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Ready in just 30 minutes, this easy cheese tortellini recipe combines tender pasta with sautéed zucchini, sweet tomatoes, and fresh basil in a light, garlicky, broth-based sauce.
An overhead view of a bowl of cheese tortellini combined with sautéed zucchini, grape tomatoes, and fresh basil, topped with grated Parmesan.

Cheese tortellini makes a perfect base for a quick, satisfying dinner, especially when paired with fresh veggies and a simple sauce that enhances the flavor of the vegetables without overpowering the dish.

If you want to add some meatless meals to your weeknight dinner rotation, this cheese tortellini recipe is one that you’ll return to often because it’s more than just delicious; it’s easy to make, and its fresh ingredients are almost always readily available. And, because there’s not a lot of prep time involved, you can have it on the table in about a half hour.

A labeled, overhead view of the ingredients needed for cheese tortellini with veggies; zucchini, cheese tortellini, basil, grape tomatoes, olive oil, onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese.

Overview

How to Make Weeknight Cheese Tortellini with Veggies

Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

START SOME WATER BOILING AND SAUTÉ THE VEGETABLES: Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the tortellini. Sauté chopped onion until soft and translucent, add the zucchini, and continue cooking for a few more minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in some minced garlic, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook until the zucchini is lightly caramelized.

A frying pan filled with onion, garlic, and zucchini, sautéed in olive oil, ready for the addition of grape tomatoes.
A frying pan filled with sautéed onion, garlic, chunks of zucchini, and halved grape tomatoes, ready to be combined with cooked cheese tortellini.

ADD THE TOMATOES AND BROTH TO CREATE A SAUCE: Stir in halved grape tomatoes and a pinch of crushed red pepper, combine well, then add chicken broth. Cook until the tomatoes have softened slightly and their juices blend with the broth to form a light sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then remove the pan from the heat while you cook and drain the tortellini.

A frying pan filled with cheese tortellini, sautéed zucchini, wilted grape tomatoes, and fresh basil, ready to be plated and served.

FINISH THE DISH AND SERVE: Combine the cooked tortellini with the zucchini and tomatoes, add fresh basil, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Plate individual servings and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

How to Adjust the Number of Servings

This recipe is written using one package of tortellini, making two servings. You can easily double it to serve four, but we recommend sautéing the zucchini in two batches to retain proper texture.

A serving of cheese tortellini with zucchini, tomatoes, and basil in a bowl surrounded by whole garlic cloves, tomatoes, a small bowl of grated Parmesan, a linen napkin, and a fork.

More Cheese Tortellini Recipes

Cheese tortellini is a great foundation for a tasty meatless meal. Another favorite of ours is tortellini with roasted asparagus, tossed in a light, buttery sauce with white wine, lemon, and cream. Here are some other ideas for making quick meatless meals with cheese tortellini – no recipe required!

  • Garlic butter tortellini – Sauté minced garlic in butter, and add cooked tortellini, chopped parsley, and grated Parmesan cheese.
  • Spinach tortellini – Sauté fresh spinach with minced garlic and diced onion in a combination of olive oil and butter. Add a splash of cream and cooked tortellini.
  • Pesto tortellini and tomatoes – Grab a jar of store-bought pesto and combine it with cooked tortellini and halved cherry tomatoes sautéed in butter. Top with grated cheese.
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An overhead view of a bowl of cheese tortellini combined with sautéed zucchini, grape tomatoes, and fresh basil, topped with grated Parmesan.
4.34 from 9 votes

Weeknight Cheese Tortellini with Zucchini and Tomatoes

By Lynne Webb
Ready in just 30 minutes, this easy cheese tortellini recipe combines tender pasta with sautéed zucchini, sweet tomatoes, and fresh basil in a light, garlicky, broth-based sauce.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 servings
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Ingredients

  • 9 ounces cheese tortellini, (see notes)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pint grape (or cherry) tomatoes, halved
  • Crushed red pepper flakes, a pinch, or more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
  • 1 tablespoon chiffonade of basil, (see notes for substitutions)
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
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Instructions 

  • Put a pot of salted water on to boil for the tortellini.
  • Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and place it over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Add the zucchini and continue to sauté for another 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the minced garlic, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook until the zucchini is lightly caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes more.
  • Add the tomatoes and a pinch of crushed red pepper, combine well, then stir in the chicken broth. Cook until the tomatoes have softened slightly and their juices blend with the broth to form a light sauce.
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, then remove the pan from the heat while you cook and drain the tortellini. Cooking times for tortellini vary – refrigerated cooks in 3 to 4 minutes, frozen takes about 5 minutes, and dried takes 10 to 11 minutes.
  • Combine the cooked tortellini with the zucchini and tomatoes, add the fresh basil, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  • Plate individual servings, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve.

Notes

ABOUT THE TORTELLINI: We recommend using a brand of cheese tortellini from the refrigerator case at your local grocery store for this recipe (Buitoni and Rana are both great). You can also use frozen tortellini (Celentano), and dried (Barilla).
ABOUT THE BASIL: If you don’t have fresh basil, you can either leave it out altogether or substitute chopped fresh parsley. If you want to use dried basil, reduce the quantity to 3/4 teaspoon and add it to the zucchini mixture along with the tomatoes and chicken broth.
HOW TO MAKE A CHIFFONADE OF BASIL: Chiffonade is a term used to describe cutting leafy herbs into thin ribbons. Stack individual basil leaves, roll them together like a cigar, and slice them crosswise into thin strips.

Doubling the Number of Servings

This recipe is written using one package of tortellini, making two servings. You can easily double it to serve four, but we recommend sautéing the zucchini in two batches to retain proper texture.

Tips for Perfectly Cooked Tortellini

Because filled pasta like tortellini and ravioli are delicate, they require a slightly different cooking technique than regular cuts of pasta.
Tortellini float to the surface as they cook, so using a wide pot will allow you to move them around a bit to keep them from sticking together. We recommend reducing the heat to a gentle boil after adding tortellini to the water to prevent breakage and loss of filling.
Use the timing on the package as a guideline. Once all the tortellini have floated to the surface, let them cook for an additional minute, then test for tenderness. To drain, gently ease the tortellini into a colander using a slotted spoon and toss with your sauce right away to prevent them from sticking.

Nutrition

Calories: 644, Total Fat: 28g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 678mg, Carbohydrates: 77g, Fiber: 10g, Sugar: 16g, Protein: 26g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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7 Comments

    1. Hi Diane,
      I confess that I’ve never made this in advance for a dinner party, but I do have a thought on how to pull it off. I would prepare the dish completely and refrigerate it in a casserole dish. To reheat, I would bring it to room temperature first, cover tightly with foil to avoid drying out the tortellini and bake in a preheated 325°F oven for maybe 20 minutes (you’d need to check it). Once it was heated through, I would uncover it and sprinkle the top with a mix of grated Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and pop it back in the oven uncovered just long enough for the cheese to melt. You may also want to undercook your tomatoes and zucchini slightly to make up for the reheat time in the oven.

      Reply

  2. I used refrigerated tortellini from the store and added some chopped red bell pepper to the zucchini. It was so quick and we loved it.5 stars

    Reply