Spinach Tortellini
Posted Oct 30, 2021, Updated Mar 03, 2023
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This spinach tortellini recipe is an easy weeknight meal ready in 20 minutes. Fresh tortellini is served in a delicious creamy sauce made with tomatoes, cream, spinach and parmesan cheese.
We didn’t go out to eat often when I was a kid, but when we did it was usually at a local restaurant called Zander’s Cafe. It was unimpressive in both it’s location and atmosphere, but the food was incredible.
Well, during my last pregnancy I craved this creamy spinach tortellini dish I used to get from the aforementioned restaurant, so I decided to recreate it in my own kitchen.
In this recipe, fresh tortellini is served in a delicious creamy sauce made with tomatoes, spinach, cream, and parmesan cheese. It comes together in 20 minutes, so it’s a perfect dish to make when you’re short on time.
One bite of this spinach tortellini transports me back to being a teenager, sitting across the table from my best friend chatting about life in our favorite local restaurant – nostalgia and delicious food collide.
Spinach Tortellini: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Fresh cheese tortellini. I usually choose fresh tortellini. If using dried, it will take longer to cook. You can substitute your favorite pasta of any variety if you don’t prefer tortellini.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well too.
- All-purpose flour. you can substitute a gluten-free all purpose flour blend if desired.
- Onion. I suggest a sweet yellow onion or red onion.
- Heavy cream. use half and half or whole milk in place of heavy cream, if desired.
- Diced tomatoes. You can choose a plain variety, fire-roasted or one with Italian seasonings. You can even use fresh chopped tomatoes if you’d prefer.
- Spinach. Use Frozen spinach can in place of fresh, just remember to chop it up into small pieces.
- Italian seasoning. Substitute your favorite fresh Italian herbs if you’d like.
- Parmesan cheese. I don’t recommend substitution Parmesan cheese – use a high-quality variety for the best results.
How to make spinach tortellini
Begin this recipe by cooking the tortellini according to the package instructions. Note: fresh tortellini cooks much quicker than dried. If it finishes cooking before sauce is done, drain the pasta and set it aside.
While the tortellini is cooking, melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and onion and cook until the onion is soft, about 1-2 minutes.
Then, add the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Next, add the heavy cream, whisk to combine and cook until the mixture just barely begins to thicken.
Next, add the tomatoes, spinach, Italian seasoning salt and pepper and parmesan cheese and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
Then, drain the tortellini, add it to the pot, and stir until coated with sauce.
Serve
Serve immediately with fresh parmesan cheese and fresh basil as a garnish (and for flavor). Making some no knead bread or homemade french bread to sop up the delicious sauce is a must as well. This spinach tortellini pairs well with a delicious salad – especially this burrata salad.
Also try this lemon tortellini sauce (easy and delicious) and easy tortellini soup.
Store/freeze
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or over low heat on the stovetop.
Recipe FAQs
Tortellini is healthy when served in moderation as part of a well-balanced meal. This spinach tortellini has all the food groups including greens!
I like to sere it with fresh parmesan cheese and fresh basil as a garnish (and for flavor). Also, baking some no knead bread or homemade french bread to sop up the delicious sauce is a must as well. This spinach tortellini pairs well with a delicious salad – especially this burrata salad.
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Spinach tortellini
Ingredients
- 20 ounces fresh cheese tortellini
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream or whole milk or half and half
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups baby spinach chopped
- 1 TBS Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Optional: fresh basil to garnish.
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to the package instructions – fresh tortellini cooks much quicker than dried. Drain and set aside if it finishes cooking before sauce is done.
- While the tortellini is cooking, melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is soft, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Add heavy cream and whisk to combine. Then cook until the mixture just barely begins to thicken.
- Add tomatoes, spinach, Italian seasoning salt and pepper and parmesan cheese and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Drain the tortellini, add it to the pot, and stir until coated with sauce.
- Serve immediately with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil.
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions
- Fresh cheese tortellini. I usually choose fresh tortellini. If using dried, it will take longer to cook. You can substitute your favorite pasta of any variety if you don’t prefer tortellini.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter works well too.
- All-purpose flour. you can substitute a gluten-free all purpose flour blend if desired.
- Onion. I suggest a sweet yellow onion or red onion.
- Heavy cream. use half and half or whole milk in place of heavy cream, if desired.
- Diced tomatoes. You can choose a plain variety, fire-roasted or one with Italian seasonings. You can even use fresh chopped tomatoes if you’d prefer.
- Spinach. Use Frozen spinach can in place of fresh, just remember to chop it up into small pieces.
- Italian seasoning. Substitute your favorite fresh Italian herbs if you’d like.
- Parmesan cheese. I don’t recommend substitution Parmesan cheese – use a high-quality variety for the best results.
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Store/freeze
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or in the freezer for 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or over low heat on the stovetop.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photos in this post were taken by Jamie from Dishing Out Health.
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This was absolutely delicious! Simple ingredients I had on hand came together for something wonderful and easy to throw together! We added grilled chicken and I may have forgotten to add the parm cheese (whoops!) and it came out fabulous. Definitely going to be a staple in our house.
Thank you so much Nadia! I love the addition of grilled chicken!
Absolutely delicious
Thank you RJ!
I ran to the store, but made an oopsy and FORGOT THE TOMATOES. Thankfully, i had Rotel Tomatoes and Green Chilies on hand and used that instead. Added some really good spice to it. And my family had seconds. Thank you. This was perfect.
Thank you Samantha! I’m so glad you family loved this recipe!
Mom-win with this recipe. The homemade sauce recipe really elevates store bought tortellini! Substituted half and half for heavy cream, and it was still delicious. Thanks for sharing!
This is tasty! I am enjoying the leftovers for lunch as I type.
This was delicious. I added chicken broth to keep the sauce a little thinner and added pulled rotisserie chicken for a little more protein. It was most yummy! Thank you for sharing.
Love the addition of chicken, Missy!!
This was SO delicious and incredibly easy! I made a few adjustments based on what I had on hand: a package of spinach and cheese tortellini; whole milk; omitted the spinach; a can of stewed tomatoes that I finely diced; omitted the Italian seasoning.
I could see this sauce being really great with penne or fettuccine! Do you think the sauce makes enough to go with a package of regular pasta, or would it be a good idea to double the recipe?
Hey Blair! I’m so glad you love it! I worked hard to create this recipe to taste just like my favorite restaurant! 🙂 I’m sure the sauce could be used on all sorts of different pastas! You’d probably want to double it!