Tortellini with Pesto and Roasted Veggies

04.22.2016

Three of my favorite things collide here to make one incredible entree you’ll want to make again and again! Cheesy tortellini is always delicious, plus the refrigerated store-bought kind is the perfect shortcut to any meal. Pesto adds fresh flavor to anything and you can never go wrong with roasted vegetables. So let’s combined the three to get this truly tasty yet easy to make dish – Tortellini with Pesto and Roasted Veggies. My whole family loved this and I loved that it was a great way to pack the vegetables into our dinner. I also love that it’s basically a meal in a bowl so I don’t need to worry about making more sides and what not (although I’m sure no one would be complaining about some fresh garlic bread to go with this).
We all get in weeknight dinner ruts sometimes and can’t quite figure out what to make, well look no further because weeknight meals just got a lot more exciting with this cheesy, flavorful, veggie packed pasta dish! With all the fresh vegetables soon to be in season this summer I know I’ll be making this one time and time again, especially considering everyone loved it! I’m already dreaming about when I’ll get to eat it again. Put it on the menu this week, it’s destined to be a hit!Be sure to check out the Homemade Pesto recipe I shared a few days ago if you are wanting to make it fresh for this recipe (plus I shared the tip to keep it vibrantly green for days, life changing I tell you :)).

Ingredients yield servings 6

• 2 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, sliced into half moons
• 2 medium yellow squash, ends trimmed, sliced into half moons
• 1 red bell pepper, diced into 3/4-inch squares
• 1/2 large red onion, diced into 3/4-inch squares
• 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced fairly thick
• 1 (10.5 oz) pkg. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (20 oz) pkg. refrigerated three cheese tortellini
• 4 cups (4 oz) fresh spinach
• 2/3 cup homemade or store-bought pesto
• Finely shredded parmesan cheese, for serving 

Method 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place zucchini, squash, bell pepper, onion and mushrooms on a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet. Drizzle veggies with olive oil and season with salt and pepper then toss to evenly coat. Roast in preheated oven 10 minutes, then remove, add tomatoes and garlic and toss. Roast 10 minutes longer or until veggies are tender then remove add spinach and toss, roast 1 minute longer or until spinach has wilted. While veggies are roasting cook tortellini according to directions listed on package and drain.
• Pour drained tortellini into a large bowl. Add in roasted veggies and pesto and season with salt and pepper to taste then toss to evenly coat. Serve warm, top each serving with parmesan cheese.