Creamy Tomato & Basil Tortellini
We LOVE tortellini in this house… however if it was up to my kids we would eat with the a little butter or a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce every time! I decided it was time to try out something new… the kids have never been a big fan of a tortellini soup, so I decided I would try out a simple sauce. The results were far better than I anticipated and I was ecstatic at how simple and affordable the recipe turned out to be!
If you want to keep this recipe very simple and frugal, opt for a bag of frozen tortellini! Just make sure when you boil the tortellini, you don’t over cook it… literally takes only a couple minutes in boiling water and you are ready to transfer it to the sauce! I have found that if you cook the tortellini for too long, the dish comes out soggy and isn’t as enjoyable.
For this recipe you are going to need the following Ingredients:
- 1 lb cheese tortellini
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Boil tortellini until they are al dente, should only need to boil for a few minutes, don’t overcook!
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While the tortellini is boiling, roughly chop the basil.
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat and put the two minced garlic into it. Saute for about thirty seconds or so.
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Add into the skillet the petite diced tomatoes (undrained), basil , salt, pepper and dried basil.
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Cook and stir over medium high heat until the mixture begins to bubble.
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In another bowl, combine the flour and half-and-half. Whisk until smooth.
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Add the creamy mixture into the the skillet along with the Parmesan cheese.
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Heat through and reduce the heat to medium low and continue to stir and cook until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
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Add the drained tortellini and mix together gently.
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Serve and enjoy!
In less than 30 minutes you can have dinner ready on the table! SO much better than a canned pasta sauce, flavors are much richer.
There are also many other ways you can customize this recipe to your liking… such as swapping the basil for spinach, or adding a few more sprinkles of Parmesan to make the sauce even creamier. However you decide to customize this recipe, your family is sure to and enjoy it and the time and cost it took you is sure to put a smile on your face! Let me know if you gave this recipe a try in the comment section below, I would love to know your thoughts!
Looks very tasty and delicious!