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 (coming soon!). Â 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.
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.
The only thing you have to chop is the asparagus, which really doesn’t take long. The asparagus in this casserole is firm; it is not blanched or roasted before baking. I like it that way, I prefer a little resistance in my asparagus, but if that’s not your thing I’ve included blanching instructions on the notes to the recipe. It will only take an extra couple minutes.
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Do you guys give up? Or are you thirsty for more?
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Easy Cheesy Asparagus Tortellini Bake
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
Nutrition
Any kind of Alfredo sauce will do. I used good ol’ Newman’s.
Dump and stir!
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.
Throw some asparagus on top. Blanch it first if you want it soft.
And of course cheese.
Voila!
This is so cheesy. Can we be neighbors?
Yes Jennie, as long as you bring drinks. :)
This looks divine! Would be great with mushrooms too, I think! Can’t wait to try! :)
Ooh yes, I should try mushrooms next time Beeta! :)
Karen, this looks absolutely amazing! My fam would totally love it!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
Seriously, an asparagus farm!!? SO jealous!
This is the perfect meal for our family, Karen. Love it so much!
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! :)
Hi Karen, how sweet of you to make this for your friend. looks really good!
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.
This looks sensational. I know my hubby would love this.
Thanks Norma! Note to self: use the word sensational more often.
You’re so funny! I think this looks great!
Thanks Chels! :)
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. :)
Hey taste-testing is a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it right Claire? :)
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!
Glad I’m not the only tacky person out there Ashley :)
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!
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.
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 : )
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
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. :)
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!