On busy weeknights when I want something quick and comforting, I typically turn to pasta. Fresh, store bought tortellini is perfect for nights like these because it takes literally minutes to cook.
I threw this creamy garlic tortellini together one night using a few ingredients I already had on hand. While I love to use fresh herbs when cooking, it isn’t always realistic for me to just have them on hand as I find they can be pricey and have a short shelf life. For this recipe I turned to trusty, dry Italian seasoning which still gives the sauce a nice herby flavour. The creaminess in this sauce comes from butter, heavy cream, starchy pasta water and parmesan cheese and let me tell you it is rich.
Three -cheese tortellini is a great option if you aren’t sure what kind of pasta to use, but really anything will do. This sauce is so yummy it will also go great with regular (not stuffed) pasta like penne or linguini!
Equipment and Tools I Use for this Recipe
Creamy Garlic Tortellini
Ingredients
- 250 grams tortellini of your choice uncooked (I used three cheese)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated (plus more for serving)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: Fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- Cook tortellini according to the directions on the package and set aside 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water before straining.
- Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large pot or skillet. Add garlic to the pot and cook about 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add cream, Italian seasoning and starchy pasta water to pot and stir until it begins to thicken.
- Add parmesan cheese and salt & pepper and continue to stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is velvety and thick.
- Remove the sauce from heat, add cooked tortellini to the pot and toss in the sauce.
- Serve immediately and top with more parmesan cheese and parsley if using.
Huge shoutout to Paradise Home Cleaning for always keeping my kitchen spotless. If you live in the Toronto area and are looking for a new house cleaning service, I highly recommend them! They are so professional and thorough that even my messiest recipes don’t stand a chance!
Is it heavy whipping cream or just heavy cream? Is there a difference?
Heavy whipping cream and heavy cream will have a very similar fat content and both will add lots of richness to the sauce! If you only have heavy whipping cream on hand you can certainly use that as a substitute.
What brand tortellini do you use?
Olivieri Pasta! It’s a Canadian brand.