As an Italian, and a fan of delicious dishes in general, I love pasta! This one in particular was so simple to make and actually surpassed my expectations on taste! It’s creamy texture and fresh ingredients make it a scrumptious meal! My husband even commented on how good it was without me having to ask…yep, added to dinner menu!

The original recipe I found called for a can of diced tomatoes which I discovered I did not have as the pasta was cooking and garlic was sauteing, not great timing. Luckily, I had fresh tomatoes in the fridge so I decided to chop those up and continue on. This method wouldn’t give you as much juice as the can would have, but can I tell you something? I think this made the dish even better and I will be testing out the use of fresh tomatoes in place of canned diced tomatoes with other recipes now! It’s wonderful when things work out in the kitchen like that!

Now if I can just get my step daughter to eat tomatoes and spinach…this just might be the meal to accomplish that goal 🙂

Check out the recipe below and enjoy!

Spinach and Tomato Tortellini

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces tortellini pasta (I used whole wheat)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (Half&Half or a mixture of milk and cornstarch could be substituted for a healthier version)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 – 3 large tomatoes, sliced and chopped
• 3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions:

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain well.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk heavy cream and flour together. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, cook garlic over medium heat until fragrant, stirring frequently.
4. Stir in tomatoes, spinach, basil, oregano and thyme. Season with pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach has wilted.
5. Gradually whisk in heavy cream mixture and Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until cheese is melted and sauce has thickened slightly.
6. Stir in tortellini and toss to evenly coat and combine. Serve immediately.

As always, thanks for reading!!