What's for Dinner? Tortellini Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce

If you've never heard of Pinterest, you are either living under a rock, or in your third year of law school (that was for you V). If you're not on there, find your closest friend, (who most likely is not living under said rock) and offer to trade just about anything you have for an invitation (husbands included, kiddos excluded). Within the site you'll find everything from gorgeous home decorations, photo ideas, wedding details, funny quotes, and recipes. And I'm not just talking "how to make a taco salad" recipes, I'm talking "how to make a taco salad that you'll be eating and talking about for the next week" recipes. Deeeeeelish.

Photo Credit - OurBestBites.com (Because
mine didn't look like this, and let's be honest,
yours won't either). But it still tastes
damn good!

Last night I tried out a new Pinterecipe (I made that up, like it?). My husband took one bite and said "Yup, this is what eat from now on." Sadly, if that were the case, we'd weigh in at a million pounds a piece, but for every now and again, this dish rules.

I made just a few teeny tiny changes to the original recipe. Here's my version, and the original is linked below. I highly recommend prepping the ingredients before you begin to cook unless you are some sort of crazy kitchen cooking wizard.

Tortellini Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce


Ingredients

• 20 oz cheese tortellini (I used garlic and herb)
• 4 oz bacon (about 5 strips), crumbled and divided
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tbs flour
• 2 c milk
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp dry basil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 medium lemon - zested (2 tsp) and juiced (1 tbsp)
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese, divided
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions (NOTE: Do not overcook - tortellini only takes 3-5 minutes to cook). Drain and return to stockpot.
• While tortellini cooks - in a medium-sized skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat. Cook until crisp. Remove and place on paper towels to drain and cool. 
• Reserve two tablespoons of bacon drippings in the pan, and discard the rest.
• Add garlic and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute.
• Add flour to pan, and whisk for 1 minute.
• Slowly add milk and continue to stir with a whisk until smooth.
• Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes, and bring sauce to a simmer.
• Add lemon zest and juice. Continue to whisk until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Crumble bacon. Reserve one tablespoon, and add the rest to the pasta mixture.
• Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Add sauce and stir gently to combine.
• Place mixture in a casserole or baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and bacon.
• Cover with foil or baking dish lid, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil or lid and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese on top is melted, and dish is bubbly.

I hope you like it. It's a bit of work, but so very worth it! Yum yum!

Source: OurBestBites.com