Are you ready for a 15 minute meal? This Tortellini with Fresh Basil Pesto is a terrific vegetarian main course or easy side dish to any protein. And it’s so darn easy!
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Tortellini with Fresh Basil Pesto:
I make this recipe with fresh three cheese tortellini from the grocery store. Fresh tortellini cooks in 3-4 minutes, depending on the brand. Then I toss that tender pasta in a homemade pesto. Yep, that’s the whole shebang! I told you it was quick and easy.
The Pesto:
Fresh pesto is really simple. All you need is a food processor. You can use a full size processor but if that’s not in the budget, don’t fret, I have used my mini processor for this job.
Fresh pesto is made with basil leaves, olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, lemon zest and sea salt. If you want to see a step by step video, click here!
Toss it Together and You Have a Delicious Tortellini with Fresh Basil Pesto!
So fresh! So aromatic! So delicious!
Want to add chicken?
Do it! Sometimes I toss in my Easy Cooktop Chicken or rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
The Recipe: Tortellini with Fresh Basil Pesto
What you need:
To make pesto you will need a food processor. If a big one isn’t in your budget, Cuisinart makes a fabulous mini processor for around $35! (affiliate links) You will also need a microplane for grating parmesan.
An easy 15 minute meal that is fresh and aromatic!
- 2-3 small cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/3 cup pine nuts (plus more for garnish)
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly gound black pepper, to taste
- 20 ounces fresh tortellini from the grocery store (different brands come in different sizes, get as close to 20 ounces as you can
- red pepper flakes (to taste)
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Set a large pot of salted water on high heat and bring to a boil. Cook tortellini to package instructions. While water heats and pasta cooks, make pesto.
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Pulse garlic in food processor. Add basil leaves, pine nuts and parmesan. Puree in processor, slowly adding olive oil until desired consistency is achieved. Add a generous pinch of sea salt and a few turns of fresh pepper, scrape down sides of processor and process again adding more olive oil if necessary. Set aside.
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When pasta is done cooking, strain (do not rinse), place in a bowl, toss with pesto until pasta is covered to your liking. Add red pepper flakes if desired and garnish with added parmesan. Taste, add more sea salt id desired. Serve!
Pro tip: To save extra pesto, just place in a small dish, drizzle with olive oil to prevent oxidation and cover with lid or plastic. Keep in fridge for up to 5 days.
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