This Easy Cheesy Baked Tortellini is simple and delicious too. Tortellini, bacon, cheese, basil, & spinach fill this recipe and make it irresistible and perfect for dinner any night.
Baked pastas are my jam! There’s something about putting all the ingredients in a casserole dish and baking it that creates the best flavor. Whether it’s this baked tortellini, baked spaghetti, or a chicken alfredo bake, it’s always a winner in our house.
extra Cheesy Goodness
Who here loves an easy dinner recipe? We are all about them and have realized that pasta recipes are the kids’ favorites. Today’s recipe is a Cheesy Baked Tortellini that the whole family enjoyed.
We’ve always loved Tortellini and have used it in so many recipes here on the site (including our Italian Tortellini Soup and Tortellini Salad). We knew we’d love this recipe considering that it’s covered in cheese, bacon and spinach. And because the tortellini is already filled with cheese, it’s kind of a no-brainer to love this double-cheesy baked tortellini goodness.
Make and bake
We’ve already established the fact that Cheese Tortellini on it’s own is delicious, and turning it into an even cheesier, more delicious dinner idea is going to earn you major kudos with the family. Here is how you make baked tortellini casserole.
TORTELLINI. Cooking tortellini as directed on the package.
SAUCE. Cook bacon and cut up. Reserve bacon fat from pan. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add flour to the pan and whisk for a minute, then add milk and mix until smooth. Lastly, add salt, pepper, lemon juice and basil and bring to a simmer.
COMBINE. Drain tortellini and add back to the pot. Turn to low heat and add spinach and most of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheeses and bacon. Add sauce and stir until well combined.
BAKE. Add to an 8×8 or 9×9 dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and bacon. Cover your dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
What can I use instead of bacon? If you’re not a fan of bacon you can substitute it with another meat such as ham, pepperoni, italian sausage, chicken, turkey bacon, sauteed shrimp. Also, the recipe calls for saving the bacon grease. Since you will not have bacon grease to use when sauteing the garlic use 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
Make it ahead!
As if this recipe wasn’t already amazing, the fact that it’s a perfect make ahead meal is even better! Just follow the recipe steps up until it’s time to bake. Cover with with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for 1-2 days then bake. To freeze: Cover with plastic and again with aluminum foil. Label and freeze for 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bake.
We really hope you love this cheesy, flavorful baked tortellini. We know you can buy tortellini with meat inside, so we think we’re going to try that next time. Either way, it’s a keeper recipe for sure. 😉
For more Cheese Tortellini recipes, try:
- Italian Tortellini Soup
- Cheesy Garlic Tortellini Pasta
- Tomato Tortellini Soup
- Spinach and Tortellini Salad
Cheesy Baked Tortellini recipe
This Easy Cheesy Baked Tortellini is simple and delicious too. Tortellini, bacon, cheese, basil, & spinach fill this recipe and make it irresistible and perfect for dinner any night.
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz. cheese tortellini package (or any kind of tortellini)
- 4 bacon strips
- 3 tsp. minced garlic
- 2 TB flour
- 2 cups milk
- 3/4 tsp salt
- pepper
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 cups frozen spinach, chopped
- 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese grated
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook as directed on the package.
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Cook bacon and cut up. Reserve bacon fat from pan. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two. Add flour to the pan and whisk for a minute. Add milk and mix until smooth. Add salt, pepper, lemon juice and basil and bring to a simmer.
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Drain tortellini and add back to the pot. Turn to low heat and add spinach and most of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheeses and bacon. Add sauce and stir until well combined.
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Add to an 8x8 or 9x9 dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and bacon.
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Cover your dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
This looks incredible. I have actually never had tortellini before, I’m going to pin this recipe to try later!
Tortellini is SO good!! Would love to know what you think of it once you’ve tried it. 🙂
Super delicious!! I love adding spinach to pasta dishes. It gives it color and great nutition! Can’t wait to try this! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
You’re welcome, Crystal! Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!
I’m always taking pictures of my mom’s food too! Glad to hear someone else is doing it also! Looks fab once again 🙂
My mom makes the best stuff, so I’d be silly if I didn’t take pictures!! Glad I’m not the only one. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Julie!! XO
I HATE bacon! Do you think it will effect it much if I don’t cook the bacon (so no bacon grease)?
I really don’t think it will effect it that much at all. Let me know if you try it out without bacon so I can make a note in the recipe for others who don’t want to include it. 🙂
I love bacon and I didn’t care for it in this dish. I am making it again for my younger daughter when she gets home from Navy training next week without the bacon. I will let you know, but I’m sure it will still be delish!
I don’t like bacon. I use turkey Canadian bacon or turkey ham, and cut it in small pieces.. May need some pan pan spray.
Thanks for the yummy recipes mom!!
I’ll be sure to tell her! 😉
I love adding spinach to pasta dishes! This is a perfect quick and easy weeknight meal!
I made your recipe today with some tweaks. I added 1 yellow onion, diced. Also, I cubed 1 lb of kielbasa sausage and pan fried it. Didn’t have any basil, parrmesan or lemon. Added extra spinach. I also used 1 bunch of diced fresh green onions to top it. I used 2% milk. My husband absolutely LOVED this dish. I asked him on a scale of 1 to 10, what would he give this dish? He said a 20! He sais this is the best pasta dish I’ve made so far. Oh, I mixed in mozzarella cheese into the sauce as well as topped the casserole with cheese, so it was pretty rich in cheese.
He scarfed this dish down quickly and got seconds. The dish is a rich,, heavy dish and definitely a remake. Maybe next time I will use a different green like kale or swiss chard. I like your addition of lemon as that probably cuts some of the richness some. I also might try a pesto tortillini instead next time.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with the world.
Pinned! Thanks for the awesome recipe 😉
I saw this on Facebook and decided to make it for dinner tonight. It is VERY good! My daughter who doesn’t even like tortellini even likes it. Thanks for sharing the recipe with us 🙂
This definitely looks tempting! Will definitely give it a try! 🙂
This looks delicious! I will definitely be trying this tonight!
Only tip that I have is instead of cooking the bacon in the dish (I find that some bacon – depending on the brand, tend to get soft, soggy, and just taste weird – I almost always mix in my bacon at the end and top it off at the end. So just set it to the side until the end!
That way you still get that heavenly bacon taste.
Great tip! Thanks, Miranda!!
I cooked the tortellini-spinach-bake today for me and my family (also a husband and four kids), after I saw this recipe at Pinterest before a few days. And it was easy to make and delicious to eat. I just change the bacon into chicken. Thank you.
Thanks for stopping by, Maren. SO glad you liked it!! I’ve never tried it with chicken before but will have to try that out – sounds like a great substitution. 😉
I’m making it tonight with chickem meatballs instead of bacon. Can’t wait
Oooh – sounds great! Let me know how it goes. 😉
Is that 2 tablespoons of flour
Yes. 🙂
Making this for dinner tonight. But I am not sure how many servings this makes. I have 3 teen age boys and a husband to feed. I need to make about 8 servings. Could you help me with this?
This was absolutely delicious!!! I add some tomatoes to mine as well. My family loved it. Thank you!
Thank you so much for letting me know!! Tomatoes are a great addition to this recipe!!
Have you ever tried putting it in the crock pot instead of baking it? I would like to try it just not sure how long it should cook for. I would not want it to turn to mush. Thanks
LOVE this!! Tried with cheese ravioli instead (my tortellini is sausage cheese). Easy to make, yummy to eat. What more can a busy mama ask for?? Definitely a winner
LOL!! Thanks so much!! That sounds delicious 🙂
Can you make this ahead of time and bake later?
Of course! Hope you like it!! Thanks so much for stopping by!
Going to make this tonight. How many people does this dish serve?
Being in an 8×8 dish, it won’t feed to many. If you have a family of 6 or more, I would maybe double and put in a 9×13. Hope that helps!! Thanks so much for giving it a try!!
Looks so creamy and comforting!
It is!! I hope you’ll give it a try!! Thanks for stopping by!
Can I use monterey jack cheese not mozzarella cheese?
I personally haven’t, but I’m sure it would be fine 🙂 Let me know what you think. Thanks so much!
Hi, I used mozzarella cheese I dint want to try to use monterey jack cheese and my husband loved it. Your recipe is wonderful and thank you so much.
I’m so glad you both liked it!! Mozzarella would be great 🙂 Thank you!!
I wish I could eat some but my baby allergy to dairy products through my milk so I will try others your recipe that I can eat ^_^
Could I use frozen spinach, and how much? I’m trying to clean out the freezer. ☺
Yes, you could. The small box would work. I don’t know off the top of my head the ounces, but equivalent to 2 cups. Just squeeze the water out. Good luck and hope you like it!
My whole family loved this recipe. Only thing I did different was up the garlic and add onion. Will definitely be making it again. Thanks for the recipe! And your pictures of it are beautiful! ????
Oh, you are so sweet! Thank you for trying it and letting me know!
Will this be good with chopped prosciutto instead of bacon?
I haven’t tried, but I bet it would taste great. Let me know if you try it 🙂
This was a little too cheesy but other than that DELICIOUS. Great recipe thanks ????
Thanks so much! You could use less next time for sure! Glad you liked it!
Where can I find nutritional information on this?
I’m sorry I don’t have it. You would just need to find a site that will tell you, once you’ve put in the amounts of ingredients or google 🙂
Type Tortellini into Pinterest’s search bar and hundreds of recipes appear. For some reason I chose yours and it did not disappoint! The whole family loved it.
So glad you chose mine! I’m happy that you liked it 🙂 Thank you so much!
Easy to make and sooooo good! It’s one of my daughters top food requests.
Woohoo! Love to hear that! Thank you for letting me know 🙂
Who doesn’t love tortellini?!
Right?! I know I do! Thank you!
Havent made this yet – do you thaw spInach ahead of time or add to pan with cheeses frozen? Im just cOnfUsed based off the instructions. Thanks!
I like to just thaw it a little & I wrap it in a towel & squeeze it, to drain it, then chop. Hope that helps!
Made this recipe many times. All my guests and family. Want to know if this could be frozen either after fully cooked or before
I think it could before or after. If it is before, I would thaw it a little or it may need a little more time 🙂
Easy and super tasty …I added some chicken witch did not need it but I had it to add so I did , definitely will make again!
Great idea!! Glad you liked it! Thank you for letting me know!
Used turkey bacon, skim milk and shredded Cheeses instead of grated. Loved it !
Sounds perfect! Thank you for sharing that! I will have to try that sometime 🙂
This was great. I added Ground itLian sausage.
Question. Once it has been baked can i Freeze It or does it not freeze well after baking. Thanks
So glad you liked it! I haven’t tried freezing it, after it’s been baked, but if you are, I would cover with plastic wrap & aluminum foil & freeze. Thaw out & bake. I wouldn’t know an exact time, since it’s already been baked & I haven’t tried.