I love a good one pot pasta. All the delicious flavors of a homey Italian meal without a slew of dirty dishes, steamy boiling water, colanders etc. And man does this one fit the bill. Hearty Italian sausage in a tomato sauce tinged with red wine and herbs with tender cheese tortellini nestled under a blanket of melty cheese. It’s a perfect autumn meal for the family or friends, with a good garlic bread for sopping up sauce (stay tuned next week!). For some more one pot wonders, check out my bolognese bake, orzo alla vodka or artichoke and spinach bake.
I pulse the onion, carrot and celery together in a little food processor so it kind of melds into the sauce while adding lots of flavor. You can of course finely dice the vegetables if you want. I have even bought a little tub of prechopped at the grocery and pulsed them in the processor. This is known as soffrito in Italian The garlic should be fine too, so I put it through a garlic press, but finely mincing works too. I use a mild or sweet Italian sausage, but do spicy if you like. I buy it in bulk from a butcher counter, but if you get it in casings, just remove them. Tomato passata is a strained tomato puree which is more liquid than tomato sauce so helps to cook the tortellini. I find it easily in most groceries, sometimes sold in a bottle or a box. If you use canned sauce, replace about 4 ounces with water. Find a good quality refrigerated tortellini – frozen or dry will not cook evenly or in a timely manner. Shred a fresh ball of mozzarella for the smoothest, cheesy topping, with a little freshly grated parm to add a salty hit.
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 medium white onion
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
5 cloves of garlic
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
24 ounces tomato passata
1 cup beef broth
1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
18 – 20 ounces refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 (8 ounce) ball fresh mozzarella cheese, pulled into small shreds and pieces
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut the onion, carrots and celery into chunks and place in a small food processor and pulse to chop them very finely – not a paste exactly, but very small pieces. Put the garlic through a press or finely mince it.
- Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a 3.5 quart braiser or deep skillet that can go in the oven (I use this one). Crumble in the sausage and cook, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula, until it is browned on the outside. Add the chopped vegetables and cook until the sausage is fully browned and no longer pink and the vegetables are soft and beginning to lightly brown, around 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a further minute, then stir in the tomato paste. Cook until the paste turns a darker, brick red color, about 3 – 4 minutes. Pour in the red wine and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine is reduced by about half, then add the tomato passata and beef broth and stir to combine. Add the Italian seasoning, chopped oregano and basil and stir. Cook for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to really meld. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed, then add the tortellini and stir so it is mostly covered by the sauce. Distribute the shredded mozzarella over the top of the dish, then carefully transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. (It’s never a bad idea to put a piece of foil on the rack below in case of overflow). Sprinkle over the parmesan cheese and cook a further 10 – 15 minutes until the tortellini are tender and cooked through and the cheese is melted and bubbling. Let the dish rest for 10 minutes before serving, sprinkled with a little extra chopped fresh basil.
Notes
- You can make the sauce several hours ahead. Cool, over and refrigerate. Reheat to bubbling on the stove, then add the tortellini and cheese and bake as directed.
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