Creamy Spinach Mushroom Tortellini with Caramelized Onions is an Italian pasta dish packed with veggies. This easy and delicious meatless recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner!
If you're looking for a simple creamy tortellini recipe, this is it! To make this, you will need basic ingredients, such as spinach, mushrooms, onions, cream, and store-bought tortellini. This creamy pasta was inspired by my farfalle recipe.
If you like this type of easy-to-make, family-friendly weeknight pasta dishes, I also recommend the following recipes: Italian ravioli with spinach, artichokes, and capers, as well as pesto chicken tortellini with veggies.
What is Tortellini?
- Tortellini is a stuffed pasta that features a distinctive ring shape. Tortellini is traditionally served with broth.
- Tortellini is usually stuffed with cheese and meat-based filling.
- Tortellini originates from the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, situated in northeast Italy.
Things I love about creamy spinach mushroom tortellini
- Meatless recipe. This pasta dish creates rich, deep flavors without any meat. Sauteed mushrooms, creamy spinach, and caramelized onions provide so much flavor to the pasta that it stands great on its own.
- You can easily add protein if you prefer. This pasta will make a perfect sidekick to any type of grilled meat, whether it's steak, pork, or chicken. Spinach mushroom tortellini will also work well with fish, shrimp, and scallops.
- Simple ingredients. This recipe uses basic ingredients, such as spinach, mushrooms, onions, cream, and store-bought tortellini. There is no need to look for that special ingredient. These basic ingredients, when combined, create an absolutely amazing flavor profile!
- Easy recipe. Because this recipe comes together so easily, it's a perfect dish to make for a weeknight dinner. Tip: make caramelized onions a day or two in advance to save time.
- Versatile dish. Tortellini is not the only stuffed pasta you can use in this recipe. Ravioli will work great as well! You can also use regular pasta, such as bow-tie or penne pasta.
Substitutions
- What kind of tortellini should you use? You can use any type of tortellini: three-cheese tortellini, spinach tortellini, beef-stuffed tortellini, etc. I used refrigerated 3-cheese tortellini.
- What can you substitute for tortellini? Use ravioli, gnocchi or bow tie pasta.
- What can you use instead of spinach? Baby kale or arugula will work great in this recipe.
- What kind of mushrooms will work well here? You can use button mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, shiitake, crimini, porcini or oyster mushrooms.
What can you use instead of heavy cream?
- Half-and-half. You can use 1 cup of half-and-half instead of heavy cream. Bring half-and-half to boil, then add ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Reduce to simmer. Keep stirring while the sauce simmers until the cheese melts.
- Coconut milk. Use 1 cup of coconut milk to replace 1 cup of heavy cream. Follow the recipe as is.
Can you make this recipe gluten-free?
Substitute tortellini with gluten-free ravioli or gluten-free short pasta, such as gluten-free bow tie pasta. You can also use gluten-free gnocchi (be sure to check the packaging as not all gnocchi is gluten-free).
How long to cook tortellini?
Follow the package instructions. The cooking times and instructions will depend on whether you buy refrigerated or frozen tortellini. If using the refrigerated type of tortellini (not frozen), usually you would bring a large pot of water to boil and then cook the tortellini for about 7 to 10 minutes in boiling water.
Cooking tips
- Make-ahead tip. Make caramelized onions ahead of time, refrigerate them in an air-tight container, and use within the next 3 days. You can also freeze caramelized onions for up to 2 months and thaw them whenever you need them.
- How to reheat. Reheat gently, on low-medium heat. Add a small amount of heavy cream or half-and-half to thin out the sauce.
SIDE DISHES
Spinach mushroom tortellini is a rich pasta dish that features a luscious cream sauce made with heavy cream. The best side dishes for this type of rich creamy pasta are fresh salads along with bread. Here are some ideas:
- Basic Green Salad. Make a simple green salad, such as spinach or arugula salad. Use a simple dressing made with olive oil, coarsely ground black pepper, and shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Vegetable salad. Serve a refreshing salad, such as Tomato Basil Avocado Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Dressing or Basil Pesto Tomato Avocado Salad.
- Broccoli salad. Here are 2 delicious recipes featuring this wonderful vegetable: Broccoli Cauliflower Salad and Broccoli Cashew Salad.
- Beet salad. Beets are often overlooked, but they are great in salads. Here are my favorites: Simple Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Beet Salad with Spinach and Cashews.
- Bread. Serve garlic bread or baguette with this creamy spinach and mushroom tortellini.
Add protein
If you crave to add protein to your dinner, this pasta is so versatile, there are many types of meat you can add.
- Grilled steak. This creamy spinach mushroom tortellini will make a worthy side dish to any steak: rib-eye, filet mignon, porterhouse, flank steak, or skirt steak.
- Chicken. Serve this pasta with grilled or sauteed chicken. You can use chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or chicken legs.
- Pork. Grilled pork chops or pan-seared pork chops will work great. You can also serve spinach mushroom tortellini as a side dish to pork tenderloin.
- Seafood. Add grilled or pan-seared salmon or trout. This pasta goes well with seared shrimp and scallops.
Other Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Pasta
- Sun-Dried Tomato Mushroom Pasta
- Penne Pasta in Creamy Vodka Tomato Sauce with Mushrooms
Other Tortellini Recipes
- Asiago Cheese Tortellini
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Tortellini
- Creamy Chicken, Asparagus, and Bacon Tortellini
- Creamy Shrimp Tortellini with Veggies
Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Tortellini with Caramelized Onions
Creamy Spinach Mushroom Tortellini with Caramelized Onions is an Italian pasta dish packed with veggies. This easy and delicious meatless recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 yellow onions large
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Creamy pasta sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 08 oz mushrooms (I used crimini mushrooms)
- 8 oz spinach
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 9 oz tortellini (I used 3-cheese tortellini, refrigerated)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper when serving
Instructions
How to caramelized onions (this can be done a day or 2 in advance):
- Peel the onions, wash them and thinly slice them.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add sliced onions and cook on high heat for about 10 minutes, constantly stirring with the spatula.
- Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking the onions for 10 more minutes, continuing to stir, as onions brown even more without burning. At this point add a pinch of salt over the onions.
- Continue cooking for 10 more minutes on medium or low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure onions don’t stick to the bottom of the pan or burn.
- In total, you should have cooked onions for 30 minutes. Remove the onions from the skillet onto a plate.
How to make the creamy sauce
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same skillet on medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook mushrooms for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until mushrooms are soft.
- Add fresh spinach to the skillet and stir on low heat just until spinach starts to wilt.
- Add back the caramelized onions.
- Add 1 cup of heavy cream and ¼ teaspoon salt to the mushroom and spinach mixture and bring to a quick boil. Immediately reduce to simmer. Keep stirring while the sauce simmers for a couple of minutes.
Add tortellini
- Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Usually, that means to bring a large pot of water to boil. Add tortellini and boil for 7 to 10 minutes. Drain.
- Add cooked and drained tortellini to the creamy sauce. Stir on low heat for a couple of minutes to reheat.
- Top with cracked black pepper when serving.
Notes
Helpful Tips about Caramelized Onions.
- Make-ahead tip. Make caramelized onions ahead of time, refrigerate them in an air-tight container, and use within the next 3 days.
- You can also freeze caramelized onions for up to 2 months and thaw them whenever you need them.
- Half-and-half. You can use 1 cup of half-and-half instead of heavy cream. Bring half-and-half to boil, then add 1/s cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Reduce to simmer. Keep stirring while the sauce simmers until the cheese melts.
- Coconut milk. Use 1 cup of coconut milk to replace 1 cup of heavy cream. Follow the recipe as is.
- Use button mushrooms, portobello, cremini, shiitake or oyster mushrooms.
- Good substitutes for spinach are kale and arugula.
- You can also use pre-made ravioli, gnocchi or short pasta (such as bow-tie or penne pasta) instead of tortellini.
- Substitute tortellini with gluten-free ravioli or gluten-free short pasta, such as gluten-free bow tie pasta. You can also use gluten-free gnocchi (be sure to check the packaging as not all gnocchi is gluten-free).
- Protein. You can add grilled steak, pork chops, or chicken. You can also serve this with fish, shrimp, or scallops.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Tortellini with Caramelized Onions
Amount per Serving
Calories
544
% Daily Value*
Fat
38
g
58
%
Saturated Fat
17
g
106
%
Cholesterol
105
mg
35
%
Sodium
640
mg
28
%
Potassium
621
mg
18
%
Carbohydrates
38
g
13
%
Fiber
5
g
21
%
Sugar
5
g
6
%
Protein
14
g
28
%
Vitamin A
6190
IU
124
%
Vitamin C
21.5
mg
26
%
Calcium
198
mg
20
%
Iron
3.6
mg
20
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
I forgot to add the star rating!!
Thank you so much! 🙂
I loved this recipe! However, I did add garlic, only because I’m a garlic fanatic! And I added chicken, cause my husband needs protein in his meals! I also added goat cheese, cause I was cleaning out the fridge. I will definitely make this again, the carmelized onions really added great flavor!
Trish, I love your additions! I myself add garlic to everything because I love it! Adding chicken and goat cheese sounds delicious, as well!
I'm not sure what I did wrong, but it came out extremely bland. I'll probably try experimenting with spices next time, or go the half+half route with cheese.
I agree. I followed the recipe except I added garlic… Parmesan after tasting it at the end… bland.
Try seasoning with just the right amount of salt - that might help bring out the flavors. Or, top with more flavorful cheese, such as shredded or grated Asiago. Another idea is to add red pepper flakes or chopped fresh basil.
Jo, here are some suggestions to add more flavor:
1) Use stronger cheese, such as Asiago
2) Use fresh basil
3) Add red pepper flakes for some spice
4) Make sure the dish is salted properly - adding just the right amount of salt helps bring out all the flavors.
So yummy! Added sundried tomatoes (slightly toasted by adding them with the mushrooms), and used coconut milk but luckily had some left over pesto and shredded parm so added them all together to make a delicious melty parmesean pesto cream sauce that coated everything perfectly! Also added spicy italian sausage. Thanks for s great weeknight recipe!!
Kim, I love your additions, especially sun-dried tomatoes and spicy Italian sausage. Sounds so good!
Tasty recipe, I added two cloves of minced garlic right before the mushrooms and added a little Parmesan cheese and chicken stock with the cream and it was so delicious! Thank you for this great recipe!
Sherrill, I love your changes! Glad you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for taking the time to share such positive feedback and the 5-star review! I really appreciate it!!! 🙂
Delicious! I've been waiting for my daughter (with dairy allergy) to be out for dinner and it was well worth the wait!
I am glad you enjoyed this dish!
Anxious to try this but want to use half and half instead of heavy cream. How much cheese? Recipe as written says 1/s???
Evaporated milk is a good substitute. I keep several cans on hand for recipes
Great tip, Theresa, thank you!
The recipe does not call for any cheese if you use heavy cream. However, if you use 1 cup of half-and-half, use 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan or Mozzarella. I updated the recipe.
I used unsweetened coffee creamer and Parmesan for the sauce and made as directed. Given the very few ingredients/spices, I was shocked how flavorful this was. Will definitely make again!
Erin, I am very glad you've enjoyed this recipe! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your changes. Well-said: the recipe is simple yet delicious!
This was delicious, simple, & easy tailored to your taste preferences! I doubled the recipe, used subs based on what I had on hand/could find in the store, & added more spices. I used baby Bella mushrooms, frozen chopped spinach, & frozen cheese tortellini. I added precooked sliced sweet Italian sausage to the dish at the very end. I added more spices (garlic powder & Italian seasoning). Easy and delicious! Thanks!!
Julie, thank you so much for such helpful and detailed feedback that, I am sure, will be useful for other readers! Love that you added more spices (garlic powder and Italian seasoning). That sounds delicious! 🙂