One Pot Cheesy Tortellini and Meatballs Recipe is an easy weeknight meal that your family will love! Cheesy, saucy, and made with just a few ingredients!
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Why You'll Love This Dish
We have a busy week ahead and I am back to my one-pot dinners. They are crazy easy and always a hit. If you haven't jumped on the one-pot dinners wagon yet - do it now! You will love the convenience of cooking everything together and all of the options that you have with this type of recipe. It is so easy!
All you need to do is brown the meat with sauteed onions and garlic, then add pasta and liquids, and seasoning. That's it! Let it all simmer until the pasta is done and meat cooked through and it's ready for the table. Oh, and may I suggest that our Cheesy Garlic Bread is just a PERFECT side with this dish? 🙂
Ingredients:
- frozen Italian meatballs
- cheese-filled tortellini
- crushed tomatoes
- chicken stock
- mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- seasoning: dried oregano, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
- garlic, onion
What to do with a bag of frozen meatballs?
I had half of a bag of frozen Italian meatballs left over and I knew I wanted to make another recipe with them to share here on the blog. It also just happened that I had a package of cheese tortellini (my kids love them!) and it just sounded like a great dish already. Initially, I was going to cook the pasta then add thawed meatballs and sauce to a casserole dish and bake it all in the oven. But then I wondered if it will work the one-pot style - cooked together in one skillet. It did! And it came out perfectly sauce, cheesy and so so delicious!
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Can I make this recipe and freeze it?
Yes! This cheesy casserole is perfect to make ahead. Assemble in a freezer-safe dish and place in freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw out in the fridge and then bake as directed in the recipe below.
Variations:
- you can use penne or farfalle (bow tie) pasta in this dish as well as spaghetti or fettuccine.
- I used store-bought fully cooked meatballs but by any means, feel free to use homemade meatballs.
- You can use spaghetti sauce but I like to use crushed tomatoes and my own mix of seasoning.
If you know you have a busy week ahead or suddenly things get crazy but you know, people need to eat, OR you have a friend that just had a baby or is recovering after a sickness - make this for them and they will love you forever!
More One-Pot Recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
One Pot Cheesy Tortellini and Meatballs
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- ½ medium onion diced
- 8 oz cheese tortellini
- 35 meatballs (if frozen thawed completely; I used fully cooked, Italian style)
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup water or chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Melt butter with olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet.
- Add onions and garlic and sautee for about 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add meatballs and brown on all sides.
- Add tortellini, crushed tomatoes, water, oregano and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 12 to 15 minutes OR until tortellini is cooked.
- Stir in ½ cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover skillet and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
- You need to thaw the meatballs before using them in the recipe.
- You can use spaghetti sauce in place of crushed tomatoes.
Guardado S. says
I've always said that cooking is not for me because I work a lot and I don't have the time. Everything has changed since I started cooking with your recipes. I had no idea that you can prepare dinner so quickly and deliciously sometimes even 2-3 days. I am so grateful for your recipes!
Denise Biddle says
So DELICIOUS! Very easy to make. I will make this again.
Jola says
Nothing to add. The meatballs are so delicious and cheesey. Thank you Anna for this recipe!
Cynthia Phillpis says
This turned out great My daughters are vegan so I used plant based meatballs. I added the cheese as we fixed a bowl, so those that don’t want cheese don’t have it It is delicious both ways and my husband still don’t realize he didn’t have regular meatballs. Even my grandson loves it (and he is a picky eater) Thanks and next time I will have to increase my servings A new quick go to for dinner
Tricia says
Okay, hear me out! First time I made this I had left over curds from poutine in the fridge so I threw those on top instead of mozzarella. And after letting them melt a bit, I put it under the broiler in the oven. This takes this whole meal up a notch!!! Now when we have poutine, I always get extra curds and this meal is on the menu a day or two later!!!!
Anna says
Well, that sounds absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing, Tricia!
Cyndi says
Those meatballs look so cheesy and yummy! This is one delicious looking dinner. Needs to go on my menu asap!
Michelle says
You had me at that picture. What a great comfort dinner. I am a sucker for pasta and marinara sauce.
Cookin Canuck says
Now that is some cheesy goodness. And you just can't beat the ease of one-pot meals!
Becky Hardin says
I can't believe how wonderful this looks and sounds
Katerina says
Holy Moses that looks aaaamazing!! I truly wish I could poke a fork through my monitor and grab a bite! 😀
Medha says
These meatballs look so cheesy and delicious and loving that there's EVEN MORE CHEESE In the tortellini. This is comfort food at its best! 🙂
Jessica says
Tortellini is my weakness! I could totally DEVOUR a plate of this.
Bintu says
We have a big bag of tortellini in the freezer and ground beef is on sale so this is definitely going on our must make list this week!