Zesty Tortellini al Forno

Mrs. Mustard is here to share one of my FAVOURITE mom recipes. I call it a mom recipe because it originated as an easy dinner to make and quickly evolved into a faithful standby.



Zesty Tortellini al Forno

• 1 lb fresh tortellini (I use cheese filled)


• 3 bell peppers of your choice, cut up into chunks. I like using red, green and yellow.


• 1 medium onion, cut into chunks


• 1 lb fresh white mushrooms, sliced


• 4 cloves garlic, minced


• 1 lb hot Italian sausages


• 1 jar (940 mL) of your favourite spaghetti sauce. I've used all kinds, and it really doesn't affect the overall taste of the dish


• 1/4 tsp dried oregano


• 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning


• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped up


• dash cayenne pepper


• salt and pepper to taste


• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese

NOW, to put it all together:

1. Prepare the tortellini as indicated on the package. Usually they boil for 8 minutes to reach al dente. Drain and set aside.


2. Brown the sausages in a skillet. Remove from heat and slice into rounds.


3. Sauté the vegetables and garlic in a large pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle the oregano, parsley, Mrs. Dash, salt and peppers on the vegetables as they cook.


4. Add the sausage pieces to the vegetables and add the spaghetti sauce. Stir and heat through.


5. Add the tortellini to the veggie and sausage mixture. Stir to coat the tortellini well.


6. Place in a 4 qt casserole dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.


7. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

EAT AND ENJOY! Serves 6 (depending on how much you eat).

My son (11 months) loves this dish! I've puréed it for him as well as cut it up into bite-sized chunks for him to eat as finger food. What's nice about it is that you hit all 4 food groups in one yummy dish.

As an added note to you vegetarians out there, I originally created this dish without the sausages, so just omit those and go for it!

You could also substitute ground sausage meat instead of using actual sausages, but I quite enjoy the little rounds of sausage on my plate.