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Home » Dinner » Cheese Tortellini in Meat Sauce

July 26, 2019 By Sara 14 Comments

Cheese Tortellini in Meat Sauce

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This recipe for cheese tortellini in meat sauce is tender cheese filled pasta tossed in a homemade bolognese style sauce. A quick and easy dinner option that can be on the table in just 20 minutes!

When I’m looking for an easy meal, I often turn to pasta. It’s quick, it’s hearty and of course, totally delicious! My family loves pizza pasta, pasta pomodoro, and this cheese tortellini recipe.

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Cheese tortellini in homemade meat sauce, topped with parsley and parmesan cheese.

My kids go crazy over tortellini, and I love that it’s so quick to prepare. This cheese tortellini recipe features an easy homemade meat sauce, and is the perfect comfort food meal at the end of a long day!

How do you make cheese tortellini in meat sauce?

This recipe starts with a super simple meat sauce, which consists of ground beef, garlic, onion and marinara sauce. Using store bought marinara sauce saves a ton of time because you won’t have to sit and wait for your sauce to simmer all day. The meat sauce is tossed with cooked cheese tortellini. Add a sprinkle of parsley and parmesan cheese, then serve and enjoy!

Ground beef with onions in a skillet.

Tips for this cheese tortellini recipe

  • When choosing ground beef, use 90% lean ground beef. It has plenty of flavor with minimal grease. You can use meat with a higher fat content if you prefer, just be sure to drain any excess grease from the pan before you add the marinara sauce.
  • Make sure you use a high quality store bought marinara sauce. Bargain sauces may be too watery or lacking in flavor. I often use Newman’s Own, Classico or Bertolli.
  • This recipe works with either fresh or frozen tortellini. If you use frozen tortellini, you don’t need to thaw it before cooking!

Homemade meat sauce in a pan.

Cheese tortellini variations

Meat sauce with cheese tortellini is fantastic, but if you are feeling inventive, you can change the recipe to suit your family’s tastes.

  • Tortellini: You can use different flavors of tortellini like chicken, mushroom, spinach or artichoke.
  • Meat: Italian sausage, ground turkey or grilled chicken would be delicious in the meat sauce. Those can be used instead of, or in addition to, the ground beef.
  • Vegetables: Feel free to add your favorite vegetables such as roasted zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, or mushrooms.
  • Flavorings: You can add flavorings to the sauce such as olives or pine nuts.
  • Creamy: The meat sauce can be creamy if you add 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Let the sauce simmer for an extra 5 minutes so that the cream can thicken.
  • Ravioli: If you have a favorite ravioli, you can use it instead of tortellini. Choose a smaller ravioli to makes sure they stay intact after being mixed in the meat sauce.

Cooked tortellini over meat sauce in a skillet.

What is the difference between tortellini and ravioli?

The practical difference between tortellini and ravioli is very small. They are both pasta enclosing a filling. Ravioli is two sheets of pasta enclosing the filling in a pillow shape. Tortellini is a ring shaped pasta enclosing a filling. Ravioli tend to be bigger than tortellini and can be quite large. Both work well for this recipe, although smaller ravioli work better than larger ravioli because they’re easier to eat.

Slow cooker tortellini

It is easy to make this tortellini with meat sauce in a slow cooker. First, brown the ground beef in a pan and add onions and garlic to cook with the beef. Add the cooked meat, garlic and onions to a slow cooker along with your favorite marinara sauce. Set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook the meat sauce for 2 hours or set it to LOW for 4 hours. Stir the cooked tortellini into the meat sauce and cook everything for another 10 minutes. When you serve the dish, garnish the tortellini with parsley and parmesan cheese.

Cheese tortellini tossed in a homemade sauce.

Tortellini with meat sauce is a fantastic way to enjoy rich meat sauce with a fun pasta. No one needs to know that this recipe is as easy as it is flavorful.

More easy pasta dishes

  • Tuscan Chicken Pasta
  • Turkey Pasta Carbonara
  • Cheeseburger Pasta
  • Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken
  • Caprese Pasta
Cheese tortellini in homemade meat sauce, topped with parsley and parmesan cheese.
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5 from 13 votes

Cheese Tortellini with Meat Sauce

This recipe for cheese tortellini in meat sauce is tender cheese filled pasta tossed in a homemade bolognese style sauce. A quick and easy dinner option that can be on the table in just 20 minutes!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword cheese tortellini, tortellini recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 503kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
  • 1/2 cup diced white onion
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 20 ounces cheese tortellini fresh or frozen
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
  • Add the ground beef to the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until done, approximately 4-5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic to the pan, and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Pour the marinara sauce into the pan with the beef and heat until warmed through.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to package directions.
  • Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat.
  • Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley, then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 503kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 682mg | Potassium: 628mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 565IU | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 252mg | Iron: 5.3mg

Filed Under: Dinner, Pasta Tagged With: Ground Beef, Tortellini

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Comments

  1. Brenda says

    December 30, 2020 at 11:09 am

    I’m going to make mine with Italian sausage, since I don’t have ground beef on hand. I’m sure it will be delicious.

    Reply
  2. Elisa says

    June 22, 2020 at 10:47 am

    5 stars
    Cheesy delicious comfort food that we always want! Easy too!

    Reply
  3. Katie Wyllie says

    August 9, 2019 at 5:07 am

    5 stars
    Love how easy this meal is! We always have frozen tortellini on hand!

    Reply
  4. Billy says

    August 9, 2019 at 4:19 am

    5 stars
    The PERFECT weeknight meal. Comes together quickly and it is so dang tasty!

    Reply
  5. Melissa says

    August 8, 2019 at 10:31 pm

    5 stars
    Yum – delicious! It was very easy to make my family really enjoyed it.

    Reply
  6. Trang says

    August 8, 2019 at 7:51 pm

    5 stars
    Love! Pasta is my family go to dish also if we need something quick and hearty!

    Reply
  7. Krissy Allori says

    August 8, 2019 at 6:57 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so cheesey and delicious! Can’t wait to try it.

    Reply
  8. Noelle says

    August 6, 2019 at 9:22 pm

    5 stars
    What an amazing pasta for dinner! Love the sauce

    Reply
  9. Sylvie says

    August 6, 2019 at 5:59 pm

    5 stars
    I love those types of recipes that are equally easy to make and delicious – so perfect for mid-week dinner! This is homemade comfort food at its best

    Reply
  10. Irina says

    August 6, 2019 at 5:45 pm

    5 stars
    Oh, WOW! These cheesy tortellini with poured meet sauce and sprinkled Parmesan look delicious! I am gonna double the recipe for my family! We are pasta lovers! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  11. Gloria says

    August 6, 2019 at 5:35 pm

    5 stars
    I always have tortellini in the freezer. I buy it in bulk. This is a great dinner any night of the week. Quick to put together. Perfect way to feed a hungry crowd.

    Reply
  12. Lisa says

    August 6, 2019 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    Such delicious comfort food and a classic recipe!

    Reply
  13. Susan Dubose says

    August 2, 2019 at 6:41 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so good and easy!You can’t get much easier than that. And that is a great picture of it on the plate. It makes me want a bite right now. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Richard Tunner says

    August 2, 2019 at 6:17 pm

    5 stars
    I am going to make this recipe this week! I make my own spaghetti sauce, and have some frozen, so it will be an easy, NEW meal for us!

    Thank you, thank you!

    Reply

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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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