Mom's Tortellini Bake

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. My mom made it all the time when I was growing up and now that I'm a grown up I make it all the time. It's the best comfort food. Even just thinking about it makes me feel all warm and cozy inside.
Not many pictures this time as I only thought about blogging it after the fact. But whatever, the end product is the best picture anyway.

What you'll need:

One package tortellini (I usually get the 3 pack of multicolored tortellini from Costco and just use one package, sorry not exactly sure of the size).
One large onion, or two small, diced fine (I like to use red and white onions)
Milk
Flour
Butter
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese
Cottage Cheese (500 mL tub)
Mozzarella Cheese
Frozen Peas, about a cup (I usually don't include them because my husband doesn't like them but my mom always does)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Oregano
Bread Crumbs
More Butter

First, preheat your oven to 350F. Chop up your onion(s) and saute them in a pan on medium heat with about 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup oil until soft. Once the onions are translucent, add your flour. About a third of a cup but you can test for yourself. Basically you're making a roux with onions in it so whatever consistency you like it. I don't make it  very thick as you will be adding lots of cheese later and that makes the sauce thicker. Once you've added the flour and stirred it around, add your milk, 1 to 2 cups. I'm really guessing on the measurements here because I just make it by sight and as I didn't take any pictures, (never making that mistake again) it's a little bit hard for me to explain. Anyway, add your milk and get the cottage cheese in there right away too. Mix that together then add your Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese as well as your spices (salt, pepper, oregano). Also add your peas and let that simmer for a little bit and just keep it warm if your tortellini isn't fully cooked. Oh, I forgot to mention, while you're making your sauce, get your water boiling for your tortellini. Cook the tortellini according to package directions and once they're all done, drain the water and pour them into a greased baking dish. The one I use is probably 12x12 square. A 9x13 would work well too. Okay, get the tortellini in there then pour your sauce over top. Next, make your breadcrumbs. I use about a quarter cup of butter, melted, and then just add breadcrumbs until it has the consistency of wet sand, maybe a cup? Probably more. Yeah, probably closer to a cup and a half to two cups because you need to cover the whole dish. I used Panko breadcrumbs for this batch and just added my own spices (pepper, oregano, basil, salt) and they worked really nicely. I have used Italian breadcrumbs before and that's even easier because the spices are all there for you. Anyway, once your breadcrumbs are the right consistency, sprinkle them in a good layer over the top of the tortellini. Stick it in the oven and bake for about 30 mins, or until the edges are bubbling and the breadcrumbs are a nice golden brown.

Now that I'm looking at the picture I definitely added some of that lovely dried Italian parsley I have. So there's something else you can add.

The best. Also, I love my white dishes.






And there it is. Hope you're all staying warm and cozy with the people you love most. I'm going to spend the rest of my evening on the couch with my favorite person and a huge glass of egg nog. That stuff rocks my world.

xoxo

A