Baked tortellini is my favorite way to eat tortellini! It’s easy. It’s cheesy. It’s the perfect thing to take to a new mom or spoil your family with, and it even has green veggies to boot so you don’t have to make a side. Originally published May 20, 2014.

Table of Contents
  1. The no-brainer dinner of your dreams
  2. Key ingredients
  3. How to make this tortellini bake
  4. What to serve with tortellini
  5. How to store leftovers
  6. More baked pasta to love
  7. Baked Tortellini Recipe
a serving spoon full of tortellini, spinach, asparagus, and cheese.

A friend of mine had a baby recently, so today I dropped off this casserole. Yes, really, this very one. “Sorry about the missing piece, I had to take a picture of it.” Nothing says I love you quite like offering up half-eaten food.

The salad I brought her had also been photographed.  She’s coming out with an ebook soon, “The Dangers of Having a Food Blogger Friend and Other Tips For Dealing With Super Awkward People.” I’ll let you know when it’s up for sale. I swear guys I just get classier by the minute.

a white plate, two forks, and a serving of a cheesy tortellini bake with asparagus.

The no-brainer dinner of your dreams

Welcome to your next 45 minute no-brainer meal. Only 15 minutes of prep time, by the way, and that’s if you’re slow. I mean, you don’t even have to boil the tortellini first. I love these meals that you can just crank out, you know?

It is definitely going up on my Get Dinner Done Pinterest board. I love stuffed shells and French onion soup, but sometimes my mind decides to shut down at 5pm, and that’s where this Easy Cheesy Asparagus Tortellini Bake comes in. I like it because all you do is dump a bunch of stuff in a bowl, mix it, then bake in a dish. Thaaaaaat’s it. When you find a recipe this easy that also tastes fabulous, then you know you’ve won.

Featured Comment

“I made this tonight for my family and they loved it! I used fire roasted diced tomatoes and a whole 9 oz. bag of spinach! It was a hit!!!! AND they all said they’d love to have it again!”
– Christie

See All Comments

a fork lifting a bite of tortellini from a plate with a serving of tortellini, cheese, and asparagus.

Key ingredients

  • Grab a jarred Alfredo sauce you know you like, or get really ambitious and make homemade Alfredo sauce.
  • I used refrigerated cheese tortellini, but you can use any kind you like. I used a 24 ounce package, but you can use a 20 ounce package with no other changes to the recipe. If you’re using a shelf stable variety, cook it first.
  • I like my asparagus to have a bite to it, so I put it in uncooked. If that weirds you out by all means you can blanch it first (see instructions in the recipe card). It will only take a couple extra minutes.

How to make this tortellini bake

a jar of Newman's Own Alfredo sauce.

Any kind of Alfredo sauce will do. I used good ol’ Newman’s.

cheese, diced tomatoes, spinach, seasonings, and alfredo sauce in a metal mixing bowl.

Dump and stir!

tortellini, alfredo sauce, spinach, and cheese mixed together in a green baking dish.

Add in the tortellini. I used half of one of those double Costco packs, which was 1 1/2 pounds. I know at the normal grocery store they sell them in 20 oz packs though, and I think that would still work just fine. Maybe increase your spinach a little to make up for it.

tortellini topped with asparagus cut in pieces.

Throw some asparagus on top. Blanch it first if you want it soft.

a prepared green baking dish of casserole topped with cheese.

And of course, cheese.

cooked pasta bake with cheese and asparagus in a green baking dish.

Voila! An absurdly easy, cheesy dinner with the veggies built in.

What to serve with tortellini

This makes a pretty complete meal on its own, but if you want to add some protein or a salad, here are some of my favorites.

a cheese topped tortellini and asparagus bake with a serving spoon lifting a portion.

How to store leftovers

Cover any leftovers and store them in the fridge. They’ll be good for 3-4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this because the Alfredo sauce can separate. When you’re ready to reheat, warm individual portions in the microwave on low to medium heat, or heat a larger serving in the oven at 350, covered with tinfoil, for 20-30 minutes.

More baked pasta to love

Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Want to save this recipe?
Just drop your email here and I’ll send it right away! Plus you’ll get new recipes from me every week. Yes please!
logo

Baked Tortellini

5 from 4 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Easy Cheesy Asparagus Tortellini Bake from TheFoodCharlatan.com
This Easy Cheesy Asparagus Tortellini Bake is hearty, yummy, and done in 45 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 15-oz jar Alfredo sauce
  • 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 cup baby spinach, packed
  • 2 cups mozzarella, divided
  • 1 tablespoon basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • dash salt
  • 1 24-oz package cheese tortellini, refrigerated, uncooked
  • 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and chopped
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, or another 1/4 cup mozzarella

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • In a large bowl, add the Alfredo sauce, drained tomatoes, spinach, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, basil, crushed red pepper, and a few shakes of salt. Stir together with a rubber spatula.
  • Add the uncooked tortellini and use the spatula to break them apart. Stir it all together so that each tortellini is covered in sauce.
  • Pour the mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus, discard, and chop the rest into bite-size pieces.*
  • Layer the asparagus on top of the tortellini. Sprinkle another 1 cup of mozzarella over the top, then sprinkle the 1/4 cup Parmesan.
  • Bake in the middle rack of the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. If the edges are looking brown but the cheese in the center isn’t browning, broil it for 1 minute.
  • Let stand for 5-10 minutes, then serve. (With a big salad and breadsticks! Yum)

Notes

*The asparagus in this recipe is very firm because it is not cooked before baking. I like it that way, but if that’s not your thing, then blanch the asparagus first: Trim and chop the asparagus and add it to a pot of well-salted, boiling water. Cover and let boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water. You can either layer it on top of the tortellini or mix it in with the sauce.
I know that many stores sell tortellini in 20-ounce packages. I’ve never tried that amount with this recipe, but I’m pretty confident that it would work just fine. Also, it doesn’t have to be cheese tortellini, any kind will do.
Another note on tortellini: I did not boil my tortellini before baking it. It went straight from the package into my oven. If you don’t trust me, then by all means boil first! It will still taste great. The recipe calls for refrigerated tortellini, but if you want to use shelf-stable tortellini, I would definitely boil it according to package instructions.
Source: The Food Charlatan

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1368IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 146
Keyword: 30 Minute Recipes, asparagus, bake, cheese, tortellini
Did you make this? I’d love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

You May Also Like...

5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. I made this tonight for my family and they loved it! I used fire roasted diced tomatoes and a whole 9 oz. bag of spinach! It was a hit!!!! AND they all said they’d love to have it again!!! As usual Karen your recipes never fail me!!!
    THANKS!!!!!

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    I hadn’t planned on making homemade Alfredo sauce with this, but unfortunately, Aldi put it on sale and it was wiped off the shelf. So I made homemade Alfredo sauce and it was slightly more time consuming but amazing.

    Reply