Baked Tortellini with Tomato Sauce
Baked Tortellini with Tomato Sauce is a comforting Italian-American casserole featuring ring-shaped pasta, typically filled with cheese or meat, smothered in a rich tomato sauce and often topped with melted cheese. It's a hearty, baked pasta dish that transforms simple ingredients into a satisfying meal. The dish is a popular variation of traditional Italian baked pasta, or 'pasta al forno'.
🍽️ Nutrition at a glance
This dish is generally high in carbohydrates from the pasta and can be significant in fat and protein depending on the filling and cheese used. It provides a good source of energy, with a typical serving containing roughly 500-700 calories, along with calcium and lycopene from the tomato sauce.
Nutrition breakdown
| Calories | 350 kcal |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Carbs | 42 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Sodium | 680 mg |
| Potassium | 420 mg |
| Vitamin C | 15 mg |
| Vitamin A | 850 IU |
| Calcium | 180 mg |
| Iron | 2.5 mg |
| Phosphorus | 220 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.2 mcg |
| Selenium | 22 mcg |
Per 1 cup (240 g) · estimated, varies by recipe
💡 What's interesting
Culturally, it represents the adaptation of Italian pasta traditions into a more convenient, baked casserole format popular in home cooking. Nutritionally, the baked method allows the pasta to absorb the sauce's flavors, while the tomato sauce offers antioxidants like lycopene, which becomes more bioavailable when cooked.
