Cheesy Baked Tortellini

I absolutely love this dish. Giada's Cheesy Baked Tortellini was one of the first meals I made when I took a real interest in cooking, about 2 or 3 years ago. It's quick and easy, and yet I've entertained with it several times. Definitely one of my favorites - and a great comfort food.



One of the things that I adore about this dinner is its versitality. You can "dress it up" with fresh tortellini, mozzarella, and sauce for company, but you can also use frozen, packaged, and jarred for a quick meal during the week. (This go-around, I used fresh mozz and sauce, but frozen tortellini.)



This meal was also my first experience with mascarpone; I remember going to a bunch of different grocery stores because I couldn't find it. This was way before I discovered the specialty cheese section. Whoops...


I always double it, though, even when it's just us - leftovers are awesome!

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 pound purchased cheese tortellini
• 2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.

Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.