Cheesy Weeknight Tortellini Skillet.
This cheesy tortellini skillet is one of our favorite weeknight meals. Especially good for back-to-school season, this skillet has a quick marinara meat sauce, cheese tortellini, fresh mozzarella and tons of basil. Baked until melty – it’s perfect.
Dinner is going to be sooooo delicious tonight.
It’s official back-to-school time for us so I am breaking out my menu plan and adding in all of our favorite easy weeknight meals. This is a newer one that I am so excited to share with you – everyone in this house ate it right up.
It’s easy.
Customizable!
Super delicious.
And cheesy. You know we can’t go wrong there.
Baked cheesy (and beefy!) ravioli is where it’s at. I love to make a dinner that EVERYONE is excited about. This is the kind of dinner that you look forward to all day. The one that tastes like home, is everyone’s favorite and occasionally… eaten up so there are no leftovers!
I mean, sad about the leftovers but a huge win when everyone loves it so much.
It’s pretty darn simple and semi-homemade with a jar of marinara. Here’s how I do it!
To start, I brown ground beef or turkey in an oven-safe skillet. We’re going to throw the whole skillet in the oven, so just start it right in that pan. I season it a bit more with salt, pepper, garlic, basil and oregano.
Then I throw in a jar of my favorite marinara! We love Rao’s and I have a ton in my pantry. I’d say we go through two jars or every single week.
I also cook some tortellini! I like to do a cheese or spinach tortellini for this recipe. You can use whatever flavor you love or whatever you have on hand. Cheese is my number one though. It just goes perfectly.
The tortellini cooks fast, so while it’s a pain that you need to cook it ahead of time, it only takes about three minutes once the water is boiling. Once it’s down, I drain it and throw it in the pan with the meat sauce.
Next, I top everything with some torn fresh mozzarella. Oh yum.
Finally – bake it! Place the skillet in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or so, just until the cheese melts and everything is warm and melty. Top it with tons of fresh basil and serve it.
This is SUCH a huge hit. It reminds me a lot of my burrata baked ravioli dish from last year, and we adore that. So I’m always looking for similar dishes that everyone may love.
The best part is that this is very customizable depending on what you have, love or your preferences. You can stir in some spinach like I do with my ravioli. You could add extra veggies, a spicier marinara, use an impossible meat variety or even switch up the cheese. And of course – the tortellini flavor is up to you.
We can’t get enough.
This is the perfect weeknight meal for us during the school year. It’s incredibly cozy and comforting, easy to throw together and feeds a crowd. I pair with a big house salad and it’s incredibly satisfying. If you really want to take things over the top, add in some of my best garlic bread from Everyday Dinners.
ENJOY.
Cheesy Tortellini Skillet
Cheesy Weeknight Tortellini Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- kosher salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 28 ounces your favorite marinara
- 12 ounces cheese tortellini, cooked
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn apart
- parmesan cheese, for topping
- fresh basil, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- Heat a large (I like a 12 inch) oven-safe skillet over medium heat and brown the ground beef. Season it with a big pinch of salt, pepper and the basil and oregano. If I use beef, I rarely use oil or butter because the fat cooks out. If you use a very lean cut of meat, you can drizzle the pan with olive oil as needed. Break the meat apart until it is in small crumbles and browned.
- Stir in the marinara sauce and reduce the heat to low. Cook the tortellini for 3 or 4 minutes (according to the package directions) and immediately drain it, then add it to the meat sauce. Gently stir with a spatula to incorporate the tortellini without breaking it.
- Tear apart the fresh mozzarella and sprinkle it over the beef and tortellini.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbly and cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan and fresh basil to serve!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Comfort food at it’s finest.
12 Comments on “Cheesy Weeknight Tortellini Skillet.”
Yum! This looks delicious & easy. A winning combination! Thank you Jessica!
It’s Great test ever, It’s a amazing look,It’s even amazing cooking..
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Do you think you could assemble this then freeze it? Since the meat and tortellini are cooked I would suspect that would work okay but not sure. Baby #1 is arriving in a few weeks and I am planning/prepping some freezer meals!
It’s so cheesy I like it! Are you going to add something like this next time https://cookingwithvi.com/recipes/7 ?
I appreciate the information and advice you have shared. I will try to figure it out for more.
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Making this tonight. Where do I put the garlic?
I ended up adding the garlic to the meat when it was almost done, so it could cook a little bit. It was very good! Thank you!
Can I ask why you have to cook the tortellini with this one but with the baked ravioli it can be frozen?
Could this be assembled the night before and left in the fridge until the next evening?
Delicious. Used ground turkey and didn’t cook noodles before putting it in oven. It worked well. Just added a touch of water to sauce. Loved every bite!
Love this recipe so much! We are vegetarian so I make it with beyond meat which works very well. Also add a splash of red wine and some spinach. I think it’s my husband’s favorite meal of those that I make regularly, and it comes together so quickly. Thanks!
big fan of this meal. my husband and I call this our golden ticket re: weeknight meals. Thank you!! big fan of your recipes :)