Everyday Italian

If every one of Giada's recipes taste this good, we may find ourselves eating Italian nearly every day of the week. I have to admit that I've had a total crush on Miss Giada for some time now. She's beautiful (& very well dressed), everything she cooks looks delicious & she just seems like the kind of gal I'd want to be pals with. Anyway, forever ago I came across her recipe for baked tortellini in her fabulous book, & i've finally gotten around to trying it out. & let me tell you, it was yummy. Everyone licked their plates clean. I'll definitely be cooking up more of Giada's dishes in the future.

Giada's Baked Tortellini

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 lb cheese tortellini
2 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

* Or you can totally cheat: instead of all the fresh herbs and a plain marinara sauce use a sauce with herbs. Or, if you've totally forgotten that you are all out of any kind of sauce (as i did) use a can (or two) of stewed or chopped tomatoes & add whatever herbs you have on hand (in the convenient little jars i call my herb garden.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º.
Lightly oil an 8 x 8" baking dish.
Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend.
Cook tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes, drain.
Add tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat.
Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Top the mixture with the mozzarella and parmesan.
Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

xoxo, K