Roasted Veggie & Turkey Tortellini

The last few day of summer are waning. The heat has come back to Oklahoma with a vengeance. Late summer fare of corn, peaches, and Hatch green chiles flood the grocery store produce section.

What have I been doing to celebrate summer’s upcoming slumber? Decorating my apartment with all things fall. I actually waited a little longer this year as opposed to last year. Still…Rob thinks I’m nuts. “It’s August,” he says. I laugh, then tweak the sparkly fake pumpkins on my shelves.

August screams fall to me. I know, it may still be 97 degrees outside, but school is back in session and the days are getting shorter! It’s totally the beginning of autumn in my opinion. Plus, I’m keen on setting out Christmas decor the day after Halloween, so I need to put out my fall decorations as early as possible so I can enjoy them. Duh.

Also, we’ll be gone for a majority of October (wedding, honeymoon), so I need my fake pumpkins and fall scented candles to last.

As the clock ticks down on our farewell to summer, I’m still cooking certain summer foods. Salads, sandwiches, and lighter than average dinners are on my agenda. I’ve been sprinkling in some heavier foods (casseroles, slow-cooker meals, etc) so I can ease my way into the colder months, too.

This quick and easy dinner is the perfect representation of summer. It’s light, veggie-filled, and easy to just pop in the microwave to heat up for lunch or dinner. I scarfed down bowl after bowl throughout the week.

I had some leftover zucchini I needed to use up so I decided to roast it with a red onion. Roasted red onion is so deliciously sweet and goes well with tortellini. However, my zucchini was kind of a miss. I had frozen it from a gigantic gourd I had gotten from a friend at work, and thawed zucchini just kind of turns into mush. Now I know. If you have fresh zucchini, I’m sure it would be better.

Oh, and you see carrots in the picture below. I didn’t end up roasting them because they were weirdly slimey! They weren’t even that old, either. Weird. I’m sure this meal would be good with some roasted carrots thrown in there, if you have some non-slimey ones.

Roasted Veggie & Turkey Tortellini

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 30 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Cheese tortellini tossed with roasted veggies and ground turkey.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 TBS. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for topping
• 2 tsp. oregano, divided
• salt and pepper
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half
• 1/2 cup asiago cheese, plus more for topping

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add tortellini. Cook according to package directions and then drain.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss zucchini, onion and garlic with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt and pepper. Lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Pop a few cloves of garlic out of their outer shell and roughly chop. Save remaining garlic for a different meal.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add ground turkey and break up with a wooden spoon. Add remaining teaspoon oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Drain.
4. Toss tortellini, turkey, roasted veggies and asiago cheese together in a large bowl or the tortellini pot. Drizzle olive oil over the top and stir. Serve with asiago and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add tortellini. Cook according to package directions and then drain. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss zucchini, onion and garlic with 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon oregano, salt and pepper. Lay out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Pop a few cloves of garlic out of their outer shell and roughly chop. Save remaining garlic for a different meal.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add ground turkey and break up with a wooden spoon. Add remaining teaspoon oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Drain.

Toss tortellini, turkey, roasted veggies and asiago cheese together in a large bowl or the tortellini pot. Drizzle olive oil over the top and stir. Serve with asiago and red pepper flakes, if desired.