Creamy Mediterranean tortellini bake

It’s multicooker time! I’ve had this gadget for around 8 months now, and I’m still really enjoying it. I often use my multicooker instead of my slow cooker these days, because you can fry up your veg beforehand without having to use a second pan – then just use the ‘stew’ setting to cook things slowly. Very handy.

This time I used my Redmond multicooker to make a super creamy, super cheesy, super garlicky tortellini bake – with sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, and basil pesto too. Utterly gorgeous, and very very naughty (but oh so worth it).

Honestly, I knew this tortellini bake would be good, but I don’t think I realised just how good until I took my first bite. The flavours of the garlic and tomatoes infuse into the creamy sauce, and the gooey mozzarella tops it all off wonderfully.

As with a lot of cheese-topped bakes, it looks a little uninspiring before it’s cooked…

… but as soon as the cheese gets nice and melty, and you dig the spoon into the creamy sauce, you’ll realise it’s something special!

And I haven’t even shown you the best bit yet.

Look. At. That.

The cheese on top may remain gooey, but underneath you get the most incredible golden brown, crispy cheese ever. And it’s spread under the entire thing. So, so good.

I have a bit of a bad habit of overcooking tortellini when I boil it in a pan – it literally only takes about 3 minutes, so it’s easy to overdo it, and soggy tortellini is no-one’s friend. Al dente is what we want – and when you bake your tortellini right in its sauce, it softens up beautifully without becoming even remotely soggy.

This tortellini bake is easy to make too, and requires very little effort. Throw an onion and some garlic into the multicooker, and let it do its thing on the ‘fry’ setting for a couple of minutes. Add some cream cheese, milk, and all those tasty Mediterranean mix-ins, and then just stir in your tortellini. Half an hour later (half an hour which you can spend in front of the telly, or in the bath, or sipping a glass of wine… or all three…), your creamy tortellini bake is ready. Pure luxury!

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Creamy Mediterranean tortellini bake

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Servings: 3

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 small onion, halved then thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 tbsp cream cheese
• 4 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp basil pesto
• 5 pieces large sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp sliced black olives
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 140 g grated mozzarella cheese (~ 1 cup), divided
• 400 g fresh tortellini (~ 4 cups) - I used cheese and tomato flavour

Instructions

• Add the oil, onion and garlic to a multicooker, and cook on the 'fry' setting for around 4 minutes, stirring once or twice, until soft and golden brown.
• Turn the machine off, and add the cream cheese, milk, pesto, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and salt and pepper. Add half of the grated mozzarella, and mix well until the residual heat in the pan has melted the cream cheese and created a sauce.
• Add the uncooked fresh tortellini, and mix well to combine. Top with the remaining mozzarella, and close the lid. Cook on the 'bake' setting for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Course: Main meal

Author: Becca Heyes

Note: nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose.

Here’s another recipe idea for the Redmond multicooker: butternut squash and red lentil stew!