Giada's Cheesy Baked Tortellini

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before but I love cheese. Pretty much any kind will do but I'm especially in love with parmesan. Neil will occasionally bring me home a block of parmesan as a surprise gift to be romantic. He's kind of cheesy like that :) Bad puns aside, any recipe with the word "cheesy" in it is like a flag waving me down. When I saw this recipe on Melissa's blog, I bookmarked it and put it on our weekly menu the first chance I got. I love watching the food network and everything Giada makes look's delicious. This recipe did not disappoint.

I wasn't quite sure how the smoked mozzarella would work out but it was perfect. It was a tad bit smoky but the flavors of the mascarpone and parmesan cheese blended well with it. If you're not a fan of smoky, I would substitute regular mozzarella. Mascarpone is kind of expensive so substituting ricotta is a possibility I recommend splurging for the mascarpone!

olive oil

2 cups marinara sauce

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 tsps chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 pound cheese tortellini

2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350º. Lightly oil an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Mix the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl. Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese on the top melt, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!