Cheese Tortellini with Summer Veggies
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An easy tortellini recipe! Made with rich cheese tortellini, fresh sautéed zucchini, tomatoes, corn, and onion, and it’s all coated in an herby marinara sauce. Quite easily a perfect summer dish!
Tortellini with Fresh Summer Vegetables
Who doesn’t love a good tortellini recipe? The cozy goodness of that cheesy filled pasta wrapped up snug in its neat, unique, bite size little shape is the perfect canvas for a plethora of finishing touches.
I mean it’s cheese + pasta so you’re always off to a good start.
Not to mention a recipe that uses store-bought tortellini begins with a major shortcut and is usually always a breeze. This one I’m sharing here is no exception.
You just cook the tortellini, saute the veggies, toss them both together with some sauce, cheese and herbs and voila! A super satisfying dinner in no time.
This one in all it’s summery glory is practically guaranteed to become a family favorite!
Watch the Video!
Cheese Tortellini and Veggies Recipe Ingredients
- 20 oz. three cheese tortellini
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (frozen will work when fresh isn’t in season)
- 2 cup grape tomatoes
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced into half moons about 1/4-inch thick
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/4 cups marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup each chopped fresh basil and fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese, divided
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to Make this Tortellini Recipe with Sautéed Vegetables
- Cook tortellini: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil to cook tortellini, cook tortellini a minute shy of cook time according to directions on package. Meanwhile begin cooking the veggies.
- In a 12-inch saute pan or deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Saute vegetables: Add onion and saute 3 minutes. Add corn and saute 2 minutes more.
- Add tomatoes then saute 3 minutes. Add zucchini and garlic and saute until veggies are tender and many of the tomatoes have burst, about 6 minutes longer (note that during this period it’s about the right time to add the tortellini to pot of boiling water).
- Drain the tortellini while reserving about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
- Add tortellini and sauce to cooked vegetables: Transfer tortellini and the marinara sauce to the veggies. Cook and toss until tortellini is tender about 1 to 2 minutes. If needed, add a splash of pasta water to thin.
- Toss in finishes: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in 1/4 cup parmesan, the basil and the parsley.
- Serve right away topping individual servings with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.
Variations
Try other vegetables
You can try this with lots of other vegetables that are in season. Yellow squash, mushrooms, asparagus, thinly sliced carrots, eggplant, broccoli, or bell peppers.
Add a protein
Don’t like the idea of leaving meat out? You could also add cooked ground beef, chicken, sausage or turkey. You can cook it in the same skillet before you cook the vegetables, just transfer to a plate then return it when you add the sauce.
Use another type of tortellini
You don’t have to use the extra cheesy type here. You could also try a sausage filled tortellini or a spinach tortellini.
Make it creamy
Love a creamy pink sauce with tortellini? Add a 1/2 cup heavy cream along with the marinara sauce.
Use dried herbs
The fresh herbs are definitely best but if dried is what you have, you can use 1 Tbsp dried parsley and 2 tsp dried basil. You may even want to add a 1 tsp dried oregano too.
Helpful Tips
- Use refrigerated tortellini if possible, rather than shelf stable or frozen. I think it tastes best.
- Saute veggies just until soft, not mushy for a nice texture.
- Same goes for the tortellini. Cook it just until soft not mushy. It doesn’t quite have that al dente feel to it, you just want it between overly chewy and too soft.
- If the pasta seems a little dry, don’t forget to add a splash of pasta water. Another option is to drizzle with some evoo, adding moisture, richness and flavor.
More Delicious Tortellini Recipes to Try
- Creamy Spinach Tomato Tortellini
- Creamy Tortellini Minestrone
- One Pan Tortellini with Butternut Squash Kale and Bacon
- Tortellini Soup (with Beef)
- Tortellini with Pesto and Roasted Veggies
Follow Cooking Classy
Cheese Tortellini with Summer Veggies
Ingredients
- 20 oz. refrigerated three cheese tortellini
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups (12 oz) grape tomatoes
- 2 medium (12 oz total) zucchini, sliced into half moons about 1/4-inch thick
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp)
- 1 1/4 cups marinara sauce (half of a 24 oz jar)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil to cook tortellini, cook tortellini a minute shy of cook time according to directions on package. While water is coming up to a boil it's a good time to prep and cook the vegetables.
- In a 12-inch saute pan or deep skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and saute 3 minutes. Add corn and saute 2 minutes more.
- Add tomatoes then saute 3 minutes. Add zucchini and garlic and saute until veggies are tender and many of the tomatoes have burst, about 6 to 8 minutes longer (note that during this period it's about the right time to add the tortellini to pot of boiling water so they finish up at the same time).
- Drain the tortellini while reserving about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
- Transfer tortellini and the marinara sauce to the pan with veggies. Cook and toss until tortellini is tender about 1 to 2 minutes. If needed add a splash of pasta water to thin.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss in 1/4 cup parmesan, the basil and the parsley.
- Serve right away topping individual servings with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.