Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

Ingredients

• 12 ounces Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini
• 4 ounces bacon or pancetta , about 4 strips
• 3 cloves garlic , pressed or finely minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoons black pepper
• 1 ½ teaspoons dry basil
• ¼ teaspoons red pepper flakes , can double for more spice
• 1 medium lemon
• 2 cups fresh spinach , loosely packed and roughly chopped
• ¾ cups mozzarella cheese , grated, divided
• ¾ cups parmesan cheese , grated, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.
2. Place bacon in a medium sized skillet and cook until crisp. Remove bacon and place on paper towel. Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute.
3. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth. Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.
4. While sauce is heating, zest lemon. Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce. Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
5. Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture. Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup esan cheese. Add sauce and gently stir to combine. Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup esan and also crumbled bacon.
6. Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.