This is a great recipe for a potluck, function, or for a weekday supper. I found this on Pinterest, and tweaked it a little from the original recipe. I added a finely diced onion and garlic, where the original recipe didn’t call for it. I just think it needed it. I added the flour mixture to the onions and garlic, and made a roux before adding the chicken broth, milk and cream cheese. You can basically add any veggie, just make sure if its something that won’t cook in 30 minutes, throw it in with the tortellini to pre cook it. The original recipe called for adding the green pepper to the casserole uncooked. I found that the pepper didn’t cook when thrown in raw. I adjusted the recipe to pre cook the peppers a little so they would cook thoroughly.
I bought the refrigerated tortellini, so they only had 7 minutes to cook. I threw the carrots in 5 minutes before the tortellini was to be cooked, and threw in the sugar snap peas, 1 minute before.
Meanwhile I sauteed the chicken and mushrooms in a skillet until slightly browned. You want the chicken and mushrooms to have a little color. I think chicken with a little color looks much more appetizing than chicken with no color.
I took the chicken/mushroom mixture out of the pan, and added 1 Tbsp of butter to the empty skillet. Then I threw in the onions I diced with my Alligator Dicer, which makes the job extremely easy. I could never get the onions so evenly diced by hand. I also added the green pepper and sauteed the peppers and onions about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook approx. 1 minute. You don’t want to cook garlic too long. If it gets browned it has a horrid taste, and then you have to throw your mixture out and start again. Just cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Then you mix the tortellini & veggies, chicken mixture and sauce with the cherry tomatoes and green pepper. Sprinkle in some grated Parmesan cheese, mix together, and put in a baking dish.
Cook for approx. 30 minutes and enjoy.
The tomatoes were surprisingly delicious and cooked just right, and really added the special touch to this dish.
Baked Tortellini & Vegetables
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried cheese-filled tortellini (2–½ cups) or two 9-ounce packages refrigerated tortellini
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 1–1/2 c. sugar snap peas, halved crosswise
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 small green sweet pepper, coarsely chopped (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
- 1/3 c. chicken broth
- 1 c. milk
- 1 Tbsp snipped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
- 1 Tbsp parsley, dried
- salt & pepper
- 1 – 8 ounce package cream cheese or light cream cheese (Neufchatel), cubed and softened
- 1 c. halved grape tomatoes
- 4–6 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook tortellini in boiling salted water according to package directions, adding the carrot during the last 5 minutes of cooking and the sugar snap peas during the last 1 minute of cooking; drain.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp of the butter in a 12-inch skillet. Add chicken and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, and slightly browned. Remove from skillet.
- Add another 2 tablespoons of butter to the empty skillet. Add diced onions and green pepper and saute until slightly soft; about 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add 2 tsp flour to the onion mixture, and mix it to make a roux. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute to cook down flour.
- Add chicken broth, milk, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper to the onion mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; add cream cheese and 2-3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese is smooth. Remove from heat.
- Add pasta mixture, chicken mixture, onion mixture, Parmesan and cherry tomatoes. Toss to coat. Turn into an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking dish or shallow 3-quart casserole.
- Bake, covered, in a 350 degrees F oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Stir mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Transport in an insulated carrier. Makes 12 main-dish servings.
Notes
You can also use this recipe with broccoli florets.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
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