Ingredients:
- 1 20 oz. package fresh cheese tortellini – UNCOOKED***
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Bolognese Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef (may use 1/2 sausage)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced or chopped
- 1 squash, quartered and sliced (I used a zucchini instead.)
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped (I used a yellow pepper.)
- 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes in puree
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon (2 teaspoons = 2 cubes)
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 whole bay leaf
Directions:
*Helpful tip: Prior to starting the ragu, chopping all the veggies and opening cans ahead of time makes the process run quickly and smoothly! The mini food processor is a life saver for this recipe!
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch Oven (or very large pot) over medium high heat. Add meat and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Add onions and carrots and cook until meat is browned.
- Add mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add squash (zucchini), bell pepper, and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in all of the remaining “Bolognese Sauce ingredients” and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- After 15 minutes, discard bay leaf and stir in 1/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup Parmesan and the uncooked tortellini. Stir until well combined then pour 1/2 of this Bolognese tortellini into a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with 1 cup mozzarella then top with remaining Bolognese tortellini followed by remaining cheeses.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then remove foil and broil cheese until golden brown.
FYI:
- 2 cups of mozzarella cheese makes this dish EXTREMELY cheesy, almost to the point of it being a little "much." To modify the cheesiness, eliminate the cheese layer in the middle, and only put 1 cup of mozzarella on top.
*www.carlsbadcravings.com