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Italian

One-Pot Creamy Tortellini

Cheese tortellini simmer in broth with garlic, then finish with cream, peas, and parmesan. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and the pot stays vegetarian.

Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to recipe
Skillet of cheese tortellini in a creamy sauce with peas and parmesan.

Why you’ll love it

  • Refrigerated tortellini cooks in the broth, so you do not need a separate pasta pot.
  • Garlic goes in before the liquid so it softens instead of tasting raw in the cream.
  • Cream and parmesan are added off a hard boil so the sauce stays smooth.
  • Peas go in at the end and only need to heat through, which keeps them bright.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or wide pot over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

  2. 2

    Pour in the broth and bring it to a simmer.

  3. 3

    Add the tortellini. Cook at a steady simmer, stirring once or twice, until they are tender but not split, about 6 minutes. Check the package if the time differs.

  4. 4

    Stir in the cream and peas. Simmer 2 minutes, until the peas are hot and the sauce looks lightly thickened.

  5. 5

    Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the parmesan, salt, and pepper until the cheese melts into the sauce.

  6. 6

    Let it sit 2 minutes so the sauce clings. If it tightens too much, loosen it with a splash of broth.

Pro tips

  • Vegetable broth in place of chicken broth keeps this pot vegetarian. The cheese tortellini already has no meat.
  • Pull the tortellini as soon as the centers are soft. Another few minutes and the rings start to burst.
  • Grate the parmesan yourself if you can. Pre-grated cheese often melts into a grainier sauce.

Easy substitutions

chicken broth
vegetable broth, which keeps the pot vegetarian
frozen peas
2 cups baby spinach, stirred in with the cream
heavy cream
1/2 cup half-and-half, with a slightly thinner sauce

Storage and reheating

Storage

Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days. The pasta will keep absorbing sauce.

Reheating

Warm in a saucepan over medium-low with a splash of broth or cream, stirring, until hot, about 6 minutes. Microwave in short bursts and stir so the edges do not dry out.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
620
Protein
26 g
Carbs
62 g
Fat
28 g
Fiber
4 g

Moderate · One Pan, Stovetop

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Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients