Ground Beef Tortellini

Ground Beef Tortellini - made November 6, 2021, modified from Salt and Lavender

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1/2 medium onion, chopped (I used 1 teaspoon onion powder)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 dash Italian seasoning

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice

1/3 cup chicken both

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

10 ounces fresh tortellini

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes. Drain excess fat if needed. Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning.
2. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, cream and tortellini to the pan; stir. Once the sauce starts to bubble, cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium; Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Uncover pan, stir and let cook for another few minutes or until tortellini has cooked through. Stir in parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

This was supposed to be made with gnocchi but Trader Joe's still didn't have it and I still had the tortellini from the Costco 2-pack I bought some time ago so I went with that. 

I like the simplicity of this recipe and how easy it is to throw together. The heavy cream guarantees this isn't low-calorie but the diced tomatoes and the chicken broth lighten it up a little and give it enough liquid for the tortellini to cook in.

As you can see from my substitutions, this would work with whatever filled pasta you use as well as with gnocchi; in addition, you can substitute sausage or ground pork for the ground beef. The sauce is pretty versatile and likely the only way I would eat tomatoes as the diced tomatoes didn't bother me (yes, I ate them in this dish). This is a good comfort food dinner on a cold night.