Make this deliciously easy vegetarian baked cheese tortellini casserole recipe made with fresh tortellini, veggies, and homemade marinara sauce. It requires minimal prep, and basic ingredients, and can be made in 30 minutes.
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Cheese and Pasta = Good Mood
Cheesy baked pasta is the ultimate comfort food! Love how easily this one comes together! This is just perfect for those quick and fast meals one craves because it needs just a few basic ingredients! It’s super comforting and very delicious too with that cheesy goodness!
After seeing all the love you gave for Cheese Pesto Pasta Bake, I wanted to share this personal favorite recipe of mine - Baked Cheese Tortellini Casserole made with homemade marinara sauce that's also known as spaghetti sauce. Mark my words, you will be making this baked pasta on repeat.
Why make this
- is a vegetarian pasta recipe
- perfect for entertaining and large groups
- is a vegetarian tortellini bake recipe
- made with homemade vegan marinara sauce
- can be made ahead of time
- is made with a few basic everyday ingredients
- recipe is customizable
- very delicious to taste and filling
Ingredients needed 🧾
To make the vegan marinara sauce
Tomatoes - I have used canned plum tomatoes and tomato sauce/puree to make this marinara sauce. You can also use fresh tomatoes, or canned crushed tomatoes to make this marinara tortellini bake recipe.
Spices - Italian seasonings, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and black pepper are the basic spices you need.
Onions and garlic are the 2 ingredients that bring in so much flavor to this vegan marinara sauce.
To make the baked vegetarian tortellini
Pasta - use vegan tortellini if you follow a dairy-free diet. But if you are not very particular, use the ones which contain eggs. You can use frozen, or fresh. Use any flavor of tortellini you like best! You can find it in the deli section of the supermarket.
Other veggies and aromatics - Onions, bell pepper, and green peas are what I have used. Feel free to add more veggies of your choice.
Cheese - I have used two kinds of cheese in this recipe - ricotta and mozzarella. Both types of cheese give this baked pasta a rich creamy texture. You can also add some Parmesan cheese to the mix.
Parsley and olive oil are significant when it comes to making pasta! I have used dried parsley here.
How to make it 🔪
- Heat olive oil in a pan. Fry garlic and onions till the onions turn translucent.
- Then add the chopped tomatoes along with the tomato puree or sauce. Mix and cook this on a medium flame for 7-8 minutes.
- Add Italian seasonings, vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Mix and cook this for another 2-3 minutes. Take it off the flame and let it cool down completely.
- Then grind it into a smooth puree by adding water. You can add some basil or cilantro while grinding. Sieve it if required. Homemade easy marinara sauce is ready. This recipe yields 1.5 cups of marinara sauce.
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- In the same pan, add olive oil. Chef Tip - There is no need to rinse the pan. Saute onions till they turn translucent.
- Then add the bell peppers and green peas. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the homemade marinara sauce.
- Then add the ricotta cheese.
- Now add the fresh tortellini.
- Mix and transfer to an oven-safe casserole. Top with mozzarella cheese. There is no need to cover it with foil. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Then let it. Broil for 1 minute or till the cheese turns golden. Chef Tip - You want the cheese to be bubbling on top before you switch it to the broiler setting, to get that lovely crispy brown color on the cheese!
Serving suggestions 🍽
Take it out, cool it, and garnish it with parsley. Cut, and serve this stress-free, easy vegetarian marinara tortellini. Serve this baked tortellini when it's still warm. You can enjoy it as is or serve some toasted Garlic Bread or breadsticks on the side.
To make it a complete meal, serve it with Tomato Crouton Salad, or Cucumber Salad. Not a salad person? Serve it with Tomato Soup or Lentil Soup. This would make a great freezer meal, or a meal to deliver to a friend or loved one. Add this vegetarian baked cheese tortellini to your weekly meal prep because it tastes great!
This is a great little dish to take to a potluck, weekday lunch or dinner, brunches, parties, game nights, special occasions, or during the festive/holiday season like Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, etc. This is one of those cozy meals one craves when the weather gets chilly.
Top recipe tips 💭
Use an oven-safe pan for cooking everything in one pan. You can also bake it in 2 batches if you don't have one big casserole. This recipe works with ravioli, regular pasta, stuffed pasta shells, and even lasagna sheets. If you want, cover it with foil when baking so it stays moist. The foil keeps the moisture in and cooks the tortellini as it bakes.
Recipe FAQs 📖
This baked cheese tortellini pasta can be made ahead of time. I would suggest not baking and keeping it as it can make the pasta dry. Prepare the casserole and store it in the fridge for a day or two. Add cheese and bake it as and when needed. You can also freeze the casserole. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and then bake it.
Leftover cooked pasta can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave. However, it will taste a bit dry. If you have some leftover marinara sauce, add it to the pasta before reheating.
To prepare as a freezer meal, follow the recipe steps and freeze before baking. You can either thaw them and bake them in the oven or bake them frozen. Cooking times will vary depending on how cold the dish is.
If using fresh tortellini, there is no need to cook it prior. If using frozen, increase the cooking time by 8-10 minutes. If using dried tortellini, then cook it al dente first and then transfer it to the baking dish.
Instead of homemade marinara sauce, you can also use store-bought sauce to save time making this vegetarian tortellini. Instead of ricotta cheese, you can use cream cheese or mascarpone cheese. Feel free to add more veggies like mushrooms, spinach, etc.
Swap mozzarella with smoked gouda for a different flavor. Add a layer of bread crumbs before broiling to give it a crispy texture. If you are missing meat, add soaked meatless crumbles, or soya granules along with the veggies.
Ensure the tortellini is vegan. The marinara sauce is vegan anyway. Use vegan mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese. You can also use nutritional yeast, and/or breadcrumbs as a substitute for cheese.
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Recipe 📖
Baked Tortellini Casserole
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
To make marinara sauce
- 5-6 tomatoes
- 1 cup tomato puree or sauce
- 8-10 cloves garlic
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly crushed pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup water
To make the pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 bell pepper
- ⅓ cup green peas
- 18 oz tortellini
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoon chopped dried parsley
Instructions
To make marinara sauce
- Heat olive oil in a pan. Fry garlic and onions till the onions turn translucent.
- Then add the chopped tomatoes along with the tomato puree or sauce. Mix and cook this on medium flame for 7-8 minutes.
- Now add Italian seasonings, vinegar, red pepper flakes, salt, sugar and black pepper. Mix and cook this for another 2-3 minutes. Take it off the flame and let it cool down completely.
- Then grind it into a smooth puree by adding water. You can add some basil or cilantro while grinding. Sieve it if required. Homemade easy marinara sauce is ready.
To prepare the pasta
- In the same pan, add olive oil. Saute onions till they turn translucent.
- Then add the bell peppers and green peas. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the homemade marinara sauce.
- Then add the ricotta cheese.
- Now add the fresh tortellini.
- Mix and transfer to an oven-safe casserole. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven at 400 degree F for 15 minutes. Then let it broil for 1 minute or till the cheese turns golden. Take it out, cool for a bit, cut and serve.
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