Tortellini & Garden Vegetable Bake

By Summer

Ingredients

• 10 oz. cheese-filled tortellini
• 1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
• 1-1/2 cups sugar snap peas, halved crosswise
• 1 TB margarine or butter
• 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. flour
• 3/4 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 1 TB lemon juice
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1 small red or green sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
• 2 TB grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1

Cook tortellini in boiling salted water according to package directions, adding the carrot during the last 5 minutes of cooking and the sugar snap peas during the last 1 minute of cooking; drain.

Meanwhile, heat margarine or butter in a 12" skillet. Add chicken and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet.

Mix together chicken broth, oregano, flour, garlic salt, and pepper in a screw-top jar until smooth. Add to skillet along with milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; add cream cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice. Add pasta mixture, chicken mixture, tomatoes, and sweet pepper. Toss to coat. Turn into an ungreased 13x9x2" baking dish or shallow 3-quart casserole.

Bake, covered, in a 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Stir mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.


Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare as directed but don't bake it. Instead, cover and chill up to 24 hours. Bake, covered, in a 350 oven about 55 minutes or until hot