To me, summer means lots of veggies. Especially grilled veggies. Now don’t get me wrong – I still love eating lots of veggies in the winter, but to me, they just taste ten times better in the summer when they’re fresh and in-season. Almost all of my meals in the summer have lots of veggies incorporated into them, and this dish was certainly no exception.
The very first time I made this recipe, instead of baking it in the oven, I decided to grill it outside on the grill. And boy, let me tell you, that was probably a much smarter decision than baking it inside in my oven (like I did the last few times I made it). Sure, it smelled absolutely delicious while it was baking, but baking in a hot kitchen when it’s in the upper 80s outside is no fun – it gets really stuffy and just hard to breathe. Therefore, from now on when I make this in the summer, I’ll most likely be cooking it out on the grill!
Once per week, I like to do a completely meatless meal, so I decided to keep this dish meat-free and stick with only using veggies. However, in the past, I have made it with meat: once I used prosciutto and cheese tortellini, and the other time I threw some cooked chicken into the sauce. All three versions were great, and I like to mix it up each time I make it, depending on what I have on hand.
Another good thing is that you can totally multi-task and do a lot of things at once, making this meal come together very quickly. While the pasta is cooking, I like to have the veggies sautéing in one pan, and then on another burner, I have a pot going to make the sauce. This way, multiple things get done at once, and before you know it, the dish is ready to be thrown into the oven to finish it off.
Even though this dish is already pretty creamy, I decided to go ahead and sprinkle a little shredded Parmesan cheese on top for some extra creamy goodness. I didn’t use much, but I used just enough so that when it baked, it would melt and get all cheesy and gooey.
In the recipe, I mention that it should be baked for 20-25 minutes, but to be honest, the last few times I’ve made this, I stuck it in the oven for only 5-10 minutes. Tops. Since the tortellini and veggies are already cooked, the only purpose of baking it is to get it a little crispier and to make the cheese all melted and gooey. However, I found that after even just 5 minutes, the cheese melts and combines with the rest of the sauce, and that was perfectly acceptable for me (mainly because I didn’t want to wait any longer to eat!)
Once it’s done baking, remove it from the oven, let it cool a few minutes (trust me on this – you don’t want to burn your mouth), and then dig in!
- 1 package (20-ounce) package cheese or spinach-filled tortellini
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers
- 1 zucchini, sliced and cut in half
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 4-5 cups fresh spinach or kale
- 2 TBSP unsalted butter
- 2 TBSP flour
- ⅓ cup vegetable stock (or water)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp. each: garlic powder, dried basil, dried parsley
- ½ tsp. each: black pepper, oregano, onion powder
- ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (8-ounce) package plain cream cheese
- Shredded mozzarella or Parmesan cheese for topping
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9x13" baking dish.
- Wash and cut all of the veggies and set aside. If using frozen veggies (I used frozen peas, corn, and broccoli), bring out to room temperature.
- Fill a medium pot with water, bring to a boil, and then add the tortellini. Cook until tender or according to the package's instructions. Once cooked, drain and return the tortellini back to the pot.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add about 2 TBSP olive oil.
- Sauté the peppers, carrots, and zucchini until tender. Add the frozen veggies, cook for a couple of minutes, and then add the halved tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes start to become tender, and then add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 3-4 more minutes.
- Once the veggies are cooked, add them to the pot with the cooked (and drained) tortellini. cherry tomatoes and can of corn.
- In a small pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and start whisking immediately to prevent crumbs. Stir until a paste is made, and then slowly add the vegetable stock (or water). Stir until completely smooth, and then slowly stir in the milk.
- Stir for 7-8 minutes, or until sauce thickens. (If it doesn't seem to thicken on it's own, you can add a cornstarch paste to help with the process: in a separate small bowl, whisk together ½ - 1 tsp. cornstarch and 2 TBSP water. Stir until no lumps remain, and then add the mixture to the pot with the broth/milk/flour. Stir constantly until mixture begins to thicken.
- Add the spices to the sauce mixture and stir to combine.
- Once sauce has thickened, add the package of cream cheese and stir until smooth.
- Whisk in the flour until a paste is made. Slowly whisk in the broth and stir until completely smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the veggies and tortellini and then mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the greased 9x13" dish and then top with additional cheese (if desired).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
