Baby it’s cold outside! This week it hasn’t gotten over 7 degrees here. And, when you factor in the wind chill factor it’s bone chilling cold! It’s the kind of weather that makes you want to snuggle in and not leave your warm house. It also makes me crave comfort food. I found this recipe for Chicken and Broccoli Tortellini Casserole in a magazine. It looked so good and sounded even better. And, since we’re on a broccoli kick this week, I thought it would be perfect for a frigid day.
Of course, I made a few tweaks to the original recipe. And it was delicious! I loved that it didn’t use a canned cream soup. Instead, it made this gorgeous creamy white wine sauce. It was so flavorful! If you don’t want to use wine, you could always substitute more chicken broth.
Also, I had dried tortellini in my pantry — not the refrigerated kind. So I just cooked them according to the package directions before adding them to the casserole.
This is a great one dish dinner! I made it a few days before we were going to eat it and stashed it in the fridge until I was ready to bake it. I just love make-ahead meals!
This casserole is definitely a keeper! Perfect for cold, winter day! What’s your favorite comfort food?
Chicken and Broccoli Tortellini Casserole
Compliments of It’s a Keeper
www.itisakeeper.com
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 (20 oz) package refrigerated cheese and spinach tortellini
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
15 Ritz crackers, crushed
3 Tbsp butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large dutch oven, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Add onion and next two ingredients, and saute for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add flour and cook for one minute, stirring until smooth. Whisk in broth, half and half and white wine. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, 6-8 minutes or until thickened.
Remove from heat and add cheese, salt and pepper. Stir in tortellini, broccoli and chicken. Spoon into a lightly greased 13×9 casserole dish.
Stir together 1/2 cup grated cheese, crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.
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Karen says
February 17, 2015 at 8:03 pmHi . . . this looks delicious! Do I boil the refrigerated tortellini first before putting it in the casserole?
Christina says
March 19, 2015 at 10:34 pmYes, you should boil it 🙂
Martie says
November 19, 2013 at 11:06 pmCan you use frozen broccoli?
Christina says
November 19, 2013 at 11:15 pmSure! Just check it to make sure it’s done.
elaine harper says
November 17, 2013 at 7:39 amI am getting pretty old but still like to try out new recipes. Gotta get to the store and make the chicken and broccoli tortellini casserole. It sounds great.
Christina says
November 18, 2013 at 9:07 amThanks! I hope you like as much as we do! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
npo says
January 25, 2013 at 9:59 amLooks terrific – definitely have to try this one day soon!
Christina says
January 25, 2013 at 11:02 amYou won’t be disappointed, Natalie!!! 🙂