This Tortellini Casserole combines delicious ingredients for a super fast and extra yummy weeknight dinner. ? Cheesy pasta, light tomato? sauce and ground beef combine with a delicious tortellini and fresh spinach, making it a family favorite! ? Bonus mom points: spinach is hidden around all the other goodness and my kids don’t even notice! ??
Pasta is practically a food group in our home. I am always trying to find ways to reinvent the wheel and make things that my family isn’t tired of. This recipe combines spaghetti and meatballs with tortellini in a casserole format. I love that I can throw this in a casserole and bake it, not having to constantly stand at the stove!
Do I have to use ground beef?
Obviously, we used ground beef in this recipe but that is not a must have for you! However there are a lot of meats that can be substituted to still get a great taste: ground sausage, turkey, chicken, or pork! And for my vegetarian friends, Morning Star makes a great meat alternative that would go great in this recipe. Click HERE for that meatless option!
What is the difference between tortellini and ravioli?
Ravioli and tortellini are two different types of ‘stuffed’ pastas. A ravioli is two layers of pasta that take the form of a pillow once stuffed. A mixture is placed on the middle of a piece of pasta and the sides are all pressed together with a top layer of pasta. Tortellini is similar, but it’s just folded differently, like the shape of a hat! The two can be used interchangeably!
Ingredients for our Tortellini Casserole:
- Cheese Tortellini
- Spinach
- Italian Cheese Blend
- Pasta Sauce
- Cream Cheese
- Ground Beef
How to make our Tortellini Casserole:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef completely and drain grease. Turn the burner down to low. Slowly add pasta sauce of your choice to the cooked beef and stir.
After that, while the stove is set to low heat, cut the 4 ounces of cream cheese into small pieces and slowly stir it into the pasta sauce mixture.
Once the cream cheese is completely mixed in, place 1 cup of fresh spinach leaves on the sauce and slowly mix it in.
Cook tortellini according to directions. Next, once pasta is cooked and drained, add to sauce mixture.Gently stir in tortellini.
Pour mixture into a greased 9×13 casserole dish. Evenly top with the Italian cheese blend.
Bake for 20 minutes and serve.
I just LOVE when a recipe comes together. Moreover, this recipe uses ingredients that are frequently used in our house, but it combined some together I had never done before. It allows for a little creativity without requiring hours in the kitchen or sacrificing taste! Great part too, is that I was able to sneak some of those spinach greens into the kiddos without them batting an eye! Hope you and your family enjoy this one as much as we do.
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Tortellini Casserole
A delicious casserole where spaghetti and meatballs meet tortellini and cream sauce all baked together in one dish! Great for a weeknight meal or a neighborhood gathering!
Ingredients
- 1 Pound ground beef
- 1 Cup Spinach
- 2 Cups Italian Blend Cheese
- 1 Jar of Pasta Sauce (24oz)
- 1 Pack of Cheese Tortellini (18oz)
- 4oz Cream Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Brown ground beef and drain grease.
- On medium heat, add pasta sauce to meat and stir. Slowly stir in cream cheese and then spinach leaves.
- Cook tortellini according to directions.
- Once pasta is cooked and drained, add to sauce mixture.
- Gently stir in tortellini.
- Pour mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish. Top with cheese blend.
- Bake for 20 minutes and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 331Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 470mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 21g
(Nutritional information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)