Get in the kitchen and make: Tortellini and Garden Vegetable Bake

Tortellini and Garden Vegetable Bake (bhg.com)

Prep Time: 30 Min

Cook Time: 30 Min

Ready In: 1 Hr

Ingredients

• 1 16-ounce package refrigerated tortellini
• 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, halved
• 1 tablespoon margarine or butter (optional)
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1 15 ounce package Philadelphia Italian Herb and Creme Cooking Creme
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 crate of cherry/grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

Directions

1. Prepare vegetables (chop broccoli, bell pepper, carrots and snap peas).
2. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. 
3. Cook tortellini, carrot, snap peas and broccoli in boiling salted water according to package directions (should only take a few minutes); drain.
4. Meanwhile, heat margarine or butter in a 12-inch skillet (I've made it without the butter and it is fine so feel free to omit to make it healthier). Add chicken and a little garlic salt and cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
5. Mix together chicken broth, oregano, flour, garlic salt, and pepper until smooth. Add to skillet along with milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; add cream cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Add pasta mixture, chicken mixture, tomatoes, and sweet pepper. Toss to coat. Pour into an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish or shallow 3-quart casserole.
6. Bake, covered, in a 350 degrees oven for 30 minutes or until heated through. Stir mixture before serving. Makes about 6 main dishes.

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I got the original recipe from Pinterest (best website ever) and modified it to suit my tastes (i.e. omitted the mushrooms, changed the plain cream cheese to the cooking creme, added broccoli and doubled the amount of cherry tomatoes). I have the link above to the original recipe if you want to try it, but trust me. I've made it twice and I think my adjustments are quite good (pats self on back).

This recipe is absolutely delicious. It is a lot of work, though, I'm not going to lie. I didn't time the prep but it might even be a little longer than 30 minutes because the recipe assumes all of your veggies and chicken are already prepared. I hate when recipes do this. News flash....that stuff doesn't just miraculously happen, which is why I've added those steps into the directions. You're welcome.

I don't know what else to say other than this recipe is delicious and I highly recommend it. It isn't quite as healthy as some of the other recipes I make but it's worth the extra fat/calories. We love it. If you do make it, please let me know what you think and how it turned out.

Happy cooking, friends.

“This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!”
― Julia Child, My Life in France