Creamy baked tortellini
Cheese tortellini and spinach baked in a creamy pink tomato sauce under melted mozzarella, straight from the package with no boiling.
- 45 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $3.38 a serving
- 780 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1 jar marinara sauce, 24 oz
- 1 lb 4 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini, refrigerated
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
From your pantry
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 780 calories, 37 g protein, 78 g carbs and 35 g fat, and costs about $3.38 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Microwave the cream cheese in a 9x13-inch glass baking dish for 20 seconds, until soft.
Timer: 20 sec
in the marinara, water and garlic powder until the sauce is smooth and pink.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Dolly’s tip: A few small lumps of cream cheese are fine. They melt in the oven.Stir in the tortellini and spinach until everything is coated, then spread it out evenly.
Cover with foil and 20 minutes.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Timer: 20 min
Uncover, stir, and scatter the mozzarella and parmesan on top.
Bake uncovered 10 minutes more, until the cheese is and bubbling and the tortellini are tender.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 10 min
Let it sit 5 minutes before serving.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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