Creamy Spinach Tortallini Skillet

The Menu:

Creamy Spinach Tortallini Skillet

The Original Recipe:

I have had this recipe in my "to try" file for a long time. I decided to try a "Meatless Monday" and it worked out well. I did a few things differently so my way follows after this one. I really want to try and get into making one dish a week with out any meat in it. My family didn't complain either. It's recipes like this that I need to find more of . They really didn't realize there was no meat in it. My 6-yr. old was happy though. He is going through a "no meat" stage for some reason.

Creamy Spinach and Tortillini casserole

Ingredients

1 pkg. Tortellini

2 Tbls. Olive oil

3 cloves Garlic minced

1 Medium onion diced

1 9oz. Pkg. frozen spinach thawed and chopped and drained

1 cup Tomato (diced tomato in a can is fine; do not drain)

2 tsp. Basil

1 cup Whipping cream

1 Chicken bullion cube

¼ cup Grated parmesan or Romano cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Cook tortellini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; keep warm Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; cook until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add chicken bullion cube, spinach, tomato, basil, salt & pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in milk and butter (or 1 cup whipping cream). cook until mixture just comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in cooked tortellini. Cook an additional 4 or 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with grated cheese on top if desired

Cook's Notes
1 cup whipping cream = ¾ C milk + 1/3 C butter

The Way I Made It My Own:
I think I made it a bit quicker this way using up some ingredients I had in my pantry. I didn't want to make the alfredo since I had some in a jar premade (*gasp!). This came together pretty fast for a nice easy meal. I did have to double a few things. This fed 6 of us nicely. I am not sure what it is about meatless meals, but my family feels they need to eat more just to fill up. Well, with this meal they were full in no time. It is nice and hearty.

Creamy Spinach Torallini Skillet
Ingredients

2 pkgs. Tortellini
2 Tbls. butter
3 cloves Garlic minced
1 Medium onion diced
1 9oz. Pkg. frozen spinach thawed and chopped and drained
2 cups Tomatos, diced (I used pureed that I had frozen from the garden)
2 tsp. Basil
1 Jar Light Alfredo Sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Cook tortellini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; keep warm Meanwhile, heat butter in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion and garlic; cook until tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add spinach, tomato, basil, salt & pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Alfredo Sauce cook until mixture just comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in cooked tortallinie. Cook an
additional 4 or 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.