An Unbelievably Quick Cheesy Pasta Bake

Keep a bag of frozen tortellini tucked away in your freezer and you can rest easy knowing that a quick meal is always at the ready. This series on fast tortellini dinners will show you how to transform frozen tortellini into dinner using pantry staples and a few surprising techniques. Pasta sauce is just the beginning!

When you want something for dinner that doesn’t require an extra trip to the grocery store, you can lean on that bag of frozen tortellini you always keep stashed in the freezer. Along with your favorited jarred pasta sauce and a bit of shredded cheese, frozen tortellini is the key to a quick meal. Here’s what you need to know to make this three-ingredient dinner tonight!

The beauty of a tortellini bake is that there’s no need to boil the pasta before it bakes; everything goes right into a baking dish. It’s also customizable! Start with three core ingredients — tomato sauce, tortellini, and shredded mozzarella — and then add mix-ins as you go. This a great recipe to make at the end of the week to use up any of those last bits of produce or meat hanging around in the fridge.

Pop open a jar of your favorite tomato sauce and toss it with a bag of frozen tortellini and a few big handfuls of shredded mozzarella. Pour the mix into a lightly greased baking dish, sprinkle another handful of the cheese evenly over the top, cover the dish loosely with foil, and bake it in a 350°F oven for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.