Tortellini Alla Panna
This creamy and hearty Tortellini alla Panna is the perfect weeknight dish to make that will satisfy the whole family plus it's ready in only 35 minutes!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 1081kcal
Ingredients
- 19 ounce bag cheese tortellini frozen or pre-made
- 2 cups cubed ham
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 2 cups parmesan cheese divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic bouillon base
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
- Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Bring a dutch oven or large, heavy pot of water to a boil and cook the tortellini according to the instructions on the package.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk in the garlic bouillon base and ground cinnamon. The butter sauce will begin to thicken and bubble as it cooks.
- Add the chopped ham to the butter sauce.
- Heat it through, browning the ham slightly on both sides.
- Drain the tortellini, reserving ½ a cup of pasta water to use later.
- Slowly add the pasta water and heavy cream to the saucepan with the ham and butter sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally and de-glazing the bottom of the pan it cooks. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat and carefully and slowly add 1½ cups of finely grated parmesan cheese to the saucepan. Stir it in until it melts and it is all fully combined.
- Add in the cooked tortellini and carefully toss to coat the pasta.
- Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of parmesan cheese and chopped parsley on top as garnish.
- Serve warm and enjoy.
Notes
- You can use frozen or pre made tortellini, and if you have the patience and talent for it, you can make your own!
- Make sure to deglaze the saucepan as you go along so everything incorporates nicely and doesn't stick to the pot for too long.
- You can use whatever tortellini you have on hand. It doesn't matter what it's stuffed with, they'll all taste good with this cream sauce.
- Instead of diced ham, you could use bacon chunks or prosciutto if you want a slightly different flavored dish.
- This dish is best when you first make it. Keeping leftovers can be difficult, but you can see my tips above.
- Easily double this recipe to serve a larger crowd.
Nutrition
Calories: 1081kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 70g | Saturated Fat: 40g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 247mg | Sodium: 2304mg | Potassium: 136mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2053IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 849mg | Iron: 4mg