Sunday Dinner: Tortellini, shrimp and spinach in creamy tomato sauce

This pasta dish is elegant, yet simple, and isn’t weighed down by a heavy sauce. It’s perfect for Sunday dinner or for a special occasion.

Mixing your pasta with a creamy sauce doesn’t mean it has to be heavy. This recipe is a perfect example. Plain, Greek style yogurt helps give this Sunday dinner dish its creaminess. Shrimp, tortellini and spinach are mixed with a light, yet creamy, sauce for fabulous flavor without weighing down your dish.

Tortellini, shrimp and spinach in creamy tomato sauce recipe

Serves 4

Recipe inspired by Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces packaged (dried) cheese tortellini
• 3/4 pound precooked frozen shrimp, thawed, tails removed
• 1-1/4 cups cup marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup white onion, diced, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1 cup packed fresh spinach, stems removed
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons plain Greek-style yogurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. In a skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add half the diced onion and cook until it softens, 3-4 minutes.
2. Add half the garlic, shrimp, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook until the shrimp turns pink (about 3 minutes).
3. Remove the shrimp, onion and garlic and set aside.
4. Cook the tortellini according to package directions. When finished, drain it, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water for later. Set aside.
5. As the tortellini is cooking, add the remaining olive oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. When hot, add the remaining onion, garlic, salt and black pepper. After 2 minutes, add the wine, cooking until it reduces by about half (2-3 minutes).
6. Add the marinara sauce. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
7. Add the shrimp, tortellini, spinach, Parmesan cheese, and yogurt to the marinara sauce and mix well. If you need to thin the sauce a bit, add some of the reserved pasta water, adding and mixing it, a little at a time. Season to taste.
8. Serve warm.

Serve up this pasta dish with a light, creamy sauce!

More Sunday dinner recipes

Baked cod with chimichurri sauce
Salmon burgers with homemade tartar sauce
Shrimp and corn cakes with lemon-yogurt dressing