the microwave for a couple minutes, just to get them to thaw a bit. I defrost these right in the baking dish. To the defrosted meatballs, I’ll add the tortellini, and a jar of marinara sauce and a can of diced tomatoes. Simply stir these together to coat the pasta and meatballs evenly in the sauce and tomatoes.
In a separate bowl, I then stir together the ricotta cheese, Italian herbs and garlic salt. Then in small dollops, add the ricotta mixture to the top of the pasta. Just before putting this delicious pasta in the oven, I then add plenty of mozzarella cheese for the ultimate cheesy topping. The cheese bakes beautifully and becomes slightly golden, covering the delicious pasta and meatballs below it.
This pasta takes about 30 minutes to bake. Just enough time to heat the pasta and meatballs through and melt all the cheeses together. Serve with a sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese for even more cheesy goodness!
Plate up a big helping for everyone at the table. This hearty pasta dish is perfect for gathering your entire family and enjoying a meal together. Simple. Easy. Delicious!
Ingredients
- 18 - 20 frozen Italian meatballs defrosted
- 20 ounce pkg., refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 24 ounce jar, marinara sauce
- 14.5 ounce can, diced tomatoes
- 1 c. ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ tsp. Italian herbs
- 1 tsp. garlic salt
- 1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese
- Shredded Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In an oval or 9 x 13" baking dish, defrost the meatballs in the microwave according to package instructions.
- To the defrosted meatballs add the tortellini, marinara sauce, and diced tomatoes. Toss together well to coat the pasta and meatballs completely.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese, Italian herbs, and garlic salt. Drop small dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the top of the pasta. Top the pasta evenly with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Top each serving with shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Nutrition
If you loved this delicious and simple tortellini recipe, be sure to check out a couple of my favorite recipes!
Creamy Tomato & Tortellini Soup
Jocelyne says
Do you need to boil the tortellini first before baking.
Jane says
I’m sure this is delicious just by reading the recipe! I want to make this today but I have a question….it says refrigerated tortellini. The tortellini I have is frozen so should I defrost them or leave them frozen? Thanks a bunch!!
Jennifer Kimmel says
Hello Jane, if you leave them frozen you will need to cook the dish longer. I would let them thaw a bit if possible.
Jackie says
Can you specify you mean precooked meatballs. I am not a very seasoned meat cooker, my fiance enjoys meatballs, I do not. They were still raw after I baked for an additional 10 minutes. I had a feeling you meant precooked but since it didn’t specify I figured I would roll with it. No big deal, I just plucked them out and fried them well done. It really was simple and delish:)
Aubrey Cota says
Yes, it’s frozen meatballs. It references that information in the story above the recipe but gives the option to use homemade if you prefer, some people have their own favorite meatball recipes however it does require a bit more prep, such as par-cooking the meatballs before placing them in this bake. To help with future recipes usually if it states frozen next to the item it means you can buy the premade version. Hope that helps!
Shonna says
I am a seasoned cook and also used uncooked frozen meatballs in the recipe. Mine were actually purchased frozen uncooked. It just says frozen so it may be a good idea to add precooked to your description. Other than cooking a little longer it was an easy delicious recipe!
Melissa Racz says
Can this be made with pasta other than tortellini–something like baked ziti with meatballs?
Julie @Real Housemoms says
Hi Melissa! You could any short pasta you like, but you may want to add some ricotta or parmesan to get the same flavor as you would from the tortellini.
Kevin | economicalchef.com says
This looks like a great weeknight dinner. Thanks for the recipe!