Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce Print Scale Recipe: 1x 2x 3x 4x 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 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
