Tortellini Pizza Casserole

Whenever we head out to Italian food, I am always conflicted on whether I should get pizza or pasta. In my ideal world, I’d be able to order both and have it all fit into my Weight Watchers Daily Smartpoints target. Well, my friends, I’ve created a dish that lets you have the best of both worlds in this super easy, Cheesy, Tortellini Pizza Casserole. (You know I had to say that,right?)

Pillows of cheesy stuffed pasta topped with tangy marinara, spicy sausage, pepperoni, a little veggies for good measure and a lot of cheese. Feel free to get creative mixing and matching your favorite pizza ingredients to create your own cheesy, pizza casserole.

TORTELLINI PIZZA CASSEROLE (print it!)INGREDIENTS:

5 cups frozen cheese tortellini
2 Jennie-O Hot Italian Turkey Sausages
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cups Marinara sauce
1/2 cup water
2 cups Trader Joe’s Lite Shredded Mozzarella
24 Turkey Pepperoni
sprinkle Italian seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour in frozen tortellini in a single layer.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Remove sausage casing and add sausage cooking until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from skillet and pour over tortellini. Spray the same skillet with nonstick spray then add onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes and pour over tortellini.
Pour the marinara and water over the tortellini. Top with cheese and pepperoni. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
Bake for 25 minutes, remove from oven and cook for 5 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and dive in!

Makes 8 servings, 8 Smartpoints each

Nutrition facts per serving:

STEP – BY – STEP:

Preheat oven, prepare the 9×13 baking dish and add frozen tortellini. I like buying the 2-pack of 5 cheese tortellini from Sam’s Club and freezing it until ready to use. You only need 1 container to create a single cheesy, pasta pizza “crust”.Cook the sausage then add to the casserole.Cook the veggies then add to the casserole.Layer up the casserole adding sauce and water pushing it to the edges. No need to stir.Top with cheese, pepperoni and Italian seasoning.Bake at 425 for 25 minutes until the cheese is all melted and slightly golden.Cool for 5 minutes before slicing to serve. I paired this with a big side salad for a complete meal. I seriously love this casserole- it’s cheesy, spicy, meaty and doughy all in one.Who says you can’t have pizza and pasta at the same time?!?