Cheesy Tortellini Bake. New Music From Johanna Glaza.

This Cheesy Tortellini Bake is a lovely dish full of contrasting textures. A mix of tortellini and broccoli is coated in a creamy, smoky cheese sauce, then topped with even more cheese and a crispy topping of panko crumbs. It’s a fabulous play on mac and cheese.

Cheesy Tortellini Bake

Ingredients:

1 pound cheese tortellini, cooked according to package directions
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus additional to taste
2 1/4 cups shredded smoked gouda, divided
2 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Panko Bread Crumbs (recipe follows)
1 pound ham, cut into small bite sized pieces (I left this out)
8 ounces of broccoli, cooked

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

2. Melt butter over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add in the flour and whisk well. Cook for about 2 minutes, until it reaches a pasty consistency.

3. Slowly add the heavy cream and whisk well. Gradually add milk, whisking continuously to remove any clumps.

4. Reduce the heat to low and slowly add 2 cups of smoked gouda and 2 cups of the sharp cheddar cheese. Stir in cooked ham, if using, and the cooked broccoli.

5. Add tortellini to the cheese sauce mixture and pour into the prepared baking dish.

6. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of gouda and 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese over the casserole. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs over the top.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes. For an extra crispy top you can then broil the casserole for 1-2 minutes until the panko bread crumb topping is golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Panko Bread Crumbs

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup panko

Directions:

1. In a small bowl combine melted butter with panko.

Recipes from Center Cut Cook

Today’s hearty and rib sticking recipe couldn’t be more different than this new song from Johanna Glaza. ‘Paper Widow’, with its ethereal vocals and dreamy music, is the ultimate in light and airy. Really pretty tune.