Roasted Tomato and Sausage Tortellini

I was on deadline last week (turned the book in today, yeah!) so that meant dinners were pretty quick and easy affairs (for the most part...I got a little wild with a Butternut Squash Bisque that I'll post later in the week). Anyway, this was a recipe I'd seen in a magazine that was a tad more complicated than I wanted it to be, so I made things easier--and they were just as delicious. I made two batches, intending to freeze one. Uh, the family ate both ;-)

Roasted Tomato and Sausage Tortellini


6 Roma tomatoes, sliced
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
1 pound Italian sausage (either links or ground)
1 pound dry tortellini with cheese filling, cooked (I got mine at Trader Joe's (have I mentioned lately how much I WISH TRADER JOE'S WOULD OPEN A STORE IN MY CITY?)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground black and red pepper blend
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated Italian blend cheese

Turn the broiler on High, and put the rack in the center of the oven. Put the sliced tomatoes in a bowl with the oil, garlic and salt and pepper and toss to coat. Then lay them on a foil-lined cookie sheet, trying not to overlap, and broil until tomatoes are just starting to crisp around the edges. Then turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

Cook and drain the tortellini. In a saute pan, cook the sausage (if you're using Italian sausage links, then chop them into 1-inch chunks), then add the tortellini, the seasonings and the tomatoes. Dump the whole mixture into a casserole dish, then top with grated cheese and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

That's it! Very easy and quick. And yummy :-)

Shirley