Chicken Spinach Tortellini Bake

I’m pretty sure there’s nothing as good as pasta and cheese. In just about any combination. This little casserole is so yummy and so easy! Plus...with a pregnant daughter who can’t hardly stand to get in the kitchen and cook anything, a casserole that normally would go into a 9x13 inch pan, gets split into two 9x9 inch pans so I can give one to her. IT Guy and I certainly don’t need all that food so it works all the way around. I had this dish thrown together in less than 30 minutes and it only baked for a few minutes then dinner was done!

Chicken Spinach Tortellini Bake

2 cups cooked, diced chicken

2 cups chopped, fresh spinach

1 12-ounce package cheese tortellini ~ cooked and drained (reserve about 1 cup pasta water)

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic ~ minced

3 tablespoons flour

6 strips bacon ~ diced

2 cups milk

Salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, cook diced bacon until crispy. Remove to a plate to drain. Reserve drippings.

Saute the garlic in the bacon drippings for about 1 minute.

Add the flour and whisk for a minute or so.

Pour in the milk and cook and stir until smooth.

Stir in the salt, pepper and lemon juice. Turn off heat.

Add 3/4 cups of both cheeses and stir until cheeses melt then stir in the chopped spinach.

Gently stir in the diced, cooked chicken and the cooked tortellini.

Add a little bit of the reserved pasta water to thin out the mixture, if needed.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining cheeses.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until hot.

How about we make a casserole?

Dice the bacon then fry it up crisp. Remove it from the pan when done.

Add the garlic into the bacon 

drippings and cook for a minute or so.

Now add the flour and cook 

and stir until smooth.

Add the milk.

And the lemon juice, salt and 

pepper and cook until thickened.

Add 3/4 cup of each of the cheeses. 

Stir until melted.

Stir in the chopped spinach.

Next stir in the cooked tortellini 

and the cooked, diced chicken.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan(s) then sprinkle with remaining cheeses.

Bake and serve!

Tortellini Chili

Chili is an all time favorite around the SFFS house. Easy to make and so good. We even eat it year 'round. Another one of the things I enjoy is tortellini so a mash-up of the chili and some yummy cheese filled pasta was a no-brainer! This would be great in the crock pot...just don't add the pasta too soon or it will turn to mush. YUK! I'd say add it...cooked previously to al dente...about 30 minutes before you want to eat and it should be perfect! This is a great dish any time!!!

Tortellini Chili



1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion ~ diced
1 clove garlic ~ minced
1 8-ounce package tortellini ~ cooked according to package directions
1 32-ounce container chicken or beef stock
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 14-ounce can beans ~ pinto, black, kidney, etc.
1 package chili mix or three tablespoons homemade chili seasoning

In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic for about 10 minutes.

Add the ground beef and cook until done.

Add the stock, tomatoes, beans and chili seasoning.

Bring to a boil then turn heat to low and simmer about 30 minutes.

Add the cooked tortellini and heat through.

 

Let's make some chili!

 

Saute the onion and garlic then add 

the ground beef and cook until done.

 

Add the rest of the ingredients 

EXCEPT the tortellini.

 

Stir and simmer for a while.

 

About 15 minutes before you want 

to eat, add the COOKED tortellini.

 

Serve it up!

Caesar Tortellini Salad

I love a good cold pasta salad and this one turned out great! I couldn't even wait for it to chill completely before digging in. It's got so much going on that your taste buds will be on overload...in a good way!! It's so simple to throw together, too! Give this a try and see if you agree.

Caesar Tortellini Salad



1 12-ounce package dried three-cheese tortellini
1 cup cherry tomatoes ~ cut in half
1 7-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 3-ounce can sliced black olives ~ drained
1/2 red onion ~ diced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup Caesar salad dressing

In a large stock pot, bring lightly salted water to a boil.

Add tortellini and cook about 10  minutes, until pasta is done.

Drain.

In a large bowl, mix pasta together with the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, onion and Parmesan.

Pour Caesar dressing over salad and gently mix to combine.

Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours to chill and mix flavors.

The line up for this tasty treat.

Throw the tortellini in a pot of boiling salted water.

Cook for about 10 minutes.

Mix the tortellini, tomatoes, olives, 

artichoke hearts, onion and parm together.

Add the dressing.

Give it a good stir and pop in the 

fridge for a few hours. Overnight is 

 better but I will understand if you can't wait that long.

Here it is...in all its deliciousness!

Crock Pot Tortellini Sausage Soup

Okay…so this yummy soup is so easy to throw together. Other than browning the sausage, you just dump everything in your crock pot and let it go for a few hours and it’s done. If you’re not a sausage fan, then you could use some chicken. And if you use a rotisserie chicken, you don’t even have to cook it. And if you want to get super easy, you don’t even have to cook the onion. I’d sub some garlic powder for raw garlic, though…unless you like that raw garlic flavor. Wow…if I keep going I could have this dish make itself!! Anyyywaaaayyy….it’s really good and I think you should make it. Like soon. 

Crock Pot Tortellini Sausage Soup

 

1 bag of frozen tortellini

1 6-ounce bag of spinach

2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 box or 4 cups of chicken broth

1 8-ounce block of cream cheese

1 pound sausage (like Jimmy Dean)

½ cup diced onion

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.

Add the sausage and cook until done. Drain.

Add all ingredients to your crock pot.

Cook on low for 5 -6 hours, stirring every so often.

  

Here's the line up.

 Saute the onion and garlic for a bit.

 Then add the sausage and brown that. 

 Throw everything in the crock pot. 

 Give it a stir once in a while. 

 Done!

Cream Sauced Tortellini and Sausage Casserole

Have you ever had one of those days where it doesn't matter how many times you look in your cabinet, pantry or fridge, you just can't find anything to make for dinner? And you go back multiple times thinking that maybe each time you do, there will be something that has magically appeared that could be a meal? That happened to me the other day. All day long I just couldn't think of one thing to make and nothing was jumping out of my pantry screaming "make me! make me!!". Until I spied the tortellini hiding waaaay in the back of the cabinet behind the mac & cheese and the expired cream of mushroom soup (yes, I have those things, too). I grabbed the tortellini then remembered some spicy Italian sausage and oh! Isn't there a wedge of parmesan in my fridge and also some heavy cream? I think I saw a red bell pepper in there, too! Yay! I had a concept....which soon became a reality. Let it be your reality, too because this turned out amazingly delicious!!



Cream Sauced Tortellini 
and Sausage Casserole



1 package cheese stuffed tortellini
1 pound Italian sausage
1 small onion - diced
1 – 2 cloves garlic – minced
1 red bell pepper - diced

1/2 c. butter
2 c. whipping cream
2 tsp. salt

1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Boil tortellini and set aside.

In a large skillet, saute onion, garlic and red pepper until just soft.

Add sausage and cook until sausage is done. Remove mixture to a bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, melt the butter. Pour in cream and add salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes until thickened. Add grated parmesan and stir until melted.

Add cooked tortellini and sausage mixture to sauce and stir to combine.

Pour into prepared casserole dish and sprinkle with a little more cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serves 6


*If you want a thicker sauce, combine 2 tablespoons of flour with 3 tablespoons of water and pour into cream mixture. Cook until sauce is thickened then add pasta and meat mixture.

Here's the line up.

Saute the onion, bell pepper and 

garlic in some olive oil for a little bit.

Then add the sausage and cook until done. 

I used spicy sausage but you could use the 

mild and it would be fine. I also used links

 and just removed the casings.

Remove the meat/veggie mixture 

to a bowl then add the butter to the skillet.

Once the butter has melted, add the 

heavy cream and let that thicken. If 

it's not as thick as you'd like, make a

flour/water slurry and add it to the 

butter/cream mixture. I did this because 

I like a thicker sauce.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in the grated parm and let it melt.

Put the meet/veggie mixture and 

the cooked tortellini into the sauce and give it a stir.

Pour the mixture into a greased 

casserole dish. Sprinkle with more 

parm, cover with foil and bake!

We haven't had the coldest winter here in the south. A year ago Christmas, we had snow...this last Christmas was  kind of a warm day. I keep waiting for the cold weather to show up so I can make more soup. Because cold weather = soup! Well, guess who's tired of waiting? This girl! So I made this the other day and it worth the wait! So yummy! The one thing I didn't put in this...and honestly didn't think about until I was eating it, was red pepper flakes. That would have really improved the zing factor. If you're not a zingy type of person, then leave it out...but if you like spicy, then by all means, add it! I'm going to next time!

Italian Tortellini Soup



1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 ½  tablespoons dried parsley
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups sliced zucchini
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
8 ounces fresh tortellini pasta
Fresh grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, brown sausage. Remove sausage to a plate. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the drippings.

Saute onions and garlic in drippings. Stir in beef broth, water, tomatoes, carrots, basil, oregano, parsley, tomato sauce, zucchini and sausage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Simmer covered for 1 hour or so. Add tortellini during the last 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on top of each serving.

The shtuff....

Brown the sausage in a dutch oven. 

Remove cooked meat to a bowl.

In the same dutch oven, saute the 

garlic and onion in the drippings for a few minutes.

Add everything to the pot, including 

the cooked sausage, EXCEPT the tortellini. 

Allow to simmer for about an hour or so.

Add the tortellini to the pot and....

... cook for about 10 minutes until 

the tortellini are done. Is done? Whatevs.

Serve it up with some french bread 

and fresh grated Parmesan cheese!