Creamy Spinach Mushroom Tortellini with Caramelized Onions is an Italian pasta dish packed with veggies. This easy and delicious meatless recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner!
If you’re looking for a simple creamy tortellini recipe, this is it! To make this, you will need basic ingredients, such as spinach, mushrooms, onions, cream, and store-bought tortellini. This creamy pasta was inspired by my farfalle recipe.
If you like this type of easy-to-make, family-friendly weeknight pasta dishes, I also recommend the following recipes: Italian ravioli with spinach, artichokes, and capers, as well as pesto chicken tortellini with veggies.
What is Tortellini?
- Tortellini is a stuffed pasta that features a distinctive ring shape. Tortellini is traditionally served with broth.
- Tortellini is usually stuffed with cheese and meat-based filling.
- Tortellini originates from the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, situated in northeast Italy.
Things I love about creamy spinach mushroom tortellini
- Meatless recipe. This pasta dish creates rich, deep flavors without any meat. Sauteed mushrooms, creamy spinach, and caramelized onions provide so much flavor to the pasta that it stands great on its own.
- You can easily add protein if you prefer. This pasta will make a perfect sidekick to any type of grilled meat, whether it’s steak, pork, or chicken. Spinach mushroom tortellini will also work well with fish, shrimp, and scallops.
- Simple ingredients. This recipe uses basic ingredients, such as spinach, mushrooms, onions, cream, and store-bought tortellini. There is no need to look for that special ingredient. These basic ingredients, when combined, create an absolutely amazing flavor profile!
- Easy recipe. Because this recipe comes together so easily, it’s a perfect dish to make for a weeknight dinner. Tip: make caramelized onions a day or two in advance to save time.
- Versatile dish. Tortellini is not the only stuffed pasta you can use in this recipe. Ravioli will work great as well! You can also use regular pasta, such as bow-tie or penne pasta.
Substitutions
- What kind of tortellini should you use? You can use any type of tortellini: three-cheese tortellini, spinach tortellini, beef-stuffed tortellini, etc. I used refrigerated 3-cheese tortellini.
- What can you substitute for tortellini? Use ravioli, gnocchi or bow tie pasta.
- What can you use instead of spinach? Baby kale or arugula will work great in this recipe.
- What kind of mushrooms will work well here? You can use button mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, shiitake, crimini, porcini or oyster mushrooms.
What can you use instead of heavy cream?
- Half-and-half. You can use 1 cup of half-and-half instead of heavy cream. Bring half-and-half to boil, then add 1/s cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Reduce to simmer. Keep stirring while the sauce simmers until the cheese melts.
- Coconut milk. Use 1 cup of coconut milk to replace 1 cup of heavy cream. Follow the recipe as is.
Can you make this recipe gluten-free?
Substitute tortellini with gluten-free ravioli or gluten-free short pasta, such as gluten-free bow tie pasta. You can also use gluten-free gnocchi (be sure to check the packaging as not all gnocchi is gluten-free).
How long to cook tortellini?
Follow the package instructions. The cooking times and instructions will depend on whether you buy refrigerated or frozen tortellini. If using the refrigerated type of tortellini (not frozen), usually you would bring a large pot of water to boil and then cook the tortellini for about 7 to 10 minutes in boiling water.
Cooking tips
- Make-ahead tip. Make caramelized onions ahead of time, refrigerate them in an air-tight container, and use within the next 3 days. You can also freeze caramelized onions for up to 2 months and thaw them whenever you need them.
- How to reheat. Reheat gently, on low-medium heat. Add a small amount of heavy cream or half-and-half to thin out the sauce.
SIDE DISHES
Spinach mushroom tortellini is a rich pasta dish that features a luscious cream sauce made with heavy cream. The best side dishes for this type of rich creamy pasta are fresh salads along with bread. Here are some ideas:
- Basic Green Salad. Make a simple green salad, such as spinach or arugula salad. Use a simple dressing made with olive oil, coarsely ground black pepper, and shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Vegetable salad. Serve a refreshing salad, such as Tomato Basil Avocado Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Dressing or Basil Pesto Tomato Avocado Salad.
- Broccoli salad. Here are 2 delicious recipes featuring this wonderful vegetable: Broccoli Cauliflower Salad and Broccoli Cashew Salad.
- Beet salad. Beets are often overlooked, but they are great in salads. Here are my favorites: Simple Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Beet Salad with Spinach and Cashews.
- Bread. Serve garlic bread or baguette with this creamy spinach and mushroom tortellini.
Add protein
If you crave to add protein to your dinner, this pasta is so versatile, there are many types of meat you can add.
- Grilled steak. This creamy spinach mushroom tortellini will make a worthy side dish to any steak: rib-eye, filet mignon, porterhouse, flank steak, or skirt steak.
- Chicken. Serve this pasta with grilled or sauteed chicken. You can use chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or chicken legs.
- Pork. Grilled pork chops or pan-seared pork chops will work great. You can also serve spinach mushroom tortellini as a side dish to pork tenderloin.
- Seafood. Add grilled or pan-seared salmon or trout. This pasta goes well with seared shrimp and scallops.
Other Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Pasta
- Sun-Dried Tomato Mushroom Pasta
- Penne Pasta in Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms
Other Tortellini Recipes
- Asiago Cheese Tortellini
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Tortellini
- Creamy Chicken, Asparagus, and Bacon Tortellini
- Creamy Shrimp Tortellini with Veggies
Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Tortellini with Caramelized Onions
Creamy Spinach Mushroom Tortellini with Caramelized Onions is an Italian pasta dish packed with veggies. This easy and delicious meatless recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner!
Caramelized Onions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 yellow onions (large)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Creamy pasta sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 08 oz mushrooms ((I used crimini mushrooms))
- 8 oz spinach
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 9 oz tortellini ((I used 3-cheese tortellini, refrigerated))
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (when serving)
How to caramelized onions (this can be done a day or 2 in advance):
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Peel the onions, wash them and thinly slice them.
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Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with the spatula.
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Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking the onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add a pinch of salt over the onions.
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Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn.
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In total, you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes. Remove the onions from the skillet onto a plate.
How to make the creamy sauce
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Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet on medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until mushrooms are soft.
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Add fresh spinach to the skillet and stir on low heat just until spinach starts to wilt.
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Add back the caramelized onions.
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Add 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the mushroom and spinach mixture and bring to a quick boil. Immediately reduce to simmer. Keep stirring while the sauce simmers for a couple of minutes.
Add tortellini
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Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Usually, that means to bring a large pot of water to boil. Add tortellini and boil for 7 to 10 minutes. Drain.
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Add cooked and drained tortellini to the creamy sauce. Stir on low heat for a couple of minutes to reheat.
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Top with cracked black pepper when serving.
Helpful Tips about Caramelized Onions.
- Make-ahead tip. Make caramelized onions ahead of time, refrigerate them in an air-tight container, and use within the next 3 days.
- You can also freeze caramelized onions for up to 2 months and thaw them whenever you need them.
Substitutions for heavy cream
- Half-and-half. You can use 1 cup of half-and-half instead of heavy cream. Bring half-and-half to boil, then add 1/s cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Reduce to simmer. Keep stirring while the sauce simmers until the cheese melts.
- Coconut milk. Use 1 cup of coconut milk to replace 1 cup of heavy cream. Follow the recipe as is.
Other Substitutions
- Use button mushrooms, portobello, cremini, shiitake or oyster mushrooms.
- Good substitutes for spinach are kale and arugula.
- You can also use pre-made ravioli, gnocchi or short pasta (such as bow-tie or penne pasta) instead of tortellini.
- Substitute tortellini with gluten-free ravioli or gluten-free short pasta, such as gluten-free bow tie pasta. You can also use gluten-free gnocchi (be sure to check the packaging as not all gnocchi is gluten-free).
- Protein. You can add grilled steak, pork chops, or chicken. You can also serve this with fish, shrimp, or scallops.
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