BEEFY CHEESY TORTELLINI BAKE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 24-ounce jar marinara/pasta sauce
• 1 22-ounce package frozen cheese tortellini
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish and set aside.
• In a large pot set over medium heat, brown ground beef and garlic until meat is no longer pink, breaking it up and stirring frequently. Drain fat. Season meat with garlic powder, dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried thyme, crushed red pepper flakes (if desired), and salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
• Stir pasta sauce into cooked ground beef. Pour frozen tortellini into a colander and run under warm water for a minute to slightly thaw. Drain and stir tortellini into meat sauce.
• Remove pot from heat and stir in half of the grated mozzarella. Transfer tortellini/meat sauce into the prepared baking dish. Top with remaining grated mozzarella and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 20 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly.

Notes

• If you have fresh herbs, feel free to substitute them for the dried herbs (and you may use two to three times the amount of fresh herbs, since fresh herbs aren't as strong as dried).
• If desired, you can add some grated veggies to the meat sauce using this method.

Recipes by www.fivehearthome.com