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This Pesto Tortellini Bake is SO creamy, delicious, and my whole family loves it. It is fast to make and freezer friendly too!
Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake
Good gravy!!!! If you haven't tried our Baked Pesto Chicken Tortellini you have absolutely no idea what you're missing. This quickly became one of my kid's ALL TIME favorites once we added the recipe to our amazing Freezer Menus. In fact, it's just about a given that I make this every single time my college kiddo comes home!
It is also amazing to make and take along with you for a easy meal to have on vacation (all the prep is done in advance!) OR when things get busy in life due to the holidays – this would be a great one to make up today to have on hand for Monday after a big Easter dinner on Sunday 🙂
Now, let's just talk about how easy this Baked Tortellini is. I mean, seriously the easiest recipe ~ with an enormous amount of flavor. This recipe is pretty much a dump-everything-in-a-dish-and-stir recipe. So I'm definitely not complaining about that!
Plus, it's INCREDIBLY kid friendly too! ❤️
Let's get to it!
🍴 Menu Planning Note: This recipe can also be found in our Freezer Meals Plan: Week 1!
Ingredients:
- cheese tortellini
- Alfredo sauce (or make your own homemade Alfredo sauce)
- garlic
- pesto (or make your own pesto)
- mozzarella cheese
- parmesan cheese, grated
- rotisserie chicken (optional)
How to make Pesto Tortellini Bake:
This might be the simplest recipe on the whole planet. Throw all the ingredients into a big bowl, give a good stir and place in a baking dish. Boom!
You can choose to make this Chicken Pesto Tortellini Bake recipe with or without the added rotisserie chicken. Once you leave out the chicken, this is a great recipe to use during Lent season, or for a meatless meal 🙂
Cover with foil and bake in a 375°F oven for about 25 minutes (or 50 minutes if cooking from frozen), uncover and bake another 10 minutes or until browned and that cheese is bubbly.
Can you freeze Pesto Tortellini Bake?
Absolutely! This recipe freezes just wonderfully. In fact, this is one of our ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ recipes from our Freezer Menu Series. 🙂
What should you serve with Pesto Tortellini?
I'm always, always going to pick a nice big salad to serve with this recipe. But I also love a good crusty homemade bread alongside it as well. That's pretty much all you'll need for the perfect dinner in.
Pesto Tortellini Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb pkg cheese tortellini, frozen or fresh
- 2 jars alfredo sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup prepared pesto
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine tortellini, alfredo sauce, garlic, pesto, mozzarella cheese and chicken if using.
- Pour into a greased 13x9-inch baking dish.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until browned and bubbly.
Notes
- Pour into a greased 13x9-inch disposable foil pan. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Label and freeze.
- To cook from frozen, preheat oven to 375°F. Remove plastic wrap and foil and then cover again with foil. Bake 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until browned and bubbly.
Nutrition
Can you make this into a vegetarian dish?
Absolutely! Team member Amber has a vegetarian in her household, so she will just leave the chicken out of this recipe when it's made. SUPER easy to customize!
TIP – If you do plan on using chicken in this recipe (or if you just use a lot of chicken!) check out this deal on Perdue brand chicken – delivered right to your door!
You can find this recipe plus 59 other equally delicious recipes (plus 12 desserts) on our freezer menu plan! This purchase also includes membership to our amazing private facebook group that is full of the most encouraging folks on the planet. 🙂
Hi Laurie,
I haven’t yet made this recipe but definitely looking forward to it! Your recipe calls for 2 jars of alfredo sauce and a commenter said two 8 oz jars is plenty. I’ve never seen alfredo sauce in an 8 oz size, and I’m not sure 16 would be enough. What is your recommendation, especially for a frozen meal? I am making meals for a friend and don’t want her to have to worry about adding extra sauce. Thanks!
I would grab 2 jars just to be safe! That way if you feel like it needs a little extra you can add to it! I hope that helps. Happy cooking!
This was my first time trying one of your recipes and it was great! I did a couple things differently. I only used one 15 oz jar of Alfredo sauce. But I used Rao’s brand which is a little less thick than most. It was still plenty saucy and not dry at all. I added the 2 cups of chicken as well. I also added a can of quartered artichoke hearts which were a great addition and I will do that again. I think the next time I make this, I will also add some crumbled bacon! Delicious recipe! Thanks for sharing.
So glad this was a hit for you! Your additions to the recipe sound delicious. Thanks a ton for sharing! 🙂
I was looking for another recipe to use up my bounty of basil. Glad I decided to give this one a try, it was delicious.
I followed the directions, only omitting the garlic because it was in my pesto and one jar of the Alfredo sauce. I did at the last minute tear pieces of prosciutto on top since my husband likes alfredo with prosciutto. I was hesitant to use both jars of alfredo sauce, but I see it’s needed – so creamy.
I baked half and put the other half in a foil pan for a meal to share.
Thank you.
I love that and so excited you were able to make it with your own ingredients! Great tip on the prosciutto. Can’t wait to try that out! 🙂
I am making a completely dairy free version of this tonight…….fingers crossed. If it works out, I will come back and comment on my ingredient substitutions in case others need dairy free. 🙂
We can’t wait to hear! 🙂
It turned out good! Here’s what I used:
(2) 9-oz pkgs of Kite Hill “cheese” tortellini
(1) 15.5 oz jar Primal Kitchen Garlic Alfredo Sauce
Skipped the garlic since the sauce was garlicy
Found a jarred vegan basil pesto
Used non dairy mozzarella shreds & parmesan
And included the chicken.
Was given a thumbs up by my family!
What size jars of Alfredo Sauce did you use in this recipe? I can’t tell by the picture.
Hi Rose ~ Two 8 ounce jars will be enough! Hope this helps.
Could you substitute the protein and instead use shrimp in this. If so Should they be cooked first or not?
Hey Cat ~ Yes, I think substituting with shrimp would be fine as long as you do cook it before baking the dish. I hope this helps!
If I am just making this as a freezer meal, does it need to go in the oven before freezing, or just prepare ingredients and freeze?
Hi, Danielle! You can just make the freezer meal recipe according to the directions and then freeze it when you’re done. I hope this helps!
So do not cook first?
No, you can prepare it and cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil to freeze. To cook from frozen, just follow the directions on the recipe. Hope that helps!
I made this tonight for the 2nd time in two weeks! It was a hit with my husband and 6-yr-old. I didn’t have tortellini this time, so I substituted frozen mini ravioli, and it was turned out great. This one is going in our supper rotation.
So happy to hear that Shirley!
This looks amazing! Do you have to boil the tortellini first?
It is a favorite! No need to boil the tortellini first! 🙂
The video said the Alfredo sauce recipe would be posted! Can’t seem to find it. Can you send a link?
Here you go MaryJo! 🙂 –> https://passionatepennypincher.com/homemade-alfredo-sauce-recipe/
I don’t see the Parmesan cheese in the recipe instructions? Does it go on top of the dish or in the mixture? If on top, should it go on under the foil or just for the last uncovered 10 minutes?
Hi Jill! You’ll sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top before baking (under the foil) ~ hope that helps!
Brand new PPP follower here and this is the first recipe I’ve tried off your site. This was delicious! I have requests to replace our current “baked tortellini” dish with this one on our rotation. Yum!
Yayyy ~ so glad you liked it Tamara! 🙂 And welcome to PPP!
Made this today, couldn’t have been easier. I poached a chicken breast to shred, added a frozen bag of broccoli florets, and used cheese ravioli (20 or 24 oz package ?) instead of tortellini. They basically have the same ingredients. Assembled and baked as written. There’s none left. Definitely make this again
Made this today, couldn’t have been easier. I poached a chicken breast to shred, added a frozen bag of broccoli florets, and used cheese ravioli (20 or 24 oz package ?) instead of tortellini. They basically have the same ingredients. Assembled and baked as written. There’s none left. Definitely make this again
If chicken is used will need to increase sauce? Will it be dry?
If you include the optional 2 cups of chicken, you shouldn’t need to adjust the other ingredients Debbie! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! My family loved this dish. I bought two big bags of tortellini so I ended up making it twice. I also took someones suggestion and added broccoli. Mt oldest son even requested I keep this dish in our regular dinner rotation. So it’s a keeper.
Oh I love that Cheryl – thanks so much for sharing!
Question the fresh and frozen cook temp and time are the same. Is that correct? It just doesn’t seem right so I’m double checking. I want to meal prep this for the freezer. I will cook it from frozen.
Hi Nannette! I just updated the recipe – if it’s fully thawed it will take 50 minutes to one hour to bake (if you have time to thaw in fridge the night before it will bake way faster!) Hope that helps!
From frozen 50 minutes? If thawed, 25 minutes?
That’s correct Tammy! 🙂
Hi, the recipe in one part says 25 minutes baking covered, but 2 places says 50 minutes. I’m making for someone else’s freezer so want to make sure I have the instructions written correctly! Thanks!
So sorry for any confusion Tammy ~ you’ll want to cook it 25 minutes if it’s thawed, or 50 minutes if you’re cooking from frozen! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Yikes! I just noticed my bag of tortellini is only 10 oz…..am I going to have a super soupy dish? Should I use less sauce or just go for it? I am adding chicken so this may help.
To much since cooking for 2. Could I make full recipe and cook half and freeze other half? Also thought would try w spinach. How much would you suggest?
For just my husband and I, I made the full recipe and froze half in a foil baking pan but I think you could just half the recipe using 1 jar of sauce, etc. so good!
Thanks a bunch for the tips Donna! 🙂
Sounds. Good will trymo
What size bag of tortellini?
You’ll want to use a 1-lb package of cheese tortellini Shea! 🙂
Can you substitute alfredo sauce for something else? I don’t care for the alfredo sauce.
Hm.. you possibly could for traditional spaghetti sauce (it would change the flavor but still should be yummy!) Hope that helps!
Has anyone tried adding broccoli florets into it?
I haven’t but that would totally work – you could also add spinach in! 🙂
Laurie, when do you add the parm cheese? In the whole mix or sprinkled on top? Hope to try this recipe this week!
Hey Dana, the parmesan is sprinkled on top of the mixture. 🙂
Can this be prepared and refrigerated overnight to cook for dinner the next evening?
Absolutely Jenny!
Hi This looks so good.. but do you put the tortellini in frozen? That is easier for me to find then the fresh. Thanks Can not wait to try this!!
Yes Lorrie ~ you can add them in frozen! 🙂 Hope that helps!
My daughter made this (left out the chicken) & it turned out great! The recipe was easy enough for her to follow & gave her a nice confidence boost to make dinner on her own for our family. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe!
Yayyy ~ so glad to hear it Michelle! 🙂
This sounds so good and easy to make. One question, did you make your own pesto?
I don’t Yvonne – I buy it store bought to make life easy!
My mom made this & it was delicious!!!
I love that Stacey – it’s so yummy!
I made this tonight and my husband will not stop talking about how good it was!
Can you make with uncooked(hard) Tortellini?
We haven’t tried that option but if you try it, let us know how it goes!!
I’m confused, in an earlier comment you said you put the pasta in uncooked? I was wondering the same thing …. would love to make, please let me know 🙂
Hi Michelle, the tortellini we are calling for is the fresh, soft tortellini in the bag or the frozen kind and neither of those need to be cooked ahead of time. We haven’t tried it with any other type of pasta to know which way would work best on a different kind of noodle.