Monday, March 28, 2011

Tortellini Primavera

Before you read this, do yourself a favor.

Mark this day on your calendar and write down the time. You'll want to remember what life was like before this recipe came into your world. And I'll be honest...you may look back on it as a dark and lonely time. That's okay; we'll work through that together.

This, my friends, is ridiculously good. There literally was a party in my mouth, and I'm just thankful I was invited.

Tortellini Primavera (recipe source: Annie's Eats)
16-20 oz bag cheese tortellini, cooked and drained
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (I found a package on sale and just sliced up the whole dadgum thing. Mushrooms + me = BFF)
½ cup chopped onion
1-2 garlic clove(s), minced
2 tbsp. margarine (I'm morally, fundamentally, ethically, religiously opposed to margarine, so I used butter.)
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
8 oz. cream cheese (Full-fat will yield creamier results than reduced-fat.)
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
¼ cup milk (Add in more if needed for a thinner sauce.)
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (more to taste)
salt and pepper, to taste

Saute mushrooms, onion, garlic in butter until they start to get tender, about 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except tortellini. Heat until everything is melted together and the mixture just starts to boil, stirring often. Stir in tortellini and mix thoroughly.



Sweet goodness, this is one of the most delightful meals I've ever made. I like how easily adaptable it is. I added some fresh asparagus to mine, and I think zucchini, red bell pepper, and grilled chicken would be tasty, too. You could also take out anything that offends you and substitute something else.

Go forth and please, for the love of all that is good and decent, make this sometime soon. Your tastebuds deserve it!

*PS---Most of the food pictures I take, this one included, look grossly reminiscent of vomit. If I ever take a decent one (and don't hold your breath!), I'll add it to this post. And I'm sorry I mentioned vomit in a recipe post...won't happen again!

10 comments:

  1. wow. totally jealous of your awesome x5 meal. I had box mac and cheese. and rice krispies. and a coke.
    =dinner of champions. :)

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  2. Sounds yummy! Will have to give this one a try!

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  3. Suz, you should try this sometime! Very easy and quick...the only thing that really takes any time is the chopping. Although your meal of champions doesn't sound too shabby. Sometimes there's nothing better than mac and cheese from the box...never fails to make me happy!

    *Julie

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  4. Elizabeth, you should definitely give it a whirl. I think it would be a perfect meal in the summertime to use up some of those beautiful, fresh summer veggies. Let me know if you end up making it!

    *Julie

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  5. I am going to try this recipe! Your so funny!
    Love reading your post.
    ~a

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  6. Annesta, thanks for being such a frequent reader/commenter. It means a whole lot to me! Let me know if you end up making this recipe...it really is THAT good :)

    *Julie

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  7. yum to the yum. i too heart mushrooms and have moral issues about using margarine :)

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  8. Sarah Barry, let me know if you try it! SO "yum to the yum". And I just may do a post one of these days about my countless objections to margarine :) Glad to know there's someone else firmly in the butter camp!

    *Julie

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  9. I'm going to have to try this! I'll replace the mushrooms with zucchini since I'm not a big mushroom fan. Thanks for the recipe!

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  10. Joanna Elaine, I hope you enjoy this if you make it. And let me know when...I'll come over and eat the mushrooms off your plate :)

    Thanks for reading!

    *Julie

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