This No-Boil Baked Tortellini Casserole is as easy as it gets without compromising on taste and texture. Between the marinara, cream cheese, mozzarella and extra flavor from the vegetable broth and spinach, this dump and bake dinner is anything but boring.
As a busy mom who never settles for bland food, having a 6-ingredient meal that requires just one dish and no boiling of the pasta ahead of time feels like a cheat code.
The process for this meal is as easy as adding ingredients to a casserole dish, baking it up, stirring halfway, and then finishing it off under the broiler to melt the top layer of cheese.
Between this and my 15-Minute Shrimp Tortellini dish, cheese tortellini has become a staple ingredient in my pantry for busy weeknights.
Baked Tortellini Casserole Ingredients
This easy no boil tortellini casserole is designed for fresh tortellini, not dried. I actually used frozen cheese tortellini here, that I allowed to thaw in the fridge overnight before making this dish.
I prefer using a block of cream cheese and slicing it, but you can also use a tub of cream cheese and scoop out tablespoons.
Fresh spinach is best here, and so is low moisture mozzarella. Where you can make it your own is using your favorite marinara (I used Rao’s) and you can also opt to swap in chicken broth for vegetable broth if you like.
Vegetarian Baked Tortellini Casserole Tips and Tricks
How to Make a Baked Cheese Tortellini Casserole
Start by chopping your spinach and slicing your cream cheese into small cubes. Add them to the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish, spreading each out in an even layer, reaching all four corners of the dish. Add the cheese tortellini on top.
Next we will add both the broth and the marinara. To ensure you get the most out of my marinara, I like to pour it over the tortellini, then add the broth to the marinara jar, give it a good shake, then pour that over the tortellini, too.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for about 10 minutes. This will retain all the liquid to cook the tortellini. Then, remove the dish from the oven and discard the foil. Stir everything together to distribute the cream cheese and to coat the tortellini.
Place it back into the oven, uncovered this time, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens and most of the liquid has cooked off.
Then, take the dish out of the oven and bring the oven temperature up to broil (500°F). Cover the casserole in an even layer of mozzarella cheese. Stick it back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Watch it closely, the cheese melts quickly! It may take as little as 30 seconds, and you don’t want it to burn.
Serve it hot! It’s great as is, but you can also opt to add some cracked black pepper, Parmesan, crushed red pepper flakes, or fresh basil.
How I Store and Reheat Leftover Vegetarian Dump and Bake Pasta Casserole
You can keep leftovers in the dish, cover it with aluminum foil, and stick it in the fridge to easily reheat it as is in the oven. Otherwise, you can transfer it to an airtight container. Leftovers will last for about 5 days.
To reheat in the oven, preheat it to 350°F and bake for 10-15 minutes until thoroughly heated. For individual servings, you can reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes or in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.
Please note that reheating time may vary depending on the amount of leftovers you have.
Dump and Bake Tortellini Casserole
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces fresh baby spinach (1 ½ oz = ~ 2 cups)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (4 oz = ~8 tablespoons)
- 20 ounces fresh or frozen (thawed) cheese tortellini (20 oz = ~5 cups)
- 22 ounces marinara sauce (22 oz = ~2 ¾ cups)
- 1 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
- 8 ounces shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese (8 oz = ~2 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prep ingredients by chopping the spinach and cutting the block of cream cheese into small cubes.
- To a 9×13-inch casserole dish, add the chopped spinach and the cubes of cream cheese sporadically throughout.1 ½ ounces fresh baby spinach, 4 ounces cream cheese
- Add the tortellini over top in an even layer.20 ounces fresh or frozen (thawed) cheese tortellini
- Pour the marinara sauce over the tortellini. Then, pour the vegetable broth into the marinara jar, put the lid back on and shake the jar, to release any leftover marinara sauce from the sides. Pour the marinara-infused vegetable broth over the casserole and cover with aluminum foil.1 cup vegetable broth, 22 ounces marinara sauce
- Bake the tortellini casserole covered for 10 minutes. Then, remove the foil, and stir. Bake again, uncovered for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and add the cheese on top in an even layer. Bring the oven up to broil, then place the casserole back in the oven until the cheese melts, bubbles, and starts to brown. Watch it closely, this can happen in as quickly as 30 seconds and shouldn't take more than a few minutes.8 ounces shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
Pro Tips
- I wanted to keep this meal as simple as possible with minimal ingredients, but you can easily take the flavor up a notch with some add-ins! Add some extra vegetables (I love mushrooms in here!) with the spinach, amp up the flavor with some minced garlic, or bring the heat with some crushed red pepper. I also love serving this casserole with some fresh cracked black pepper, Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil when I have the energy for it!
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