5-Ingredient Cheese Tortellini with Pesto (15 Minutes)
Boil pasta, toss with pesto. That's basically it.
Some nights you need dinner to be done before you've even had time to feel sorry for yourself. This is that dinner. Cheese tortellini cooks in about four minutes, and while it's bubbling away you're doing almost nothing — just warming up a pan and measuring out pesto. The result is genuinely satisfying: chewy stuffed pasta, herby sauce, a little Parmesan on top. It's not fancy, but it tastes like you tried. Expect a meal that's creamy-ish, garlicky, and on the table in 15 minutes flat.
Ingredients
- 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini — one standard package; fresh or refrigerated cooks fastest
- 0.333 cup store-bought basil pesto — jarred is totally fine here
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 0.25 cup reserved pasta water — scoop it out before draining
- 0.333 cup freshly grated Parmesan — plus more for serving
Method
- 1 Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.
- 2 Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions, usually 3–4 minutes, until they float and are tender with a slight chew.
- 3 Before draining, scoop out at least 1/4 cup of the starchy pasta water and set it aside.
- 4 Drain the tortellini and return the empty pot to the stove over low heat.
- 5 Add the butter to the pot and let it melt, about 30 seconds.
- 6 Return the drained tortellini to the pot and toss gently to coat in the butter.
- 7 Remove the pot from heat. Add the pesto and 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water, then toss to coat. Add more pasta water a splash at a time if the sauce looks too thick or clumpy.
- 8 Stir in the Parmesan until melted and saucy. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
- 9 Divide between two bowls and top with extra Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Variations
- Add cherry tomatoes — Halve a handful of cherry tomatoes and toss them in with the pesto. They add brightness and color with zero extra effort.
- Make it creamier — Stir in 2–3 tablespoons of cream cheese along with the pesto for a richer, creamier sauce that clings even better.
- No Parmesan on hand — Pecorino Romano works great as a 1-to-1 swap. Nutritional yeast (about 2 tablespoons) keeps it vegan if needed.
Notes
Pull the pot off heat before adding pesto — cooking pesto over direct heat turns it dull and bitter. The pasta water is the secret weapon: its starch helps the pesto cling to every tortellini instead of pooling at the bottom. Leftovers reheat okay with a splash of water in a covered skillet, but the texture is best fresh.
Equipment that helps
- Large pot — Tortellini needs plenty of room to float freely so it cooks evenly without sticking together.
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