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

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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

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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!

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5 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  2. This looks divine! Would be great with mushrooms too, I think! Can’t wait to try! :)

    Reply

  4. I made this recipe tonight and it was delicious! I couldn’t find the refrigerated tortellini at the store, so I bought the hard boxes kind. I just followed the directions on the box and cooked them before adding them to the recipe. They are smaller, and I think the big kind would work better, but it tasted great!

    Reply

    1. Hooray! I’m glad it worked. I’ll have to try it with the boxed kind next time and see how it goes. Thanks for commenting Ashley!

      Reply

  5. Love this Karen! And what about the old take a piece out, snap 100 pictures, and then put it right back in and act like nothing ever happened? But then you really do want to taste it so oh well!

    Reply

    1. I know Julie I should have done that! It was too tempting. Also I didn’t want them to notice the messed up part and assume it was the cat. ha!

      Reply

  6. I love no-brainer recipes! Especially ones that involve asparagus, my family owns a asparagus farm and we have it this time of year with endless supplies!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Matt! Hopefully your kids like it. My 3 year old did the first time, not so much the 5th time (ah, the joys of recipe development! :)

      Reply

    1. Thanks Cheri! People have always helped me out when I’ve had a baby, I just like to return the favor. Having a community that can share like that is so valuable to me.

      Reply

  11. I may not have given someone a partially eaten casserole, but I can’t tell you how many things I’ve taken to church lunches and snuck a piece beforehand. Not to photograph, haha, but to make sure it tastes good! ;)

    Asparagus is my newfound love and tortellini is always yummy. This sounds like a fantastic dinner! Yay for quick and easy recipes. :)

    Reply

  12. Mmm baked pasta with asparagus?? Yes please! haha and I love that you photographed it and then took it over … totally something I would do!

    Reply

  13. Hiya Karen! I don’t know how we’ve managed to communicate for such a while via Instagram/Twitter without me leaving a proper comment here. Because can I just say–love your blog! It’s so fresh and after reading your posts, I find myself absolutely enveloped in a summery warmth of food-lovin’. I’m so glad I found your site, and I’m really looking forward to more fun stuff to come! Can’t wait to stay connected via our blogs, have a fantastic week, girl!

    Reply

    1. I know Ala, I just visited your blog for the first time yesterday! I need to be better. You’re blog is awesome by the way, I love your about page. Calvin and Hobbes is THE BEST.

      Reply

  14. This would be such a great meal to receive! I’m sure your friend loved it so much, she didn’t even notice a scoop missing : )

    Reply

    1. It’s true. Now that I think about it, if someone shows up with food at my door, I’m taking it, no matter how many bites are missing. #desperate

      Reply

  15. I love tortellini, not so much asparagus, but in this recipe it looks so delish! So great when you only need 15 minutes prep time for your dinner and get something as special as this dish… YUM!!
    Oh and I wouldn’t mind if you brought me this dish with a missing piece… haha. :)

    Reply

    1. Tina, the asparagus can totally be traded out for something else. Like broccoli or peas, or something else green. May as well leave the spinach because you can’t eve taste it. Which is why spinach is so awesome!

      Reply