After a long day at the office, the last thing you want to do is spend time overthinking dinner. This 30 minute easy tortellini bake is the ultimate low-effort, high-reward meal. Just brown some meat, stir in the marinara, add to a dish with the tortellini, and let the oven do the rest. With minimal prep and barely any dishes, it’s the perfect comforting dinner that requires almost no brain power to throw together. I love to pair it with a salad or roasted vegetable to round out the meal.

Why I Love this Recipe:

• Fast and easy with just a few simple steps
• Minimal cleanup because the last thing I want to do at the end of a long day is clean my freaking kitchen
• Make-ahead friendly so you can prep in advance and bake when ready

Ingredient Breakdown:

• Fresh or Frozen Tortellini: I like to use my grocery store’s very generic brand fresh tortellini in the prepared food section. Frozen tortellini would work well for this recipe, just make sure to cook for an extra 10 minutes.
• Ground Beef: I typically try to use whatever ground beef is on sale at the store that day (usually 80/20). I’ve also made this with ground turkey when I wasn’t particularly in the mood for beef!
• Mozzarella: my go-to here is Belgioioso Fresh Mozzarella Pearls or a block of mozzarella (whichever one is cheaper that day, honestly)
• Marinara Sauce: we tried this Hot Honey Marinara Sauce for the first time, and WOW, we immediately ordered a couple more jars. It was very good. Any basic marinara sauce will work here.
• Grated Parmesan: feel free to use either freshly grated parm or the kind that comes in the shaker bottle.

Quick FAQ:

Q: Can I make this vegetarian or add in any vegetables?

Yes! Swap ground meat for your favorite plant-based crumbles or add sautéed mushrooms and zucchini instead.

Q: What’s the best way to store leftovers?

I love these glass containers and these deli containers for storing my leftovers to bring to the office the next day.

Q: Can I use a different pasta?

Of course! Ravioli (frozen or fresh) or gnocchi would be great substitutions.

Print Recipe

Easy Tortellini Bake

This 30-min baked tortellini is the perfect easy weeknight dinner. Minimal prep, easy cleanup, and meal prep friendly, perfect for busy schedules!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time26 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy Dinner, Pasta Bake, Simple Recipe

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1 jar Marinara Sauce
• Tortellini fresh or frozen
• Fresh Mozzarella Pearls
• Grated Parmesan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400F
• Brown ground beef and remove the grease from your pan
• Pour in your jar of marinara sauce and then fill up the jar halfway with water and add that to your sauce
• Season your sauce with onion powder, red pepper flakes, dried parsley, and dried basil (about 1-2 tsp each), stir to combine.
• Simmer the sauce on low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• In a 9×13" baking dish, spoon in half of your sauce mix, add in the tortellini on top (don't worry about cooking it first! It will cook in the oven), and top the tortellini with mozzarella pearls.
• Pour the remaining sauce into the dish and top with more mozzarella and parmesan to taste.
• Bake for 20 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Video

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