Pesto Tortellini Recipe With Sautéed Vegetables
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Sep 27, 2022 • 3 min read
Pesto tortellini is a flavorful dish that is simple to prepare. Use fresh or store-bought tortellini to make this quick weeknight meal.
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What Is Pesto Tortellini?
Pesto tortellini is a dish that features cheese-filled tortellini tossed in basil pesto sauce. Traditional pesto is a mixture of fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and cheese pounded into a thick, green paste. You can make fresh tortellini or use frozen tortellini. Add grilled or seared chicken breast or roasted or sautéed vegetables for a more filling main dish. Jump to recipe.
The Origin of Tortellini
Hailing from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy—which is also home to celebrated traditional Italian ingredients like Parmigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto di Parma, and balsamic vinegar of Modena—tortellini is a type of small, ring-shaped pasta traditionally stuffed with a combination of ground meat (like diced mortadella, Italian sausage, and prosciutto), egg, and Parmesan cheese, and sealed in a circular fashion. Local legend states that the shape of tortellini emulates the navel of the goddess Venus.
While the neighboring cities of Bologna and Modena fight over which was the true birthplace of tortellini, both areas can agree on the most classic way to serve these pillowy bites of pasta: boiled and served in a bowl of rich brodo (broth). You can toss tortellini pasta in several different pasta sauces, such as bolognese, marinara sauce, alfredo cream sauce, or a simple sauce made from reserved pasta water and butter.
6 Tips for Making Perfect Pesto
Follow these tips to learn how to make pesto right every time:
- 1. Add a pinch of salt. Adding salt to the basil helps break down the leaves while pounding or blending.
- 2. Add citrus. Though not a traditional pesto ingredient, lemon juice and/or zest can help brighten up a lackluster pesto.
- 3. Always use fresh basil leaves to make pesto. Dried basil tastes different from the fresh stuff. Also, fresh basil leaves contain moisture in the form of water and natural oils, which contributes to pesto’s creaminess.
- 4. Be gentle with the basil leaves. Heat from the blender or food processor, or over-chopping, can cause the basil to oxidize and turn brown. Add the leaves last, and be careful not to overprocess them.
- 5. Store leftover pesto in the fridge, covered in a layer of olive oil. For longer-term storage, freeze pesto in ice cube trays and cover with plastic wrap. (Pesto won’t retain its beautiful bright green color after defrosting, but it’s a good trick when you have an abundance of basil.
- 6. Toast the nuts. Many recipes toast pine nuts to add a rich, roasted flavor to pesto, but leaving them raw is also perfectly acceptable. Using raw pine nuts saves some time vis à vis toasting and cooling and preserves their sweetness.
Basil Pesto Tortellini Recipe
makes
prep time
20 mintotal time
40 mincook time
20 minIngredients
For the homemade pesto:
For the pasta:
- 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- 2
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, garlic cloves, and Parmesan cheese until finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- 3
With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil, starting with 1 cup. Check the consistency of the pesto. If it’s too thick, continue to add olive oil.
- 4
Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste.
- 5
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and bell pepper, occasionally stirring, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
- 6
Add the zucchini, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook, occasionally stirring, until softened and browned in spots, 3–5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 7
Meanwhile, cook the tortellini in boiling salted water until barely al dente according to package directions, stirring to prevent sticking. You will know they are ready when all of the tortellini have popped up to the surface, about 5 minutes for fresh or 9 minutes for frozen (cut into one tortellini to make sure the filling cooks through and the pasta is al dente).
- 8
Drain the pasta, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water.
- 9
Add the drained tortellini to the pan with veggies and set over medium-low heat.
- 10
Stir in the reserved pasta water and ⅔ cup basil pesto and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 11
Top the tortellini with more pesto, and garnish with Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, and basil leaves.
- 12
Store leftover tortellini in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers, or served cold, pasta salad-style.
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