You can use refrigerated or frozen tortellini for this pasta dish. I prefer to use this brand of refrigerated tortellini as it seems to have more flavor and it cooks quicker than frozen. If you do choose to use frozen tortellini, just plan to increase the baking time by 5-10 minutes (possibly more) so that the frozen tortellini has time to warm through entirely.

You could also use the shelf-stable boxed cheese tortellini, however, I would recommend cooking it according to package directions before adding it to the rest of the ingredients and baking. Boxed tortellini has a considerably longer cook time (usually 9-10 minutes) than refrigerated or frozen tortellini (which usually cooks in 3-4 minutes) so it’s helpful to give it a head start by cooking it first.

Use your family’s favorite spaghetti sauce. I definitely don’t make homemade every time! Although, I do love to make a double batch of my Vegan Spaghetti Sauce or my Vegetarian Bolognese and then freeze it so I’ve got it on hand for meals like this. But, jarred spaghetti sauce is going to work just fine in this recipe! Our family’s favorite is this brand.

Switch up the ingredients based on what you’ve got on hand. I like to call this tortellini casserole a “clean out the fridge” meal. Replace the fresh spinach with leftover roasted veggies you need to use up. Use fresh mozzarella in place of the shredded mozzarella if you’ve got it on hand. Replace the dried herbs with fresh herbs if you’ve got those. Feel free to customize this recipe based on your family’s taste or what you’ve already got in your kitchen!