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Home Recipe Index Freezer Meals Freezer Casseroles

4-Ingredient Baked Tortellini

★★★★★ 4.8 /5
Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe
Rachel Tiemeyer
By: Rachel TiemeyerPosted: 3/6/23Updated: 3/16/23

This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Need a super easy 4-ingredient dish for dinner that everyone will love? Baked Tortellini (with sneaky spinach to up the nutrition) is it. This comforting casserole is the perfect weeknight meal!

baked cheese tortellini in glass dish

Contents hide
Video Tutorial
Ingredients
How to Make Baked Tortellini
How to Freeze Baked Tortellini
FAQ
What to Serve with Baked Tortellini
Baked Tortellini
Did you make this?

Baked Cheese Tortellini is a vegetarian spin-off of my Baked Beef Ravioli. It’s meatless but cheesy and oh-so-filling. Plus, it’s also a great way to use up leftover fresh spinach and sneak in more nutrition into some comfort food.

Video Tutorial

Want to see how easy peasy this recipe is? Watch below!

Ingredients

Using only 4 ingredients (or maybe 5), you’ve got a family-pleaser for sure.

  • Marinara sauce – Buy it at the store or use our delicious and healthy Homemade Marinara Sauce.
  • Frozen cheese tortellini – Look for the one with the fewest ingredients. There are also gluten-free ravioli available if needed.
  • Baby spinach – Add in for extra nutrition. Be sure to finely chop it. If your kids will throw a fit about this, it can be omitted.
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Uncured pepperoni (optional) – Chop this up and add in for more flavor. We love Applegate Uncured Turkey Pepperoni.
Ingredients for Baked Tortellini on a cutting board

How to Make Baked Tortellini

This recipe is so simple, I don’t even need many words to explain it. Follow the visual steps below!

Coat bottom with sauce
Drop in frozen tortellini
Add sneaky spinach
Add more sauce
Top off with some cheese
Enjoy!

How to Freeze Baked Tortellini

Like many of our amazing freezer meals, you prep this recipe all the way up until cooking it. Stop there and freeze it!

Freeze For Later: Cover the dish with foil. Label and freeze.

Prepare From Frozen: Thaw completely in the refrigerator (will take around 24 hours) and bake for 20-25 minutes covered and then another 10-15 minutes uncovered. This is shorter than the recipe below because the tortellini will be thawed.

Baked Tortellini freezer meal

FAQ

Can I use gluten free tortellini?

Yes! One reader said, “This recipe worked well with gluten-free tortellini. We used Wegman’s brand gluten-free egg pasta tortellini and everyone ate it up!”

Can I add seasonings to it?

Sure! It’s hard to mess this one up. Throw in your favorite fresh or dried herbs.

Can I prep it in advance and keep it in the fridge?

Yep! This is a great make ahead recipe.

What to Serve with Baked Tortellini

chopped cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, basil, garlic and crumbled feta in a white bowl

Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad

Texas Toast

stirring fruit salad together after adding dressing

Classic Fruit Salad

Oreo Fluff

Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!

★★★★★ 4.8 from 4 reviews

Baked Tortellini

This easy and oh-so-cheesy baked pasta is a great way to use up leftover veggies, likefresh spinach. Even your meat-lover will dig this one!

Yield: 6 servings 1x
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 50 minutesTotal: 1 hour
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Ingredients

  • 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce (or 3 cups Homemade Marinara Sauce)
  • 1 package (19 oz.) frozen cheese tortellini (look for the one with the least ingredients)
  • 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach, finely chopped
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Optional: 4 ounces uncured pepperoni, chopped (We love Applegate’s Uncured Turkey Pepperoni.)
  • Optional: Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

**All these ingredients are already loaded in a custom Hy-Vee shopping cart for you here!**

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions

Make It Now:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray an 8×8 inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
  2. Spread thin layer of marinara sauce into bottom of baking dish. Arrange half of the frozen tortellini over the sauce, trying to get them in a single layer as much as possible. Top with 1/2 of the chopped spinach (and pepperoni), 1/2 of the sauce (use the back of a spoon to move the sauce around and make sure it covers all the tortellini), and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers in Step 2, ending with the last of the cheese on top. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
  3. Tent lightly with a layer of foil; try to avoid touching the cheese. (Tip: Spray with cooking spray on the inside of the foil to help prevent the cheese from sticking.)
  4. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until bubbly on the edges (if using fresh tortellini, bake 20-25 minutes). Take off the foil and bake about 10-15 minutes more, or until golden on top and hot throughout.
  5. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Top each serving with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Freeze For Later: Spray an 8×8 inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Follow Step 2. Cover the dish with foil and a few layers of plastic wrap or foil. Label and freeze.

Prepare From Frozen: Thaw in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 20-25 minutes covered in foil and then another 10-15 minutes uncovered. 

Equipment

8×8 Glass Baking Dish with Lid (Freezer Container)

Buy Now →

Measuring Cups

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Notes/Tips

If using fresh tortellini, this will only take about 20-25 minutes to bake.

You can also make this with frozen cheese or beef ravioli, but you’ll have to make it in three layers instead of two so that each ravioli layer is flat and they aren’t overlapping. Then, bake covered for 45 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes.

© Author: Rachel Tiemeyer
Cuisine: American Method: Baking

Did you make this?

Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!

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Rachel Tiemeyer

Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!

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  1. AvatarTonya says

    Posted on 12/6/22 at 10:25 am

    Our whole crew (two adults, six kids) LOVED it! Very flavorful and easy to make.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 12/7/22 at 9:26 am

      That’s quite a crew and for everyone to love it is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing.

      Reply
  2. AvatarElizabeth says

    Posted on 12/5/22 at 4:52 pm

    This recipe worked well with gluten free tortellini. We used Wegman’s brand gluten free egg pasta tortellini and everyone ate it up!

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 12/5/22 at 9:33 pm

      Great to know the GF tip, Elizabeth. Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Means so much to us!

      Reply
  3. AvatarNaomi says

    Posted on 3/28/22 at 2:24 pm

    Super quick and easy to make. I added pepperoni to help the kids get the spinach down. The whole family enjoyed it. Definitely a keeper and a repeat recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 3/28/22 at 9:52 pm

      Great! Yeah, the pepperoni definitely helps. 😉

      Reply
  4. AvatarKathy says

    Posted on 8/29/17 at 6:18 am

    Would it be possible to cook this and freeze the leftovers? I usually make large dishes, eat a portion for dinner and freeze the rest, nut this says to freeze before cooking.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      Posted on 9/1/17 at 9:15 am

      You can certainly do that, but I will say the texture of the pasta won’t be great afterwards.

      Reply
  5. AvatarJaime says

    Posted on 7/30/17 at 8:15 am

    Can you add seasonings to it?

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      Posted on 8/1/17 at 11:21 am

      Sure! It’s hard to mess this one up. Throw in your favorite fresh or dried herbs.

      Reply
  6. AvatarPatrice says

    Posted on 8/21/16 at 7:34 pm

    Thank you ladies for this recipe. I made it tonight… with my daughter. It was delicious and she enjoyed learning how to make this meal with me.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      Posted on 8/21/16 at 8:44 pm

      What a great mama to be in the kitchen cooking with your daughter! Love to hear that this was a success for you.

      Reply
  7. AvatarTammy says

    Posted on 8/9/15 at 1:32 pm

    Hi, is the cheese tortellini fresh, frozen, or dried? Thanks!

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      Posted on 8/10/15 at 9:21 am

      I have made it with all three! Just make sure they are cooked through when you finally take them out of the oven. Hard to mess this one up.

      Reply
  8. AvatarMary says

    Posted on 6/30/15 at 9:59 pm

    I make this with ravioli all the time – no need to boil the pasta first.

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      Posted on 6/30/15 at 10:13 pm

      Thanks, Mary, what a helpful tip!

      Reply
  9. AvatarJenna says

    Posted on 8/20/14 at 3:54 pm

    Do you cook the tortellini before freezing?

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      Posted on 8/20/14 at 4:38 pm

      Yes, make according to directions and then freeze before baking.

      Reply
  10. AvatarNicole says

    Posted on 8/17/14 at 11:17 am

    Hi! I’m wondering if I can make this recipe and put it in the fridge until I make it the next evening. Do you think I should freeze it if I plan to make it within 24 hours? TIA!

    Reply
    • RachelRachel says

      Posted on 8/17/14 at 2:13 pm

      I think that would be fine.

      Reply

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