Baked Tortellini with Spinach, Red Peppers & Mushrooms

Pasta lovers here is an easy  meatless recipe that is very satisfying, you won’t even miss the meat.  Mushrooms, red peppers and spinach are layered in the middle along with creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheese it’s almost like a lasagna but less trouble.

Baked Tortellini

4 cups of ready made cheese filled tortellini ( I used the frozen variety)

basket of mushrooms cleaned and chopped

1/2 of a red bell pepper chopped

2 cloves garlic pressed

1 cup of baby spinach

4 0z. ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 and half jars of your favorite marinara sauce (or your own) about 3-4 cups

Parmesan cheese

flat leaf parsley chopped for garnish

Directions:

• Chop peppers, mushrooms and press garlic, sauté in 10 in. skillet with tablespoon of olive oil until tender.

• Cook tortellini in boiling water following directions on the package, drain pasta.
• Spread about 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of the glass oval 2 quart casserole dish or whatever you have.
• Take half of the pasta and dump into the dish.
• with fingers break up the ricotta on top of the tortellini

• layer on some un-cooked spinach
• put  peppers and mushrooms on top of spinach

• Sprinkle  1 cup mozzarella cheese on top of veggies.
• Pour 1 cup marinara over the cheese
• Dump rest of the tortellini on top
• pour more marinara sauce on top
• Sprinkle rest of the mozzarella cheese on top
• Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese

Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes. Take off cover and bake 5 more minutes until cheese is a little browned on top.

Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley for color and added flavor

Serves 8-10