Pumpkin spinach tortellini bake…..reading that title a few of you may have already turned up your nose…and I totally get it!

Before I tried pumpkin pastas I was skeptical too, but it has quickly become one of our favorite meals this time of year!  Just like in this pumpkin chili I shared last week, in this recipe we are just replacing tomatoes with pumpkin in an otherwise pretty traditional meal.

This hits the weeknight checklist for me:  easy, quick, hearty and sneaking the spinach in gives my kids some greens they will actually eat!

I encourage you to just give it a try!  It’s a welcome change in our house in this season where we can’t get enough pumpkin!

Ingredients:

Tortellini- we used 1 20 oz. package of Buitoni Italian sausage, but you could get cheese to make it a vegetarian option!

1 15 oz. can of pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, just pumpkin

1 medium onion, chopped

1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

2-3 cups of washed spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup veggie or chicken stock

2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup breadcrumbs or Panko

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot and cook tortellini (5-7 minutes)

While water is boiling, heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Saute your onion and spinach with salt and pepper for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in pumpkin and stock, reduce heat and combine well.  Drain tortellini and add pumpkin/spinach mixture to tortellini.  Stir in 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and pour mixture into prepared baking dish.  Top with remaining cheese and bread crumbs.

Bake about 7-10 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.   Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired!

Easy, hearty and delicious…. the perfect fall meal!