My recipe for creamy spinach tomato tortellini features tortellini pasta with tomato sauce, ground beef, and spinach. And — it’s super picky-eater friendly!
This creamy spinach tomato tortellini is right on the money with the perfect balance of flavors. It’s actually one of my favorite comfort foods! The little stuffed pasta shells (tortellini) explode in your mouth and serve as a wonderful complement to the rich, creamy tomato sauce. Yes, please!
I love that this meal is quick, comes together in one pan, and is a super easy way to hide spinach for any picky eaters in your house. If you know me — these are all important things when it comes to cooking for my family.
Thanks Charlie! Big thanks to my former coworker Charlie for this great recipe! The only thing I tweaked from his original version is swapping in ground beef for the spicy Italian sausage. So if that sounds more like your style, go for it! I can attest that it was super delicious.
How to Make Creamy Spinach Tomato Tortellini
This tortellini dish only requires a handful of ingredients and one pan. If it’s easy and requires minimal washing of dishes afterwards, you know I’m always in!
- Prep the ingredients: To make the cooking process more streamlined, chop all the veggies and prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Brown the ground beef: In a deep skillet or pan over medium heat, brown the ground beef until it’s fully cooked. Add the garlic and onions and cook them until softened.
- Add the sauce and cream: Pour the pasta sauce into the skillet. Once it simmers, pour in the heavy whipping cream and stir until well-combined.
- Add the tortellini and spices: Toss in the tortellini and bring to a simmer. Next, season with the garlic salt and dried parsley.
- Finish with spinach and Parmesan: Add in the chopped spinach and grated Parmesan cheese. Stir, then enjoy!
Hot tip: Trader Joe’s has amazing tortellini in the refrigerated aisle. It’s my go-to tortellini — I use it all the time!
Tortellini Pasta Tips & Tricks
I seriously love this tortellini pasta — it really is a comfort food for me and my family. And to make it consistently great, I’ve learned a few tips that have helped me each and every time. So, here I am sharing them with you!
- Don’t pre-boil the tortellini: The tortellini cook as they simmer in the sauce, so there’s no need to pre-boil them. If you do, they may turn mushy and stray away from that perfect al dente texture. Keep in mind fresh tortellini will only take a few minutes, whereas frozen might take a few minutes longer.
- Use a high-quality marinara sauce or make your own: For the freshest tomato flavor, use a high-quality jarred marinara sauce or whip up your own (my favorite!).
- Experiment with different stuffed tortellini: I personally love Trader Joe’s tortellini, but tortellini come in so many different fillings and can be found almost anywhere. This recipe works with nearly any store-bought variety, whether it’s a cheese-stuffed tortellini or a meaty tortellini. So, choose the tortellini that speaks to you! You won’t go wrong.
- Substitute the tortellini (optional): If you don’t have tortellini, feel free to use another type of pasta. I’ve substituted with Paccheri (tubular pasta) and fusilli before, but any type will work (you may need to briefly cook the pasta first as it may take longer than tortellini).
Reader suggestions: Many of my readers report great success with adding sautéed mushrooms, ricotta cheese, and doubling the spinach. Give it a try too if you’re feeling adventurous!
Serving Tortellini Pasta
Tortellini pasta with tomato sauce is a meal all on its own, but if you’re wanting a bit of cool freshness, serve it along with a fresh salad (homemade Caesar salad or a classic garden salad are great options). Then, don’t forget to use a slice of baguette to sop up the creamy sauce!
Storing Leftover Tortellini Pasta
Store leftover creamy pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. I would avoid freezing it, as reheating from frozen tends to turn the pasta into mush.
Reheating tip: Reheat the creamy pasta in the microwave or in a skillet over low heat until it is fully warmed through.
More Creamy Pasta Recipes
- Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo – White sauce with chicken and mushroom pasta
- Spinach Stuffed Shells – A meatless pasta entree with spinach, a three cheese blend, and marinara.
- Creamy Cheesy Baked Gnocchi – Only six ingredients, vegetarian, and ready in half an hour.
- Stuffed Shells with Meat Sauce – Three cheeses & meat sauce make this cozy pasta bake
- Broccoli Mushroom Alfredo Pasta – Vegetarian white sauce pasta
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves diced
- 16 oz pasta sauce
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 lbs packaged tortellini
- 1 tbsp garlic parsley salt
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 2 cups spinach chopped
- 1 cup Parmesan
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients for the recipe and chop all the veggies.
- Preheat a deep skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef. Brown the beef, breaking it apart as you go. Add in the chopped onions and garlic and cook until they soften.
- Add the pasta sauce to the meat mixture. As soon as it simmers, pour in the whipping cream and stir until it's evenly distributed.
- Add in the tortellini and bring the mixture to a simmer. Season it with garlic parsley salt and dried parsley.
- Add in the spinach and Parmesan cheese, stirring until well-combined.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Could you substitute frozen spinach for fresh?
Hey Judy, I think fresh is best, but frozen definitely works too. Just keep in mind the texture will be a bit different—frozen spinach tends to be softer and more broken down. It can also make the soup a little more watery if you don’t squeeze out the excess liquid first. Still super tasty either way!
A little confused by these portions, that’s a lot of tortellini and very little sauce? I didn’t have enough sauce for my tortellini to cook and I even doubled the amount. Other than that this is yummy.
You doubled the sauce and still needed more? That’s interesting! Either way, I’m glad you enjoyed the flavors—thanks for giving it a try! 😊
Followed recipe and it was delicious! Thank you!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for trying the recipe —glad you enjoyed it!
SOOOO GOOD. I ADDED MUSHROOMS AND A LITTLE RICOTTA CHEESE. 👍
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your tweaks and success with us!
This recipe was really quick and easy to make! I did add a 24oz jar of pasta sauce and a bit more whipping cream. I also used Buitoni tortellini and really underestimated just how much 2lbs is! Make sure your pan is DEEP! 5 stars!
Thank you for sharing your feedback! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Will this be good if I don’t put ground beef in the recipe? We have some vegetarians.
Hey Donna, The flavor will taste different without the spicy Italian sausage. It could be made without it, but I can't guarantee it'll taste flavorful.
This was absolutely amazing and so easy to make. I followed the recipe almost to a tee. I used Raos Marinara, 24oz jar vs 16. I also went with Fresh 5 cheese tortellini and it was amazing. I did double the spinach only beacause it shrivles up so much. My boyfriend and I's only complaint is it was so good we ate way to much hahahaha! Ten stars on this recipe. Will definitely be making again!
Hey Krystal, If the only complaint is you ate too much, - I'll take that as the best compliment! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I made it just like your recipe, and it was delicious. Tortellini only took 2 minutes to cook, so I didn’t need to pre cook. I made twice as much for a large family, so I used twice the ingredients.
Hi TShy, I'm so happy to hear it turned out delicious. I'm sure your family appreciated a large pot of soup!
Specify that people need to cook the noodles in hot water, and not try to cook it in the sauce
Tell people what kind of tortellini to use.
Ps, Ricotta is not suited to this recipe.
Hi One, In the blog post I mention that I use refrigerated tortellini from Trader Joe's, but different stuffed tortellini can be used - doesn't have to be ricotta. I also don't recommend pre-boiling the tortellini since it does cook in the sauce and pre-boiling it will make it extra mushy. I hope this helps! 🙂
If I don't have whipping cream could I use cream cheese?
Hi Angelina, the whipping cream is used to make the dish saucy, so I don't think cream cheese would substitute well here as it won't create the liquid/sauce we want to coat the tortellini. Instead, you could use half and half or even milk (or even milk + a bit of cream cheese), but your overall sauce may be a bit thinner. Flavor wise it should still taste good. I hope you enjoy it!
I accidentally used prepackaged tortellini before boiling them first. .. any way to save this?
Hey Camryn, you can cook them for a bit longer and it should work out well. Keep me posted if this helped.
This was so good! I was also surprised how quick it was to put together. I didn't change anything, only halved the recipe and it was perfect. Defintely a keeper!
Hi Heather! So glad to hear that! I appreciate your feedback, Enjoy!
What happened to the carrots?
Hey Robin, carrots was a typo. Thanks for catching that!
Hearty, delicious & so easy! Love the sauce! So good! This just made the monthly recipe rotation! Love it!!
Thank you, Betsy! Happy to hear you loved it!
My family loved this dinner! It was super easy to make, it's going on the regular menu!
Glad you found a new favorite recipe to add to your rotation, Wilhelmina! Thanks for commenting.
OMG this was amazing!! Making it again later this week, it's sooooo good.
Thank you, April- glad you enjoyed it so much!
Just made it. The best ever! So fast also. I did not have fresh spinach, i used frozen. Now i know what to do with all those spinach bricks in my freezer! How delicious! Beyond easy! Natalya, you are genius!
Thank you for sharing. That's a really good tip with a frozen spinach.
Made this dish. Here are some tips: 1 pound of Tortellini is PLENTY! Even if it's considered "fresh", it's better to boil & make sure that the Tortellini is thoroughly cooked before adding it to the meat mixture. 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese is plenty for this dish because the Tortellini already have cheese inside of them. Thank you @Mom'sDish!
Thanks for sharing all your ideas 😉
Do you have to cook the Tortellini separately and then add it in?
I used fresh, so no need to precook.
I love the addition of spinach! Thank you for posting 🙂 I'm assuming you used fresh tortellini? Do you think frozen would work just as well?
I use fresh, I would say precook frozen one.
I used frozen, and didn't pre-cook. Turned out great.
Hey Kathleen, thank you for sharing this! Thank you
wow. looks like quick recipie.
good for busy working mothers when kids homework on your to do list.
Have to try it...
I hope you will love it as much as we did 🙂 Keep me posted!
ok, I did it with a few adjustments.
# 1. I didn't have tortellini, so I used rotini instead.
# 2. I had basil tomato pasta sauce not traditional ragu sauce (from Aldi)
# 3. I didn't have spinach, so I didn't use it.
# 4. I did add cremini mushrooms to the sauce while I was sauteing garlic, onion, and minced meat.
# 5. I didn't use garlic salt, instead I used only salt & pepper.
Now guess what ?
- it turned out delicious
- my husband ate 2 plates of this pasta
- my husband isn't fan of pasta but he really like it and told it is delicious.
- and indeed it took 40 minutes to prepare this dish
- this dish is so creamy, and light. Not a fatty one.
- this dish is great for busy weekdays, especially for mom of 4 with full time work and homeworks with kids
thanks once again.
Oh so happy to hear that you guys loved it. I agree about it tasting light while creamy. I love that you shared all the adjustments you made because it gives others ideas as well 🙂