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    Home » Recipes » Entrees

    Tortellini alla Panna Recipe

    by Mindy Boyd · Published: Jun 5, 2022 · Updated: Jun 12, 2022

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    ⏲️ 14 minutes mins
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    Tortellini alla Panna recipe – Tortellini is tossed in a simple and delicious creamy Parmesan sauce. This is an amazing recipe that your whole family is sure to love!

    Close up shot of a skillet of tortellini alla panna with the title above the pan.

    For our recipe we chose to take some help from the grocery store but you can use homemade tortellini if you like. It would obviously take longer than our version.

    A large bowl of tortellini and part of a salad and bowl of breadsticks.

    Ingredient List:

    Just a few ingredients are all you need to make this quick meal.

    Tortellini Pasta – you can use dry, fresh, or frozen tortellini. We chose to use three cheese tortellini but you can use cheese or meat tortellini.

    Heavy Cream – this is the main ingredient of the creamy sauce.

    Parmesan Cheese – we buy it in the deli section at Dillons and grate it ourselves. We used to buy it already shredded but have since discovered that it is much tastier if we grate it fresh. It is more expensive than the pre-shredded type, but worth it (in our opinion).

    Garlic – I almost always use the kind in the jar because it is much quicker and requires no clean up. Just open up the jar and scoop out the amount needed.

    Olive Oil

    Salt & Pepper

    All of the ingredients needed to make tortellini alla penna laid out on a table.

    Step By Step Instructions to Make This Tortellini Recipe:

    You won’t believe how quickly this dish comes together!

    1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add tortellini to boiling water and cook until al dente, one minute less than package directions.
    2. While the pasta cooks make the sauce; start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 – 2 minutes making sure it does not brown. Add cream and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to a simmer, add the Parmesan cheese and simmer on low, stirring occasionally until the tortellini is done.
    3. Drain pasta and add to cheesy cream mixture, season to taste with salt and black pepper.

    Notes:

    1. Salt can be added to the pasta water if you like, we don’t add any because we cut sodium out anywhere we can and this in one of the times that we can.
    2. We have plenty of sauce to adequately coat 1 pound of pasta. You can reserve a cup or so of the pasta water to make a thinner sauce if for some reason your sauce it too thick to coat all of your pasta. Or if you want to add any of the suggested additions below. Just add it a little at a time until the desired consistency is achieved
    A bowl of tortellini alla panna and you can see part of a bowl of breadsticks.

    What Type of Tortellini Should You Use?

    This is personal choice and what is available in your area may dictate what kind you will need to use. We used to be able to find all 3 types but have only been able to find dry and frozen lately.

    • Dry tortellini can be found on the pasta aisle and takes the longest time to cook. That is the kind I use most and has about a 9 minute cook time.
    • Fresh tortellini can be found in the refrigerated section, we have also found it in the deli, and has about a 7 minute cook time.
    • Frozen tortellini can be found in the frozen section with other frozen pasta, like ravioli, and has about a 3 minute cook time.

    We have seen the following varieties of tortellini:

    • Three Cheese
    • Four Cheese
    • Five Cheese
    • Cheese & Spinach – we have seen regular tortellini filled with spinach and cheese and green spinach tortellini pasta filled with cheese.
    • Tricolor Cheese
    • Prosciutto & Cheese
    • Cheese & Mushroom
    • Chicken Mozzarella

    Substitutions & Additions:

    With only 5 ingredients besides salt and pepper there are only a couple of substitutions.

    • Substitute melted butter or canola oil for the olive oil.
    • Substitute Pecorino Romano for the Parmesan cheese.
    • You can use a different type of pasta but we like the flavor the filled tortellini gives this dish.

    There are several ingredients that can be added.

    • Frozen Peas
    • Prosciutto
    • Ham
    • Mushrooms
    • Freshly Ground Nutmeg
    • Fresh Basil
    • Fresh Parsley
    Close up view of a skillet filled with tortellini alla panna

    More Delicious Recipes:

    Chicken Spinach Tortellini Alfredo

    Orzo Salad with Feta and Dried Cranberries

    One Pot Beefy Pasta

    Or check out my round of post of 14 Positively Perfect Pasta Dishes!

    A table with a bowl of pasta, a bowl of breadsticks and a side salad with a fork.

    Storage:

    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

    We hope you like this Tortellini alla Panna recipe as much as we do. I serve this pasta dish with a side salad and heat-and-serve breadsticks for an easy and complete meal.

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    Tortellini alla Panna

    Mindy Boyd
    Tortellini alla Panna – tortellini is tossed in a rich and creamy Parmesan sauce. You won't believe how quick and easy this dish is to prepare!
    5 from 24 votes
    Print – Email Required Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 9 minutes mins
    Total Time 14 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb tortellini
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 tsp garlic
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
    • Salt & Pepper to taste
    Get Recipe Ingredients

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    Instructions
     

    • Cook tortellini until al dente, one minute less than package directions.
      1 lb tortellini
    • While the pasta cooks make the sauce; heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1- 2 minutes making sure it does not brown. Add cream and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to a simmer, add the Parmesan cheese and simmer on low, stirring occasionally until the tortellini is done.
      1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp garlic, 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, Salt & Pepper
    • Drain pasta and add to cream mixture, season to taste with salt and black pepper.

    Notes

    Salt can be added to the pasta water if you like, we don’t add any because we cut sodium out anywhere we can and this in one of the times that we can.
    We have plenty of sauce to adequately coat 1 pound of pasta. You can reserve a cup or so of the pasta water to make a thinner sauce if for some reason your sauce it too thick to coat all of your pasta. Or if you want to add any of the suggested additions below.
    Total time to prepare this dish will vary based on the time it takes to cook the tortellini. If you are using the frozen type that takes a short amount of time to cook then make the sauce while you are waiting for the water to boil and keep it warm while the tortellini cooks. 
    Did you make this recipe? We would love it if you would leave us a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below!
     
    Nutritional information is approximate.
     
    See tips, notes, and suggestions in the post above.
     
    Bookmark this page to find it quickly when you are ready to make this recipe!

    Nutrition Facts

    Calories: 607kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 119mg | Sodium: 709mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 972IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 349mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was with a comment below.

    Recipe minimally adapted from Italian Recipe Book.

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