Packed with veggies & cheese, today’s Cheese Tortellini with Broccoli & Tomatoes is a simple 20 minute vegetarian recipe for your next Meatless Monday.
Look at just how pretty Meatless Monday can be! This 20 minute Cheese Tortellini with Broccoli & Tomatoes recipe is easy to throw together, a big step up from plain pasta and sauce, and just perfect for a summer evening when you don’t want to heat up the oven. The simple garlicky Parmesan sauce enhances the flavor of the pasta & veggies, and I just added a little (optional) fresh parsley from my garden for an extra pop of color and flavor.
So on this one: To tell you the truth, I don’t often use frozen vegetables in recipes. This is just a personal preference, because most of the time, and with most veggies, I prefer the texture (and, well, freshness…) of fresh.
Back during the panic buying times of last spring, though, I did stock up on several bags of cheap frozen veggies. I’ve gradually been using these up, and this week’s clearance tortellini find seemed like a good chance to take advantage of the mushier-than-fresh-bought nature of my last bag of frozen broccoli. The texture of frozen lets the broccoli break up a bit more, so it coats the pasta along with the Parmesan cheese.
Looking for more vegetarian recipe ideas? Take a few minutes to browse through the Meatless Monday category for additional dinner options.
Cheese Tortellini with Broccoli & Tomatoes
Ingredients
18-20 oz refrigerated three cheese tortellini
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
12 oz bag steamable frozen broccoli florets
Pint grape tomatoes
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan
Directions
Start the water boiling for the tortellini. Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
Meanwhile, steam the broccoli according to package directions.
While the water is coming to a boil and the broccoli is steaming, heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted, then swirl to coat the pan.
Add the grape tomatoes, garlic, and spices to the skillet. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 12 minutes, or until the tomatoes are wrinkled and close to bursting. (When the broccoli is done steaming, stir it into the tomatoes as they finish sauteeing.)
When the tomatoes are done to your liking, stir the cooked tortellini into the skillet of veggies.
Then, gradually stir in the Parmesan and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Keep stirring gently until the cheese is nicely melted and incorporated, thinning it out with additional pasta water, if necessary.
If desired, top your tortellini and veggies skillet with additional Parmesan and/or chopped fresh parsley when serving.
Note: If you want the tomatoes to smoosh down and get more “sauce-y” than mine did here, slice them in half lengthwise before cooking.
Easy peasy, pasta please-y
How simple is this filling tortellini recipe for a busy weeknight, right? Plus, it’s an easy way to get everything into one dish: Pasta + cheese + veggies, oh my. We had ours with sourdough toast & fruit, and had plenty of leftovers for the next day’s lunch.
And let me just say that sometimes I think I’ve done all right as a mom! Although I actually liked the texture of the frozen broccoli in this recipe, my high school kid took a couple of bites and said, “Mom — why didn’t you use fresh broccoli?” If you’d rather try that, go ahead and substitute fresh-steamed broccoli in for the frozen, and let me know if he’s right. 
Broccoli, tomatoes, and Parmesan also make a nice addition to cheese ravioli if you want to go that way, or try wilting in some spinach (right before adding the tortellini to the pan), instead of using the steamed broccoli. There are so many directions to take this basic recipe, so have fun with it. Just enjoy!
Cheese Tortellini with Broccoli & Tomatoes, printable recipe
Packed with veggies & cheese, today’s Cheese Tortellini with Broccoli & Tomatoes is a simple 20 minute vegetarian recipe for your next Meatless Monday.
Ingredients
- 18-20 oz refrigerated three cheese tortellini
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 12 oz bag steamable frozen broccoli florets
- Pint grape tomatoes
- 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 cloves
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- Sea salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan
Instructions
- Start the water boiling for the tortellini. Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, steam the broccoli according to package directions.
- While the water is coming to a boil and the broccoli is steaming, heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat until the butter is melted, then swirl to coat the pan.
- Add the grape tomatoes, garlic, and spices to the skillet. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 12 minutes, or until the tomatoes are wrinkled and close to bursting. (When the broccoli is done steaming, stir it into the tomatoes as they finish sauteeing.)
- When the tomatoes are done to your liking, stir the cooked tortellini into the skillet of veggies.
- Then, gradually stir in the Parmesan and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Keep stirring gently until the cheese is nicely melted and incorporated, thinning it out with additional pasta water, if necessary.
- If desired, top your tortellini and veggies skillet with additional Parmesan and/or chopped fresh parsley when serving.
Notes
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