Creamy Butternut Squash and Spinach Tortellini – perfect holiday recipe for Christmas or Thanksgiving. It will work great as a holiday side dish or main dish. Or, if you love butternut squash, you can make it anytime of year!
You will love the flavorful creamy sauce prepared with freshly made butternut squash puree and spiced up with lemon pepper, nutmeg and paprika! It makes this Creamy Butternut Squash and Spinach Tortellini very special.
This is one of those truly seasonal recipes – perfect in the Fall and in the Winter when the fresh butternut squash abounds! This dish is great on its own, as a meatless entree, it’s also great with grilled chicken.
If you like this butternut squash and spinach tortellini, you might enjoy these recipes:
Creamy Tortellini with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts
Creamy Chicken, Asparagus, and Bacon Tortellini
Creamy Mozzarella, Sausage, Spinach, and Tomato Tortellini
Pesto Chicken, Tortellini, and Veggies
This is a great recipe to make during the holidays (Christmas or Thanksgiving). Easy and healthy holiday side dish or main dish. Butternut Squash and Spinach Tortellini in a creamy sauce.
- 1 cup butternut squash puree
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 2 cups tortellini uncooked
- 8 oz spinach , uncooked, fresh
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
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Add 1 cup of butternut squash puree, 1 cup of half and half, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, a pinch of paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the large skillet, on medium heat. While heating, stir all the ingredients to combine. Add about 1/4 teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning - don't add all of it at once, add a little and add more, to your taste. Add the spinach on top of the mixture, cover with the lid, remove from heat. Let the spinach wilt in the pan, covered, off heat.
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While the spinach wilts, bring the medium pan of water to boil, add 2 cups of uncooked tortellini, and cook according to the package instructions (usually 7 - 10 minutes in boiling water). Once the tortellini is cooked, drain the water.
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Add cooked and drained tortellini to the skillet with the butternut squash sauce and spinach and stir to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add more half and half to thin it. Also, taste and add more salt, nutmeg and lemon pepper, if desired.
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Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley.
WHAT IS HALF AND HALF? Half and half is the US milk product that combines half milk half cream to form a lighter cream.
To make 1 cup of half and half, combine 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup regular cream (heavy, or whipping cream).
Want another delicious butternut squash recipe?
Check out this Thanksgiving Side Dish – Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Cinnamon Butternut Squash, Pecans, and Cranberries
How do I purée the squash? Make my soup using chicken stock to cook and purée squash.
Have to make this it sounds amazing.
I pureed the squash using the food processor. I have a separate post about how I pureed the butternut squash here: https://juliasalbum.com/how-to-make-butternut-squash-puree/
Thankyou, im trying this recipe tomorrow but i don’t have the Lemon pepper.
Use a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (or more, to your taste) and freshly cracked black pepper.
How much butternut squash needed to make 1 cup of puree?
It depends on the size of the squash. Usually, 1 squash produces about 4 cups of puree.
To me this was too bland. I don’t think the lemon pepper compliments the butternut squash and the nutmeg just made it taste a little dirty. If I attempt this again, I would go for a more savory twist: garlic, onion, red pepper flake.
Thanks, Amy! Adding garlic, onion, and red pepper flakes sounds delicious – it will definitely make this dish more flavorful!
I’m just a beginner to cooking, but when I made this, it was delicious, though the sauce was a lot more runny and watery than I had intended, it served more like soup. Anything I might’ve done wrong/can do to prevent this from happening again?
This was SO delicious! I even got my picky husband to eat it and he liked it (although not as much as me but I love squash)! Just wondering if you have nutritional info for it?
I made this as a quick, hearty dinner last week and it was absolutely wonderful – a new favourite of my boyfriend and I! I added more lemon pepper seasoning as I love the flavour, and I also made the addition of parmesan cheese to the puree to create a richer sauce! Well done!
Hi – can this be made ahead and reheated in the oven? Thanks!
Yes, absolutely! Reheating it in the oven is actually the best way to reheat it. Microwaving might separate the sauce.
This was very, very bland. I added lots of garlic, cheese, extra paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper and it was delicious!
Great additions to make the sauce have more character!
5 STARS!! It would be hard to imagine a FRESHER meal!! Thank you SO much for sharing. For SURE we will be repeating this one. I made the “sauce” the day before w/no compromise in taste or texture. Served it w/marinated grilled chicken. ZERO changes or improvement!!