Easy Tortellini Toss

I was browsing through a Pampered Chef magazine (so you know it's good) and I saw this recipe. I got some torellini on sale a while ago and its been in my freezer. I have been looking for a good recipe since. This was soooo easy and very good. The man of the house and even the kids liked it. You can cook the entire thing in the microwave. I usually hate microwaved things....(I refuse to microwave meat...ew.) but this was fine. Although I am sure you can do all this in a pot.

(I was so confident that Pampered Chef would have a pic of this recipe that i didn't take one of my own....I was wrong. Use your imagination....this pic has ham in it. )

Easy Tortellini Toss

Recipe from Pampered Chef

3 T butter, melted

3 T all-purpose flour

1 garlic clove, pressed or 1/2 t. minced garlic

1 c. 2% milk

2 1/2 oz. parmesan cheese , grated (about 1/3 c.)

8 oz. ham 1/2 in. thick, chopped (I used sliced sandwich meat and cut it up. It was yummy)

1/2 t. coarsely ground pepper

1 bag (16 oz.) frozen cheese-filled tortellini

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

1 bag (6 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves

Combine melted butter and flour. Whisk together. Add garlic and milk to mixture. Whisk again. Microwave on high, covered, 3-4 minutes or until thickened, stirring every 60 seconds (I forgot to do this and it was fine). Add cheese and whisk until smooth. Dice ham and then add to mixture along with pepper. Set aside.

Combine torellini and chicken broth in a microwaveable dish (I used my 9x9 pan). Microwave on high 12-15 minutes or until tortellini is soft. Stir every 5 minutes. Add cheese sauce to pan. Mix well. Microwave, covered, 2-3 inutes or until heated through and sauces are combined. Stir in spinach and let stand for 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted.