Best Potato Tortelli With Sausage Ragù Recipes

CHEESY BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
• Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
• Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you'd like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

POTATO TORTELLI WITH SAUSAGE RAGù

Steps:

• 1 Prepare the ragù. Then, place the whole potatoes in a pot with cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool. 2 Peel the potatoes and mash them with a ricer or food mill until smooth. Stir in the butter, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. 3 Sprinkle two baking sheets with flour. 4 Prepare the pasta. With a 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, or a small glass, cut the dough into circles. Place a teaspoon of the filling on one side of each circle. Dip a fingertip in cool water and moisten the dough circle halfway around. Fold the dough over the filling to form a semicircle. Press the edges firmly together to seal. Gather the two corners of the dough and pinch them together. Place the tortelli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. 5 Cover and refrigerate, turning the pieces occasionally, up to 3 hours. (For longer storage, freeze the pasta on the baking sheets. Transfer to heavy-duty plastic bags. Seal tightly and freeze up to one month. Do not thaw before cooking.) 6 When ready to cook the tortelli, bring at least 4 quarts of water to a boil. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Add the pasta to the boiling water with salt to taste. Stir well. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender yet still firm to the bite. 7 Spoon some of the sauce into a heated serving bowl. Drain the pasta well and add it to the bowl. Top with the remaining sauce and 1/2 cup cheese. Serve immediately. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

ONE-POT TORTELLINI AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add crumbled sausage. Cook and stir until sausage is browned and no longer pink, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in spaghetti sauce, water, and Italian seasoning. Add tortellini and mix well.
• Bring liquid in the skillet to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until tortellini are tender, about 8 minutes.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler to low.
• Remove skillet from heat. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese over tortellini.
• Place skillet under broiler and cook until cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes.

TORTELLINI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE, FENNEL, AND MUSHROOM

Steps:

• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms; sauté until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic and fennel seeds; stir 1 minute. Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced and very slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain tortellini; return to same pot.
• Add sausage mixture to tortellini in pot. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add spinach; toss gently until spinach wilts. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if dry. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds, and serve, passing additional cheese.