Tortellini alla Panna

A plate full of tortellini pasta with cream sauce and a blue pot in the background.

5 from 10 votes

Tortellini all Panna is made with luscious, plump tortellini pasta served in a bath of delicious creamy parmesan sauce. This pasta dish is going to be your family's go to recipe for the next time the craving for Italian food strikes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 887kcal

Author: Tristin - Home Cooked Harvest

Ingredients

1 tablespoon salt for water
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 large garlic clove minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
16 ounces tortellini
3/4 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus more for serving

For Tortellini alla Panna with Prosciutto and Peas

2 ounces prosciutto cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup peas frozen

Instructions

Fill a large pot with water and add salt (you can add a splash of extra virgin olive oil if you like). Put over high heat.
In a large pan with high sides, add in butter and cream. Over medium heat, melt butter. Stir the heavy cream with the melted butter. Add in garlic and salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer, cook until it has thickened slightly, about a minute. Remove from heat.
Place tortellini carefully into the pot of boiling water, cook until slightly underdone (or al dente) about 4-6 minutes for fresh tortellini or 8-10 minutes for dry tortellini. If adding peas, do so in the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.
Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water (its okay if you get peas in the water).
Put the pan with the sauce back over medium heat. Add in the tortellini (and prosciutto if using), mixing it well with the cream mixture. Add in the cheese and stir until its melted. Coat the tortellini well with the sauce, add a little pasta water if you need thinner sauce.
Serve warm.

Notes

Don't overcook your pasta. You want to make sure that it is cooked to an "al dente" texture, which basically means it's still a little chewy.
Shredding the cheese. Make sure to buy a block and shred your own parmesan cheese, the stuff that has been pre-shredded has additives that don't allow it to melt properly. Please don't use the dried, grated stuff, use fresh.
Different cheeses. No, you do not have to use parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese). Some other options are Romano cheese, grana padano, or asiago. Just like with the parmesan, I recommend buying a block of the cheese and hand grating it yourself.
Different type of pasta. I love using tortellini here, but other stuffed pastas would also work such as tortelloni, ravioli, or cappelletti. The pasta doesn't have to be stuffed though, you can use your favorite pasta shape.

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

Nutrition