Creamy vegetarian Tortellini Casserole is packed with veggies and coated in a light, tasty cream sauce.
Pair this dish with a light side like this mandarin orange salad or quick Italian salad.
Tortellini Casserole
This casserole is one of our favorites for a lighter dish that feels like total comfort food. It’s packed with veggies, which add a wonderful freshness — something you don’t often find when the word “casserole” is included.
Tortellini Casserole is simple and quick to make; the veggie prep is nothing too time consuming. And one of the best things about this casserole is how easy it is to customize to your personal preference! The veggies can be swapped out and if you’d like to add in some protein, that can be done as well. More details below!
Tortellini Casserole variations
- Swap veggies: If you aren’t sure about some of the veggies in this casserole, swap them out for equal amounts of another veggie you do enjoy. Other ideas that would work well:
- chopped broccoli florets (boil for 2 minutes with the tortellini)
- summer squash for zucchini (sauté it with the mushrooms)
- diced onion and/or garlic (sauté in the skillet before adding in the mushrooms, squash, and peppers)
- sweet peppers for a green bell pepper
- Add in meat: To add in some protein, I recommend tossing in some shredded or chopped rotisserie chicken. Other alternatives:
- chop a small chicken breast or a few thighs, sauté with salt, pepper, and a few seasonings, and add into the dish. (I would not bake the sautéed chicken, because it will dry out. Instead, stir it into individual portions).
- leftover chopped grilled chicken. Again, stir it into individual portions instead of baking.
- Cheese: We love freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top, but if you’d prefer a different cheese, try a sharp Cheddar or Italian blend instead.
- Add some basil pesto: We make pesto all the time and the last few times we’ve made it, I’ve had some pesto lingering in the fridge — it’s delicious in this tortellini casserole! If you love pesto and have some lying around, try it!
- Lighten up the sauce: The sauce is fairly light tasting (it’s not a heavy cream sauce), but if you’d like to lighten it even more, use Neufchâtel cheese instead (see quick tip below!)
Quick Tip
Neufchâtel is sometimes labeled “1/3 less fat than cream cheese.” Cream cheese and Neufchâtel cheese are extremely similar, but the Neufchâtel keeps this sauce on the lighter side.
More vegetarian recipes
- Vegetarian Sushi Bowls with spicy mayo topping
- Black bean and corn Vegetarian Enchiladas
- Vegetarian Tacos with a creamy cilantro sauce
- Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with creamy mashed potatoes
- Pesto Vegetable Bowls over couscous
Tortellini Casserole
This creamy vegetarian Tortellini Casserole is loaded with tender tortellini and packed full of colorful veggies, all smothered in a light, flavorful cream sauce.
Equipment
- Casserole dish 9 x 13-inch
- Large pot
- Small pot
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1 (19-ounce) package cheese-filled tortellini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Veggies
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 cup sliced carrot 1 medium carrot
- 1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 3/4 cup sliced mini sweet bell peppers
- 1 cup sliced and halved summer squash
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn
Creamy base
- 1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1/3 cup vegetable stock or broth
- 1 cup milk 1%, 2%, or whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
Top it off
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil pesto optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- Trim the snap peas, peel and coin the carrot, and halve the cherry tomatoes. Thinly slice the mushrooms, peppers, and summer squash.
- When the water boils, add 2 teaspoons salt. Prepare tortellini according to package directions. In the last two minutes of boiling the tortellini, add in sugar snap peas and carrots. Drain everything, then transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
- Meanwhile, over medium-high heat, sauté mushrooms, peppers, and summer squash in the olive oil until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Pour over the tortellini, peas, and carrots in the casserole dish. Add halved tomatoes and frozen corn and gently toss everything to combine.
- In a small pot, melt the butter over medium-heat. Once butter is melted, whisk in flour to create a paste and cook 1 minute. Gradually and slowly add in stock and whisk until completely smooth. Gradually, while stirring constantly, add in milk and whisk until smooth and thickened. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried basil, and Italian seasoning. Stir. Meanwhile, soften the cream cheese (out of its package) in the microwave. Once soft, add into cream sauce and whisk briskly until completely smooth and melted. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings, adding more salt/pepper if needed.
- Pour the sauce over the veggies and tortellini. Stir gently in the casserole dish, then press into an even layer. Add Parmesan cheese on top. Bake 20–25 minutes or until warmed through and cheese is melted on top. Broil for the last 1–2 minutes if desired. Enjoy hot! I enjoy this with a big scoop of pesto if there is some lingering in the fridge—so good, but totally optional.
Recipe Notes
Storage: This dish is best enjoyed the same day it’s made. Leftovers reheat okay, but sometimes get a bit watery. This dish does not freeze and thaw well because of all the veggies and the dairy. Feel free to halve the recipe!
Make ahead: Prepare this casserole as directed but don’t bake it. Instead, cover and chill up to 24 hours. Bake, covered, in a 350°F oven about 45–55 minutes or until hot.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.5g | Protein: 14.7g | Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 48.9mg | Sodium: 444.9mg | Fiber: 3.2g | Sugar: 6.8g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is amazingly delicious! Made for a visit to meet our new grandson today. Everyone had more than one helping. Going to make it again in a couple weeks for a family vacation. Quick and easy to make the first night everyone arrives. I prepped all the veggies the night before and then this morning just had to boil the tortellini and make the sauce. Scrumptiously delicious keeper recipe for sure in our family! Thank you!!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment Bonnie! 🙂
So where does the mozzarella go ?
It’s in the ingredient list but not in the directions 🤔
Hmm I’m not sure what you’re talking about; there isn’t any mozzarella in this recipe. It’s not in the ingredients or instructions.
Delicious meal, I added sautéed zucchini, a diced large tomato, and defrosted chopped broccoli to the pasta. The cream sauce was so tasty and this is a great dish for using up veggies.
YUM! Those add ins sound delish! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Heather! 🙂
Seasoning was perfect for our palette. I did add squares of crisp bacon before adding the parmesan. Thanks for a good meal.
So glad to hear that; thank you Jean!
Hi Chelsea,
Can I use Chicken broth instead of vegetable broth?
Thanks! Renee
Yes definitely 🙂 Enjoy!
Thanks, Chelsea!
Anytime 🙂
Can we add chicken too it
Sure! 🙂
I just made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious. The creamy sauce is amazing. I added chicken to it, because it needed a little meat for the hubby. Thanks so much!!
So happy to hear it was a hit! Thanks Diana!
How much cream cheese? One 8 oz package?
Yes! 🙂
For the cream cheese, I’m confused about the amount. One 8 oz package?
Yes! 🙂
Hey! What are y’alls thoughts on substituting the cream sauce for marinara? Do you think it would still work?
I’m not sure. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, but I haven’t tried it ever! It will be a completely different flavor/texture. I’d love to hear how it works out if you try it 🙂