Refrigerated cheese tortellini are boiled briefly, then folded into a quick Alfredo sauce made with garlic, cream and Parmesan. Finely chopped baby spinach is stirred through just until it wilts.
Everything goes into a 2-quart dish under a layer of mozzarella and bakes in a hot oven for about 15 minutes, with a short broil if the top needs more colour.
How to Make It
Oven at 400°F, tortellini par-boiled
Heat the oven to 400°F and grease a 2-quart baking dish. Boil the tortellini for 2 minutes less than the package says, then drain.
Garlic, cream and seasoning
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the cream, salt and pepper and simmer gently for 3 minutes.
Parmesan melted, spinach folded in
Stir in the Parmesan until smooth, then fold in the chopped spinach until it has just wilted.
Tossed and covered in mozzarella
Toss the tortellini with the sauce, tip it into the baking dish and spread the mozzarella evenly over the top.
Baked until bubbling
Bake 15 to 18 minutes until bubbling, broiling briefly if you want browned patches, then finish with parsley.
Ingredient Notes
- Refrigerated cheese tortellini
- Twenty ounces from the chilled case, kept cold until they go into the pot.
- Baby spinach
- Two cups, chopped finely before it goes into the sauce.
- Parmesan and mozzarella
- Parmesan thickens the sauce; the shredded mozzarella melts over the top.
Why This Recipe Works
- Under-boiling the tortellini by two minutes keeps them from splitting while they bake in the sauce.
- Chopping the spinach finely spreads small green flecks through the sauce instead of leaving stringy leaves.
- A 400°F oven heats the pasta through quickly, so the cream sauce stays loose rather than drying out.
Pot, Skillet, Oven
The bake moves through three pieces of equipment in order.
Stage 1 of 3
Pot
Steps 1–1 of 5
The tortellini boil just short of done while the oven heats.
- Oven at 400°F, tortellini par-boiledHeat the oven to 400°F and grease a 2-quart baking dish. Boil the tortellini for 2 minutes less than the package says, then drain.
Stage 2 of 3
Skillet
Steps 2–3 of 5
Garlic, cream and Parmesan become the sauce, and the spinach wilts into it.
- Garlic, cream and seasoningMelt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the cream, salt and pepper and simmer gently for 3 minutes.
- Parmesan melted, spinach folded inStir in the Parmesan until smooth, then fold in the chopped spinach until it has just wilted.
Stage 3 of 3
Oven
Steps 4–5 of 5
The sauced pasta bakes under mozzarella until bubbling and browned in places.
- Tossed and covered in mozzarellaToss the tortellini with the sauce, tip it into the baking dish and spread the mozzarella evenly over the top.
- Baked until bubblingBake 15 to 18 minutes until bubbling, broiling briefly if you want browned patches, then finish with parsley.
Success Tips
- Take the Alfredo skillet off the heat before adding the spinach if the cream is bubbling hard.
- Stay by the oven if you broil the tortellini bake; mozzarella goes from golden to scorched in under a minute.
- Toss the drained tortellini in the sauce straight away so they do not stick together in the colander.
Serving Ideas
Spoon portions onto plates with some of the browned mozzarella from the top and extra parsley.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate leftovers covered and reheat until steaming hot throughout, adding a spoonful of cream if the sauce has tightened.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the green flecks in the sauce?
Finely chopped baby spinach, folded in just until wilted.
How do I get browned spots on the cheese?
After the 15 to 18 minute bake, broil briefly and watch closely until patches of the mozzarella brown.
