Addie’s Tortellini

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Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Serves: 6

Who is Addie, you may ask?…

Addie is the most bubbly personality you’ll ever meet. She can find the (humorous) sunshine in the darkened skies. She’s been my daughter’s best friend for over a decade. Many slumber parties and endless giggling define their time together. Even still, the giggling…

She asked to come over for dinner, which I absolutely love that she feels she can invite herself, and I wondered to myself, “What is Addie on a plate?” Thus, what follows is the delicious recipe that I created with her in mind. And, I was quite happy when she told me that she loved it! I felt I had reached my goal.

There is a plethora of tortellini recipes online, and with that, many are happily simmering in a tomato sauce. What sets this one apart? Good quality ingredients that taste good on their own that come together to a mouthful of Wow! I used the best canned tomatoes (San Marzano) I could get my hands on (not a store-bought jar of marinara), excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil, flavorful chicken stock (not watery), very good butter (Kerrygold), fresh spinach (not frozen), and real Parmesan-Reggiano. It truly does show in the food when you use good-quality ingredients. Do I sound like a food snob? I hope not, but I do what is necessary when I want some dishes to just shine.

Let me add a note about cooking your tortellini in the tomato sauce. As the pasta cooks, you will need to stir often, then gently press the pasta down into the sauce. You may be tempted to add more stock because the sauce is thick, but this is not a soup. The sauce will cook your tortellini. Stirring often will help with the cooking process. If you must, add warm stock in small amounts and continue to stir. But, don’t thin out the sauce here.

Let me put in a plug for an oil and vinegar company that my husband and I discovered in East Tennessee. Abingdon Olive Oil Company has become our go-to for the most amazing oils and flavored vinegars. Their products are excellent-quality and delicious. Check them out!

See the Notes after the recipe for a few more tips about the ingredients in this Tortellini dish.

Enjoy!

Addie's Tortellini

Pantry To Table
This tortellini pasta dish is hearty, comfort food, filled with tortellini in a rich, tomato sauce. Fresh spinach and basil bring lots of flavor to this easy, one-pot meal.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Brunch, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 6
Calories 488.93 kcal

Equipment

  • 6-quart stock pot or Dutch oven with a lid

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespon unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup shallot, diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced, or grated on a microplane
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, charred spots removed, chopped, see Notes
  • 2 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock, or vegetable stock
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
  • 20 ounces refrigerated tortellini cheese pasta
  • 6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn or chiffonade
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, or half and half
  • Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, shaved or grated, for serving

Instructions
 

  • In a 6-quart pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil and butter together over medium heat.
  • Once the butter is melted, add the shallot and stir for about 1 minute, or until softened. Turn the heat down if it is beginning to brown.
  • Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the tomato paste and stir continually until the paste is darkening in color, sticking to the bottom of the pot, and smelling very fragrant.
  • Add the roasted red peppers; stir.
  • Begin adding the tomatoes, crushing them by hand as you add them. Pour any remaining liquid from the cans into the pot.
  • Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper to taste. Make sure the sauce is very flavorful because your tortellini pasta will absorb the flavor.
  • Bring the sauce up to a simmer. Add the tortellini, stir and bring up to a simmer again.
  • Place the lid partially on the top. Allow the tortellini to cook 4 to 6 minutes or until al dente, stirring every minute. After each stir, gently press the tortellini down into the sauce. The sauce will thicken as the pasta cooks. See Notes.
  • Add the spinach and basil. Stir to wilt.
  • Add the heavy cream and stir.
  • Serve very warm with Parmesan-Reggiano cheese.

Notes

The roasted red peppers can be substituted with sliced pimento peppers, or even sliced sun-dried tomatoes. If you use roasted red peppers, I suggest wiping off the black spots with a paper towel; the sauce will look better aesthetically without flecks of black throughout.
I remove the hearty stems of spinach and toss them to the chickens or compost. You don’t have to remove them, but I like the texture of just the softened leaves in this dish.
Make it for a Meaty Monday! Brown 1 - 1 ½ pounds Italian sausage (NOT breakfast sausage) in the oil and butter; drain. Add the meat back to the pan, then add the shallot and continue the recipe instructions.
Parmesan-Reggiano cheese - leave the block on the table with a vegetable peeler (or other peeling tool) so each person can shave onto their individual servings. Or grate/peel over the completed dish for presentation. (Please, do not use the cheese from the green canister for this dish. Actually, any dish, for that matter.)
Tomatoes - if you cannot find San Marzano tomatoes, look for “peeled plum tomatoes” instead. They will do fine. Sometimes San Marzanos are more expensive, too. I will buy the good ones for company, but probably a regular “plum” tomato for just the fam.
You will need to stir the tortellini often while it is cooking in the sauce. It will thicken as it cooks. Don’t be tempted to add more chicken stock; this recipe is intended to be a sort of “stick-to-your-ribs” meal.
If you want to go “Meatless Monday”/vegetarian, use veggie stock instead of chicken stock. Just be sure it is a flavorful vegetable stock.
I use fresh spinach, but you could use frozen, just be sure after you thaw it, squeeze out as much liquid as possible before adding to the sauce. I love a lot of spinach for myself, but Addie suggested less, thus only 6 ounces are listed in the ingredient list. Or, if you’re like me, you can use a 10-ounce bag of fresh spinach, stems removed, and chopped. Up to you.
You can use diced onion in place of the shallots.
The nutritional chart is calculated with one teaspoon of kosher salt.
 
Nutrition Facts
Addie's Tortellini
Amount per Serving
Calories
488.93
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
18.4
g
28
%
Saturated Fat
 
9.48
g
59
%
Trans Fat
 
0.25
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1.14
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
6.04
g
Cholesterol
 
67.01
mg
22
%
Sodium
 
1189.76
mg
52
%
Potassium
 
1267.99
mg
36
%
Carbohydrates
 
63.6
g
21
%
Fiber
 
7.36
g
31
%
Sugar
 
12.64
g
14
%
Protein
 
19.4
g
39
%
Vitamin C
 
72.23
mg
88
%
Calcium
 
283.42
mg
28
%
Iron
 
4.38
mg
24
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword tortellini pasta, 30-minute meal, cheese tortellini, comfort food, hearty meal,
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