This tortellini recipe with creamy spinach and tomato is a rich yet simple dinner that the whole family will enjoy. It’s quick and easy for busy nights.
I am so excited to share with you one of my very favorite easy dinners today: my Creamy Spinach Tomato Tortellini Recipe! My sister discovered a great tortellini recipe on All Recipes, and I have tweaked it and made it my own as I have made it many, many times since she shared it. First I will walk you through the process and then you will find the full recipe, including measurements, below. Yum, yum, yum!!
For this tortellini recipe, you will first and foremost need tortellini!!
The additional ingredients that you will need are fresh spinach, a can of petite diced tomatoes, half and half, onion flakes, minced garlic, dried basil, flour, salt, & pepper, and shredded parmesan cheese.
Boil the tortellini. Follow the directions on the bag for how long to cook the tortellini until it’s done.
Chop the fresh spinach.
Place two teaspoons of minced garlic into a skillet over medium heat and saute until fragrant.
Add the petite diced tomatoes, the spinach, the dried basil, onion flakes, and salt & pepper to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until bubbling.
In a separate bowl whisk together the half and half and the flour. Make sure to get out all of the lumps.
Add the half and half/flour mixture to the skillet, along with the parmesan cheese. Stir and cook until everything is heated through and thickening, about 5 minutes or so. Stir in the tortellini.
Now enjoy! Yum yum!
If you love tortellini then you might want to try this yummy Italian tortellini soup recipe too.
- 1 bag regular sized Barilla three cheese tortellini (8 oz) or 16 oz fresh tortellini in the refrigerated section of your grocery store
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1½ teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups half-and-half
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Begin by boiling your tortellini noodles until they are al dente (aka ready). Follow the directions on the bag for boiling time.
- While the tortellini is boiling, chop the spinach roughly.
- Heat a large skillet using medium heat and put the two teaspoons of minced garlic into it. Sautee it briefly until fragrant, about thirty seconds or so.
- Add into the skillet the petite diced tomatoes (undrained), spinach, salt, pepper, dried basil, and onion flakes.
- Cook and stir over medium high heat until the mixture begins to bubble.
- In another bowl, combine the flour and half-and-half. Whisk until fairly smooth.
- Add the creamy mixture into the the skillet along with the parmesan cheese.
- Heat through and reduce the heat to medium low and continue to stir and cook until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Add the drained tortellini and mix together gently.
- Serve and enjoy!
If you enjoyed this recipe then you may also like:
Italian Grandma’s Sweet and Creamy Marinara Sauce
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Now that looks amazing- I will definitely be making this. Thank you
This really looks delicious!! I love spinach pasta dishes. I’ll be adding this to my dinner line-up for sure! Thanks for the recipe!
That looks amazing! Can’t wait to try!
Soooo good! We just had it tonight! Just wondering if you have frozen this recipe before? We have loads extra!
I have never tried freezing it, but it makes fab leftovers! 🙂 Glad you liked it!
This pasta dish looks so delicious! Creamy pasta alongside tomatoes and spinach is a great combo 🙂
Do you drain the diced tomatoes first?
Sorry I just took a closer look at the instructions. :o) I’m trying to cut my grocery bill down with out sacrificing the quality of the meals i’m making and this recipe is perfect. I would use this sauce over a variety of pastas instead of the tortellini only because I don’t care for it. So versitile!
Hi there! Stopping by from the High Five Link party and had to come check out this amazing pasta dish. My family LOVES pasta, and I’m always on the look-out for new recipes. Have pinned!!
This looks yummy and we love tortellini at our house. We will definitely try this one.
this looks delicious, pinned it so I can make later. Now following you too.
I would love it if you would share these on my weekly link party – Serenity Saturday at http://www.serenityyou.com/2014/04/serenity-saturday-117.html
Natasha @ Serenity You
This may be a dumb question but what is “half-and-half?” Seems pretty important since you need 1.25 cups! 🙂 thank you!
It is half cream and half milk, I believe. It is sold in the dairy section, at least here in the US. I have just used half cream and half milk before when I didn’t have half & half on hand! I just like to buy it already mixed to save myself, you know, 30 whole seconds. I’m lazy. 😉 Plus it’s cheaper than cream.
Made this today for lunch (thanks to Pinterest and YOU) and with a few tweakings for my taste, it was amazing!
I used much more spinach because my kiddos love it, and I only had fresh tomatoes on hand, but with their juice and a small can of tomato juice, I made it work.. No onion flakes either, but I just tossed a minced half onion in with the other veggies and it was fine. I was worried that stirring the flour right into the cold half-n-half without cooking it roux-style first would give off a strange “floury” taste, but it really didn’t and what a time saver to do it your way!
Thanks for a great recipe.
Think you can use far free half and half?
I’m really not sure. I think I would use straight milk before I used FF 1/2 & 1/2. If you try it let me know if it works!
Sorry, FAT-free half and half
Pinned this yesterday and made it today! Delish! But I have to say I already had all the ingredients except the half and half so I substituted with sour cream…mine had more liquid than yours cause I love tomato but it was still fab!
How much sour cream did you use instead of the half and half?
Sour cream? I don’t think I’ve ever made it with sour cream! I have used half milk and half whipping cream, though.
I just made this tonight! I LOVE Italian food, but this wasn’t as cheesy as I would’ve liked, so I added about a half a cup of cream cheese to make it a lil richer & cheesier!! SO DELICIOUS! Thanks for the recipe!!
Hey I was really wanting to try this, but I’m counting calories. Would you by any chance have the calorie count on each serving, and how much a serving is, id really appreciate it. 🙂
Not a clue, sorry. But it’s all cheese and 1/2 and 1/2, so I doubt it’s low cal! :/ It’s not one I usually make on a diet unless it’s a special occasion.
Could you please tell me how many ounces are the bag of tortellini? Thanks!
I want to say 8 in the dried bag, but 15/16 in the kind that you buy in the refrigerated section (because they aren’t dehydrated). I don’t remember exactly, sorry.
That helps! Thank you for a recipe that is sure to please my entire family!
Looks really good. Wondering, could you swap the cottages cheese for heavy whipping cream?
No, I wouldn’t. The consistencies are way too different. You could use milk I guess, but it will take longer to thicken and it’s won’t be as creamy.
Hi Sarah! I just found this recipe on Pinterest – and I’ve printed it! I’m making it for dinner tomorrow! It looks so creamy and delicious … I can’t wait! I had to stop myself from taking a bite of the computer screen! 🙂 Thanks for this awesome recipe – and I can’t wait to spend some more time clicking around on here – your site is great!!
Yay! I hope you love it!!
I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it last night, it was SO good! I decided to only use half of the pasta because I am a sauce person, and because I saw the comment from the poster who said they added cream cheese. I’m glad I did! This is a wonderful recipe that I will be making a lot! Thank you!
Oh good! I’m so glad that you liked it!!
This looks delish! Sorry if this is a repeat question, I did look over the page and comments and didn’t see it – About how many people would this serve? I’m feeding a family of 6. Should I double? Or would it be enough? Thanks so much! -E
It makes quite a bit. A single feeds our family of five, but two are small children. When I make it I always double it because I like being able to have it two days in a row! 🙂
I came across this recipe on Friday and couldn’t get it out of my mind all weekend – made it while I watched the Oscars last night and I have to tell you that it’s probably the best pasta recipe I’ve ever made! I still have an hour to wait until lunch and I’m absolutely dying to eat it again! Thank you so much – I followed you on Facebook too and can’t wait to see what else you come up with!! 🙂
YAY!!!!!!!! So glad you loved it as much as I do!!!!!! I’m on Pinterest and IG too if you want visual inspiration. 😉 Enjoy that lunch—I’m jealous!! 🙂
OMG! This is fabulous! Just made it and it didn’t take any time at all. love quick meals, especially when they are delicious like this is. Thank you!
You are so so welcome!! So glad you liked it!!
I made this for dinner last night and it was soo good! I didn’t have half and half so i used butter and milk and it still turned out great. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this tonight and used skim milk (though I was heavy handed on the cheese!) and it was delicious! Great recipe!!!
Yay!! So glad you liked it!
Hey! I tried this, but instead of using tortellini I used macaroni and it turned out fantastic! Thanks so much for the recipe! 🙂
You bet!
Has anyone tried this as a cold pasta salad? I’m thinking it would work that way as well.
Well, I’ve eaten the leftovers impatiently while I was waiting to heat them up, does that count? 😉 It’s still tasty cold, but definitely meant to be served warm.
All I have is frozen spinach, could this work too versus the fresh spinach?
I have never tried it, but I bet it would work!
This recipe is amazing! Thank you for posting. I’ve made it twice with fat free half and half, so tasty!
I have been wondering how it would be with fat free!! I can’t wait to try it that way!
Found this on pinterest and recently made it. My family and I all enjoyed it. My husband commented that he thought sliced Italian sausage would be a good addition, so may have to try that next time. Only thing I would recommend to others is to get the sauce made first and then cook the tortellini. It only takes 3 minutes to cook and trying to get to it while getting sauce done is difficult. Mine had to sit in the water longer and was a little too cooked. Thanks for sharing.
Good tip! Glad you enjoyed!
Would Greek yogurt work instead if half n half?
I doubt it….very different consistency. A reader tried fat free half and half and liked it, though.
YUM!! Pinned and stumbled!
Thanks, Kristen!
This is DREAMY. I love the flavors here!!
Yummy! This looks absolutely delish! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Can the sauce be made a day ahead?
I think it would be too thick when reheated, sorry.
Made this a couple of weeks ago and both my daughter and myself were in HEAVEN!!! So yummy! While my husband and father-in-law were “meh”, they agreed it was the tortellini they didn’t care for. I am going to make it again this week and use small round ravioli instead. This also opens up many possibilities as my grocery store offers several different options for stuffed ravioli. Can’t wait!
Yay! So glad you liked it!
Going to make this tonite!!! Can hardly wait!!!
Do you think some sautéed chicken in it would be good??
Maybe! I don’t think it needs it, but I’m sure it would taste fine.
This looks wonderful! Could anyone suggest how this could be made in a crock pot? I’m mostly concerned about how the “roux” would work. I’ve got friends dog sitting this weekend and would love to have it waiting for them when they come! Thanks!
I don’t think it would work in a crockpot, sorry.
I used 4 oz of light cream cheese in place of the half and half and flour and my end result looks the same.
Cool!
Hi-about how many servings does this make? I am making it for a few people at work, thanks!
4-6 people probably. I always double it because I love being able to have leftovers.
I doubled this recipe, added chicken and used rotel to add a kick! It was delicious! Thanks for the recipe! Definitely making it again 🙂
Rotel sounds fun! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Silly question but what is half and half? I’m from Australia and i have never heard of it or seen it, is there a substitute? I’m going to try cooking this tonight
Half milk, half cream. 🙂
I love this recipe!! Has anyone tried freezing it? Do you think it would freeze/reheat well?
It’s good leftovers, but I haven’t tried freezing it.
This looks SO yummy! I am drooling more than my teething toddler right now! Pinning!
~Amanda
How many servings would you say this recipe makes? I have a husband, 3 bottomless pit sons, and another son on the way, so the amount of people it serves is a big deal around here lol.
You need to at least double it! 😉
My husband is a “if there isn’t meat, I’m not interested” kinda guy. We cook up a batch of Jimmy Dean hot sausage (the kind in the round log) and the add it under the pasta when serving… It adds a delicious element to an already amazing dish 🙂 plus tons of leftovers!!
Thanks for the tip!
This was SO SO SO good! I used the tri-color tortellini from Sam’s Club.
Yay! So glad you loved it! I use tri-color in it a lot too!
I am LOVING these tomato sauce pasta recipes! I made something similar today, and this one looks amazing!
Thinking of doing this as a vegetarian option for a family potluck. Do you think it would hold up in a crockpot as a warming device?
The sauce will get pretty thick, but if it’s not *too* long it *probably* will. It reheats ok!
Looks amazing!!! My Husband hates spinach (I love it ) but I try to sneak it in whenever I can … I did try something like this before and it was just plain nasty and inedible this recipe is a little different so I’m praying for a different outcome …. will let you all know
We LOOOVE it! I hope you do too!
This looks delicious!!! Shared 🙂 Can’t wait to meet you at SNAP!! <3
Right back at ya! 🙂
Has anyone tried replacing the spinach with basil? 2 of my kids are not fans of spinach.
I think the basil would be crazy overwhelming in that quantity! The spinach is easy to pick out! Or you could just skip it if you want.
I have a bag of frozen little round ravioli. Do you think it would work? My sister made this last night. Her and her family loved it!
Yes, I would think so! 🙂
I have been making this for the past 3 years with fat free half and half and it is wonderful. Great recipe. Thank you.
Great tip! I’ll try that next time! Thanks!
Sounds & looks tasty! I love how adding half and half can do so much to a dish 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday!
Healthy dish with pasta. Thanks for your advice!
It has been a while since I have made this for my small family. It was so good! I would like to make it for a group of 12 ladies. Would you suggest doubling the recipe?
It has been awhile since I made it as well, but I would at LEAST double it! Maybe even triple it! Happy cooking! 🙂
Delicious! I am freezing the leftovers for another dinner! Came together so quickly!
Made this a few times now, and it is delicious! Love how quickly it comes together, and how simple it is to make. Thanks for sharing!