Spinach Tortellini in Light Homemade Alfredo Sauce is a creamy colorful pasta dish. The homemade sauce is lower in calories than the original parmesan-cream sauce but it doesn’t sacrifice flavor. Fresh baby spinach ribbons and slivers of sun-dried tomatoes add additional color to the green pasta and garlic-cheese sauce. This one-pan dish is on the table in less than 30 minutes. Quick and easy meets rich and tasty.
For this recipe, you will need spinach tortellini, unsalted butter, fresh garlic, flour, heavy cream, salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, chicken broth, baby spinach, sun-dried tomatoes.
Fresh spinach tortellini pasta versus dried
In this recipe, we preferred using fresh tortellini rather than dried. We wanted a recipe we could make in a short amount of time so we picked a refrigerated variety.
Interestingly enough, I wanted to check and see what the experts said about the quality of the dried versus the fresh. What I found out surprised me! The testers took 3 frozen, 3 dried, and 3 refrigerated tortellini pasta and did quality tests.
What they found out surprised me!!😲
What they looked for:
- quality of the pasta wrapper
- the quantity of filling
- flavor of the tortellini
- the texture of the pasta
The winner of the test was a dried three cheese tortellini pasta. The experts agreed that a flavorful filling proved more important than the type of pasta. This is great news for me because I like having tortellini as a pantry staple.
Preparing the spinach tortellini
Whenever we make pasta we always look at the directions and subtract 2 minutes, even more. If it’s going to be a one-pan dish it will continue to cook.
Another important step in preparing pasta is to make sure the water is salted. By salted the saying is as salty as the sea.
Once the water comes to a boil, we turn it down to a simmer. If the water is boiling profusely, the tortellini could fall apart. I’d certainly be upset 😭 if my spinach tortellini fell apart.
A spider makes it easy to gently lift the pasta out of the water and transfer them to a glass dish with a bit of olive oil in it. The olive oil will prevent the delicate pasta from sticking to each other.
Now is the time to start on the sauce.
Time to make the light homemade Alfredo Sauce
We made this recipe for a Facebook Live last week. We needed a quick delicious recipe and this fit the bill. If you’d like to see the video, you can find it here.
The creamy garlic-parmesan sauce comes together very quickly. Have all the ingredients measured and ready to go. This homemade Alfredo sauce is so quick and easy you won’t have time to stop and measure.
- The garlic goes into butter for a minute or so and then a
- A light dusting of flour over the melted butter and garlic whisking until it becomes pasty and begins to smell deliciously nutty.
- Whisk in the heavy cream and part of the chicken broth.
- Stir in the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Gently fold in the spinach tortellini
Your exquisite dish is ready to plate and eat. All this is done in 30 minutes or less. We know you’ll love the rich taste of the Spinach Tortellini and you’ll love even more how easy it is. If you love pasta dishes like our ravioli, we linked to more down below.
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
YOU MAY NEED …
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We love our pasta pot and when we’re home we always use it along with the spider. It’s only when you don’t have the little conveniences that you have to make do. The over-the-sink strainer is great.
Spinach Tortellini in Light Homemade Alfredo Sauce
This spinach tortellini one-pan recipe is incredibly easy but the delicious garlicky homemade Alfredo Sauce gives the dish a rich creamy taste without a lot of calories. The sun-dried tomatoes and fresh baby spinach give the pasta recipe an additional layer of flavor. I’m certain this will be a family favorite.
If you like this recipe please give it a 5-star rating.
Spinach Tortellini in Light Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 9 oz. spinach tortellini
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup chicken broth separated
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 5 oz. baby spinach coarsely chopped
- 7 oz. sun-dried tomatoes (jar)
Instructions
- Boil the spinach tortellini 2 minutes less than the package directions.
- While the tortellini are cooking, start on the sauce. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large skillet. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Whisk in the flour and keep stirring until it's absorbed and becomes pasty and smells nutty.
- Slowly whisk in the cream until it is smooth. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and whisk until combined.
- Add the salt and Parmesan cheese. Allow it to simmer until thickened. About 2-3 minutes. If it seems too thick add another 1/4 cup chicken broth.
- Stir in the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Transfer the drained tortellini to the skillet and gently stir to coat the pasta with the sauce. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
IF YOU LIKED THIS SPINACH TORTELLINI WITH HOMEMADE ALFREDO SAUCE RECIPE YOU MAY ALSO LIKE . . .
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- CHEESE TORTELLINI SALAD WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES
-
- RUSTIC ITALIAN SPINACH RICOTTA BEEF RAVIOLI
-
- CHICKEN SPINACH TORTELLINI SOUP|A SOUP WITH A SOUTHWESTERN FLAIR
OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE . . .
Orecchiette with Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula Smitten Kitchen
Cheesy Beef Tortellini Enchilada Casserole Jo Cooks
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Wow, I cannot tell you how amazing that looks. I love tortellini and that sauce looks perfect – not too heavy but plenty of flavor. Yummm!
Thank you, Michelle! We like it because it is lighter than regular Alfredo and it still has plenty of taste.
Just the presentation of this dish makes me want to eat this right now! I will also use fresh spinach tortellini to make this, incredible recipe, quick, easy and done in a flash…love this
Thank you, Albert! It is a quick and easy dish — I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
It hasn’t snowed in Rome in 6 years, but we got it today and I can tell you this Tortellini dish is exactly what I need today. Delicious.
I love pasta with alfredo sauce! These tortellini with alfredo sauce look so delicious, I definitely need to make them!)
Hooray for one pan meals! There’s so much creamy goodness going on in here!
I’m such a sucker for a creamy pasta dish, and this is no exception!
Thank you, Leslie! It is such a great tasting pasta with lots of underlying flavors.
Marisa, what a gorgeous dish – and delicious as well, of course! I like the addition of the fresh spinach, and the sauce sounds perfect!
Thank you, Jean. It was really easy to make the complex flavors fool you. Happy Sunday!!
I don’t always care for alfredo sauce because it can get a bit heavy and thick. I love that yours is lighter! It looks so perfect!
Thank you, Abby! We’re the same way, we don’t like it to overwhelm.
The sauce sounds fantastic! I love the research on the tortellini and I have been buying the fresh refrigerated but I think I will pick up some dried to keep on the pantry too. Those come in so handy! Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
I love using sun-dried tomatoes in pasta recipes! Such a beautiful flavor.
tortellini is one of my fav but for some reason, i hardly ever eat or buy them. needs to change that immediately.
Hi, Dixya! We love it and it’s a special treat for us.
I’m so glad to read you research that dried tortellini taste better than fresh. As a frugal cook, I usually buy dry, but I feel guilty about not buying the fresh for my family. Thank you for sharing that information. I love Alfredo sauce on tortellini because of how well it clings to all the little nooks and crannies of those little “belly buttons”. I really love all the things going on in this Alfredo sauce–sun-dried tomatoes and spinach are a great pairing with Alfredo sauce. Great flavors and a lighter sauce. I can’t wait to make this for my family.
Hi, Patti!!! I’m sure your family will enjoy the dish — and it’s great to know about the dry tortellini.
I love everything about this pasta dish! I love spinach tortellini and mix it with more spinach and a light alfredo, then I’m in heaven!! And I forgot to mention the sundried tomatoes! Glorious! Hubby is going to be so happy when I make this for us this weekend!
Hello, Elaine. It is a tasty dish. I hope you give it a try. Happy Valentine’s Day.
It’s been so cold here in Alberta, a batch of this tortellini would hit the spot! Bellissimo!
Grazie, Matt! I really feel for you when it comes to the cold. Hubby and I are snowbirds. It’s cold back home too. Here’s hoping it warms up soon.
The only time I use dry pasta is when I need a specific shape like the Penne. We love fresh pasta and the kids love helping in the process. I often choose to make whole wheat which really has now become the staple when it comes to pasta. This looks so crazy creamy and delish Marisa
We love to make fresh pasta too, Veena! It is great to freeze too.
This looks like pure comfort food! That was very interesting about the dried vs. frozen vs fresh. I often use dried in soups and buy fresh for an entree. Good to know the dried is ok to use that way too. When my hubby and I first went to Italy I remember buying fresh pasta at the grocery store and we were both in heaven. I don’t know if it was truly so much better or just being in that beautiful country. Anyway, this looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it!
Hi, Denise. Well, this pasta was the refrigerated kind so had the quality test been with fresh I don’t know how it would have ended up. These were name brands so the quality was consistent from one package to the next. And yes, the beauty of Italy would make anything taste better. ❤️
This is such a beautiful pastaa dish! Love the addition of the sun dried tomatoes!
Thank you, Beth. The sun-dried tomatoes really added to the flavor. xoxo
I am a pasta lover. I am totally surprised they chose the dry pasta….I would have though the fresh for sure. I use both, but for the most part fresh is my “go to”. Now I just need to make homemade LOL. This is great weekend, stress free dinner you can cook together. Pour some wine and cook some dinner. Sounds like a plan to me. Especially with this snowy weekend. I am SO DONE with winter!!
I’m the same way, Gloria. It all depends on what I’m cooking the type of pasta I purchase. There are quite a few I haven’t tried. So many dishes — so little time. And I totally understand about winter. You should come to the area where we are. It’s cold back home so we’re happy here.
Wow, this spinach tortellini is amazing! I love soft dishes and this is way too good! :))
Thank you, Hannah. This is a dish that you’ll want to repeat often, especially for company.
I technically only know how to bake but I am slowly expanding into learning how to cook…starting with pasta. This is definitely going into my to-make list! It looks amazing. And thanks for your salty as the sea tip!
Wow, surprised the dry pasta won, but makes sense about the flavor of the filling being so important. And I think your sauce would enhance anything. YUMMY!
Ciao, Valentina! The sauce is really good. I’m always pleased with how it turns out. Have a nice weekend. xoxo
What a gorgeous and tempting dish. At first I thought the sun-dried tomatoes were prosciutto! I am surprised to read about the taste testing of dried vs. fresh and that the dried won out.
Well, Linda, I don’t think prosciutto would have hurt it. The sun-dried tomatoes make it. And I’m like you, I would have thought the fresh tortellini would have won. What won the judges over was the taste of the filling.
Would never have guessed that the dried tortellini would be the winner. Intriguing! These look delicious! YUM!
Hi, Vicky! It was a surprise to me too.
25 minutes? Wow! 😀 I need dinners like this more often! This is SOOOO creamy looking and I can’t believe how light it is! 🙂 Definitely will need to be in my rotation.
Hello, Joyce. You’ll really enjoy it. Have a great weekend.
Loving this lower calorie version and who would have expected the dried filled pasta to win the taste test.
Hi, Lucy! I know, I certainly thought it would be the fresh pasta. I do like the lighter Alfredo version.
Perfect Italian comfort food! Yum!
Thank you, Amanda — it’s quite tasty!
A Pasta feast. Looks scrumptious. I like the additions you made.
Thank you, Jovina. Those additions really took the dish over the top.