Roasted Pepper Tortellini

I like to try a new recipe at least once per week.  Not all of them are good enough to be blog worthy, but this dish is good enough to share.

I tend to think of meals that are cooked solely on the top of the stove as dishes that can be prepared on hot days, as the kitchen doesn't get over heated as it does when using the oven.  I was surprised, then, to find this in my December/January 2013 issue of Taste of Home.  Three of us ate this dish fresh and the other one ate it as leftovers the next day.  The fresh consumers gave this dish 9's and the leftover guy gave it an 8 on the Melnarik rating scale.

I began by placing the roasted red peppers in a colander to drain.  I also started heating some water in a medium pot on the stove to bring it to a boil to cook the tortellini.

Then, in a large, deep skillet (it has to have room for the cooked tortellini later) I browned the Italian sausage and chopped onions over medium heat.  Once the meat was no longer pink, I drained off the excess fat.

After the sausage started cooking and the peppers were fully drained, I placed the peppers in a food processor fitted with the blade and ran it until smooth.

Once the water came to a boil, I added the tortellini and cooked them according to the package directions.

To the sausage and onions I added the processed red peppers and the pizza sauce, mixing thoroughly.

I then added the cooked tortellini to the skillet, tossing gently to combine.

Once everything was combined nicely, I added some shredded mozzarella cheese and put a lid on the pan to let the cheese melt.

The flavor of the roasted bell peppers is what really makes this dish shine and gives it more of an unique flavor than a standard marinara sauce.  Enjoy!

Roasted Pepper Tortellini

1 package (20 oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 (14 oz.) jar roasted sweet red peppers

1 (15 oz.) jar pizza sauce

mozzarella cheese

Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Drain red peppers; process in a food processor until smooth.  In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Add processed peppers, pizza sauce and the drained tortellini to the skillet; stir and heat through.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.