Sunday, March 30, 2025

Sneaky Vegetable Tortellini

If you have littles who don't like vegetables, this Sneaky Vegetable Tortellini is a great way to get a few vegetables in without anyone noticing.    

Better still, this dish is pantry-friendly so all the ingredients can be kept on hand for a convenient last-minute dish or even in case of emergency.  But I do suggest hiding the "sneaky" ingredient in your pantry, out of sight, just in case.  When my kids were little and I made this recipe, one of them discovered the sneaky ingredient and I had to stop.  ha ha

That said, I now have three grown children who like vegetables and whose taste buds are open-minded.

This sneaky ingredient is simply pureed vegetables, but in an unlikely form.

SNEAKY VEGETABLE TORTELLINI

PREP TIME:  3 minutes
COOK TIME:  15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
  • 12 oz. box dry tortellini (I personally like the cheese and spinach version; if not making this a pantry-friendly meal, you can substitute with refrigerated tortellini or ravioli if you like)
  • The Sneaky Ingredient:  a 4-oz. package or jar of vegetable baby food such as carrots or peas, or consider combinations like carrot-sweet potato or pea-carrot-spinach.
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 24-oz. jar of spaghetti or marinara sauce
  • parmesan cheese (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Cook tortellini according to package directions.  Drain.  In the same pot, stir the spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning, and "pureed vegetables" (baby food) together over medium heat until combined.  Add the cooked, drained tortellini.  Stir until heated through. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.


Hooray!  This blog post was a featured favorite here:


16 comments:

  1. That is really easy to make. I like the added sneaky ingredient, as my kids can be so picky if they can't see it. Mostly I can get away with adding more veggies. It looks very good.Pinned it.

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    1. It IS so easy! I love it. Ha--glad you like the sneaky ingredient. :) I added this when my kids were little but now I can get away with whole veggies. Thanks a bunch for the Pin and for the visit and comment, Jen!

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  2. I was always one of those "picky eaters" as a child. My parents did this - puree vegetables and add them to sauces. For me, at least, it was always a texture thing so getting rid of the chunky bits helped a lot.

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    1. Oh, that's a good point, Marie! The puree would help with the texture. :)

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  3. I love a good recipe that sneaks veggies in!

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    1. Me, too! My kids are old enough now to not need as much "sneaky," but this is still a great one! :) Thanks for stopping by, Joanne.

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  4. Jennifer, oh, I love this! What a great way to sneak in vegetables for picky eaters. Thank you for sharing with us at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party. I missed you sharing your recipes with us!

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    1. Thanks so much, Steph! I'm so glad. :) Yes, I haven't posted on this blog for a little while. Thanks for stopping in and for hosting your fun linkup.

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    2. Jennifer, you're very welcome. We are featuring your post this Friday at The Crazy Little Lovebirds link party. :)

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    3. Woo hoo! That's great news! Thank you so much for the feature. :)

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  5. How funny that you "sneak" baby food in to this! It looks delicious!

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    1. It is, Lisa! You can't even tell that there's anything sneaky in it. :)

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  6. What a great idea to get more veggies in! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Thanks, Cheryl. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Happy to have you visit.

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  7. Oh my goodness Jen, what a great "sneaky" idea. I never would have thought about that. Lol. This is a great idea for parents to know.
    Thanks so much for sharing with Sweet Tea & Friends this month.

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