Confetti On A Plate €“ Italian Garden Tortellini

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 2 lbs ground beef, browned
• 1/2 lb wax bean, snapped
• 1/2 lb green beans, snapped
• 1 -2 zucchini, cubed
• 1 -2 yellow squash, cubed
• 6 -8 green onions, sliced
• 1 -2 green peppers (optional) or 1 -2 red pepper, diced (optional)
• 1 -2 eggplant, diced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced
• 2 -3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups fresh tomatoes, diced (or substitute 2, 15 oz cans diced tomatoes)
• 2 -3 lbs cheese tortellini, cooked according to package directions
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 -2 tablespoon olive oil

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 brown ground beef and drain excess grease. set aside.
• 3 heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed, ovenproof pan.
• 4 saute green and wax beans, zucchini and yellow squash, onions, herbs, and eggplant/peppers (if using them), on medium-high heat until about half cooked.
• 5 reduce heat to medium. add tomatoes and heat until tomatoes get sort of wilted and juicy, stirring occasionally.
• 6 add browned, ground beef and bring to a gentle simmer. if the amount of juice seems inadequate (plum or grape tomatoes are less juicy than the canning and slicing types), add about 1/2 cup v8, tomato juice, or beef stock. but don’t make it too wet or the tortellini will get mushy and unappealing.
• 7 remove from heat. toss with hot tortellini.
• 8 stir in the parmesan and half the mozzarella. top with remaining mozzarella.
• 9 bake at 350f for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.
• 10 this is a meal in one casserole but, as with many pasta dishes, a salad of italian greens and a loaf of crusty bread would add the final polish.
• 11 suitable for oamc. treat it as you would treat lasagna.