Creamy Pesto Tortellini
A simple & delicious dish you can toss together in just about 20 minutes yet feel great serving your family. It has a short list of ingredients and is a no-brainer to make, placing it forever among my favorite back-pocket recipes for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 8-10 ounces cheese tortellini
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Parmesan and fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook tortellini just to al dente, according to package directions. Before draining the tortellini, scoop about 1/2 cup of the cooking water out into a liquid measuring cup.8-10 ounces cheese tortellini
- While the tortellini cooks, toast the walnuts, if using, in a dry skillet set over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, just until they are fragrant and develop a few brown spots. Remove walnuts and set aside, leaving the skillet over medium heat.1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- Add pesto to the skillet, then slowly stir in the cream. Warm for 3-4 minutes, until smooth. Add pasta water, a small splash at a time, until the sauce is thinned out to your desired consistency. Stir in the lemon juice, followed by the drained tortellini. Stir well to combine.1/2 cup basil pesto, 1/3 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Sample and season with salt and pepper to taste. (You may not need any, depending on how salty your pesto was to begin with. I usually don’t add any.)
- Serve tortellini right away, with toasted walnuts, fresh-grated Parmesan, and fresh basil, if desired, on top.Parmesan and fresh basil
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Notes
- Yield: As written, this is fairly “saucy” for a relatively small amount of tortellini. If you increase the amount of tortellini to serve more people, you can of course thin out the sauce a bit more with pasta water, or just increase the amount of pesto and cream by 1.5 or 2x.
- Useful Tools (affiliate links): Over-the-sink Colander | Angled Measuring Cup | Sauté Tool | Citrus Press
Nutrition Estimate
Calories: 412 kcal, Carbohydrates: 29 g, Protein: 12 g, Fat: 28 g, Saturated Fat: 9 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 46 mg, Sodium: 541 mg, Potassium: 52 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 3 g, Vitamin A: 918 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 150 mg, Iron: 2 mg