Baked Cheese and Spinach Tortellini
Baked Cheese and Spinach Tortellini is easy to make but comes across as a more special dish to serve. The recipe was originally created as part of a campaign with RAGU.
My boys love pasta. It is a staple in our house.
I love to try new things with pasta.
Sometimes I use familiar shapes and other times something different jumps off the shelf at the store.
Formaggio al forno e spinaci tortellini, or Baked Cheese and Spinach Tortellini in Italian, is the most recent experiment in our house.
Homestyle cooking is what my family favors and this dish has the feel of rustic Italy.
Very fitting given my Italian heritage on my mom’s side!
Choosing Ingredients for Baked Cheese and Spinach Tortellini
For this dish, I decided to go with a cheese and spinach tortellini which is dry.
Tortellini is one pasta I have yet to attempt making with our pasta machine as it is more involved than just running the dough through the machine and cutting.
When I was seeking out my ingredients, I used the RAGU Homestyle sauce. Not only is it delicious, but the sauce “hugs” the noodles.
Sadly, they no longer make this particular sauce. A substitute is the RAGÚ SIMPLY™ Sauces.
How to Make Baked Cheese and Spinach Tortellini
Like anything I make in the kitchen, doing the prep work before I start cooking is key.
Onion, garlic and zucchini were all diced and put into containers.
This makes it easy to add to the cast iron skillet I used for the entire cooking process.
Dried tortellini needs about 10 minutes of cooking.
I did all the sauteeing while the pasta cooked.
The tortellini finished a little before I was ready for the final mixing.
So I tossed the drained pasta with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
After everything is mixed in the cast iron skillet, you can top with a layer of fresh mozzarella cheese.
Then bake it for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
The house smelled heavenly when the Baked Cheese and Spinach Tortellini was pulled from the oven.
And, the fresh mozzarella provided a wonderful top layer.
Baked Cheese and Spinach Tortellini
Baked cheese and spinach tortellini for a special dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz. package of tortellini (dried) which serves 4 to 6
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 4 to 6 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 to 2 zucchini, cubed
- 5 ounces spinach
- 1 jar RAGU Homestyle Sauce
- 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
- Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini per package instructions. Drain and lightly oil when it finishes if you are not ready to add to the pan with everything else.
- In a skillet (I prefer cast iron), saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil.
- After a few minutes, add the diced zucchini to cook.
- When the zucchini is starting to soften, add the spinach..
- I like to add a small amount of water to the pan at the point and cover it to help the spinach cook down faster.
- Once the spinach has wilted, add the jar of RAGU Homestyle Sauce.
- Stir well, and then gently toss the tortellini into the skillet mixture.
- If you did not use an oven safe skillet, then transfer to a casserole dish.
- Top with the fresh mozzarella.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, just long enough to melt the cheese.
Notes
Pick up a gluten free tortellini to remove gluten from the dish.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 405mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gProtein: 9g
What are some of the dishes that remind you of home?
Is pasta a favorite style of pasta in your house?
Looks yummy. I am going to try this recipe
My family loves tortellini, so I need to try this recipe and sneak in some veggies!