The wait times in our emergency departments are longer than usual due to illnesses like RSV and the flu. View our estimated ED wait times and learn more about where to get care for your sick child.

Patient & Family Education Materials

Start over with a New Search

Tortellini Kabobs

Prep time: 20-30 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes, total

Chill time: 1 hour

Recipe makes: 4 kabobs (4 servings)

What you need:

Kabobs ingredients:

  • 1/2 bunch of broccoli
  • 12 cheese-filled tortellini
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cucumber, peeled
  • 8 cherry tomatoes

Sauce ingredients:

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, oregano, chives, mint, or cilantro
  • Salt substitute and pepper to taste

Equipment and supplies:

  • Large pot
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Knife and cutting board
  • Kabob skewers (wood or metal), 4 to 6 inches long
  • Small bowl for mixing

What to do:

  1. Remove the thick stem from the broccoli and separate the florets. Drop the florets into a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they are just tender but still firm enough to put on a skewer. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.
  2. Cook the tortellini in boiling salted water until al dente (not too soft, still a little chewy). Drain and set aside to cool.
  3. Cut the red pepper and cucumber into 1-inch pieces. Arrange the pepper, cucumber, tortellini, broccoli, and tomatoes on 4 skewers, alternating the ingredients. Lay the kabobs on a tray or large plate.
  4. Whisk together the sauce ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt substitute and pepper.
  5. Drizzle the sauce (or a favorite lite salad dressing) over the kabobs. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning the kabobs occasionally. Serve chilled.

Nutritional analysis (per serving):

  • 130 calories
  • 5g protein
  • 6g fat
  • 1.5g sat. fat
  • 16g carbohydrate
  • 4g fiber
  • 5mg cholesterol
  • 75mg sodium
  • 5g sugars

Serves: 4

Serving size: 1 kabob

Tip: Tortellini kabobs travel well when kept on their skewers, so they make a great packed lunch!

Back To Top

Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.

© 1995-2025 KidsHealth ® All rights reserved. Images provided by iStock, Getty Images, Corbis, Veer, Science Photo Library, Science Source Images, Shutterstock, and Clipart.com