SKILLET SPINACH TORTELLINI with SUN DRIED TOMATOES

A while ago I found this lovely Tortellini Bake recipe on Our Best Bites and really liked the idea...only I wanted something faster. You know, like "I-procrastinated-planning-dinner-and-now-it's-5pm-and-everyone's-starving" type of fast. I'm sure most of you are well acquainted with that idea. So I took the recipe and made some major modifications and oh my word did it turn out amazing! I used frozen tortellini- I'm not sure how it would turn out with dried tortellini as it takes longer to cook. So get the frozen variety!

I had several meals I wanted to make that required a few pieces of bacon each, so I made the bacon a few days beforehand, then saved the grease in a small container. Cutting that step out took this meal to a grand total of 20 minutes tops- it cooks for only 15, so you can literally have it on the table in 20 minutes! Really, you could leave the bacon out altogether and it would probably be just fine. {Don't tell my husband I said that.}

Being as this is cooked in a skillet, it'd be an amazing summer meal- especially with fresh spinach from the garden!

Skillet Spinach Tortellini with Sun Dried Tomatoes

2 TBSP bacon grease {or something healthier like olive oil, if you'd prefer!}
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onion
1 can of chicken broth {14.5 oz}
1 cup milk, plus 2 TBSP milk, divided
1 package frozen spinach or cheese tortellini {mine was 19 oz}
2-3 cups fresh spinach, chopped {I used 2, but think it'd be great with 3}
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes {mine came from a jar packed in garlic olive oil}
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese {for topping}
3-4 slices cooked and crumbled bacon
salt & pepper, to taste

Heat bacon grease over medium heat in a large skillet. Once hot, add in garlic and onions, stirring and cooking 2-3 minutes. Add in chicken broth and 1 cup milk. Heat mixture until just barely boiling.

Add in frozen tortellini. Give it a quick stir and place the lid on the skillet. Set timer to 10 minutes. Pasta will heat and eventually come to a boil.

Meanwhile, give the spinach a few quick chops and cut the sun dried tomatoes into smaller pieces. I just did both very quickly- it took about a minute total. {Pic below is before I chopped the tomatoes}

Assemble remaining ingredients. Combine 2 TBSP milk and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, stirring until smooth.

Once timer goes off, remove the lid but keep the heat on medium. Add in milk-cornstarch mixture, stirring to combine. Add in all remaining ingredients except for Parmesan cheese.

The lemon juice might sound odd to you but it adds a nice pop of flavor that I really loved. Don't leave it out!