Cheese Tortellini with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Cheese Tortellini with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto is an easy dinner that’s bursting with rich Italian flavors! Delicious cheese tortellini is tossed in a homemade sun dried tomato pesto that features ingredients like toasted pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan cheese. This flavorful pasta dinner is sure to satisfy everyone at the table!
Cheese Tortellini
Sure, everyone’s had cheese tortellini before. But has everyone had it with homemade sun dried tomato pesto?! Trust me, you’ve never had plain cheese tortellini dressed up quite like this before. If you’re like me and you love the rich, mouthwatering flavors of sun dried tomatoes, you’re going to obsess over how delicious this pesto is. It’s got a great amount of sun dried tomato flavor, while also holding true to it’s pesto flavors with ingredients like pine nuts and parmesan!
You could use this pesto in a variety of ways, but tossing freshly cooked cheese tortellini in it is truly the best. Most tortellinis are filled with parmesan cheese among other cheeses, which pairs perfectly with the parmesan taste in the pesto. Additionally, I love that each soft bite of cheese tortellini is flavored with the powerful Italian flavors in the sun dried tomato pesto. Just top this dish off with some fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese, and you’ll practically feel like you’re in a gondola. Oh, and don’t forget a glass of vino, too!
You can pair this pasta dinner with a variety of side dishes, like a simple tossed salad, Sautéed Broccoli Rabe or Roasted Asparagus with Pine Nuts, Parmesan and Balsamic Glaze, to name a few. However, this dish is so good, it can be enjoyed all on its own! Round out this pasta dinner even more by adding some extra tomatoes to it with some sliced grilled chicken breast. No matter which way you serve it up, you’re bound to be thoroughly satisfied after enjoying this cheese tortellini with sun dried tomato pasta for dinner.
How to Make It
- Cook. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. And while it’s cooking, start making the pesto!
- Blend it. Place the sun-dried tomatoes (remove from the oil), pine nuts, garlic, basil, parmesan, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until all ingredients roughly chopped.
- Stream. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and replace the lid. With the machine running on low, slowly stream in the olive oil and process until just combined but still kind of chunky.
- Stir. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil from the jar.
- Drain. Drain the tortellini and return to the pot.
- Toss. Spoon 1/2 of the pesto over the tortellini and toss gently to coat. If you want it to be coated more, you can use all of the pesto.
- Serve. Serve with parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil, if desired. Enjoy!
I love to use THIS Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto which I keep on hand at all times or you can toss your tortellini with a traditional Basil Pesto.
How long will this tortellini dish stay fresh?
In an airtight container in the refrigerator, this dish will stay fresh for up to 5 days. I know – that’s a long time to enjoy your leftovers! And luckily for you, this dish reheats wonderfully in the microwave.
Why is my pesto dry?
Pesto can unfortunately have a tendency to dry out, which is never desirable. When cooking the tortellini, I usually reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy water it’s cooked in. Then, I splash just a tiny bit of that pasta water into the food processor with the other pesto ingredients if it looks a little dry once blended. Also, be sure to save that pasta water in the fridge! That way, when you reheat your leftovers, you can use it to make sure the tortellini doesn’t dry out in the microwave.
How do I make this dish spicy?
While I like this pesto just the way it is, I totally get it – sometimes you just need to spice things up! When making any Italian food, I find that the best way to make things spicy is by adding crushed red pepper. Be careful, though, as a little crushed red pepper goes a pretty long way. I recommend adding just a teaspoon to the food processor, then doing a taste test before mixing in any more.
More Easy Tortellini Recipes
- Asiago Tortellini
- Skillet Tortellini with Sausage and Pesto
- Italian Tortellini Salad with Grilled Chicken
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Tortellini Soup
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Get the Recipe: Cheese Tortellini with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Cheese Tortellini
- 1 6.7 ounce jar Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Equipment
- saucepan
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to the package directions.
- While the tortellini cooks, make the pesto.
- Place the sun-dried tomatoes (remove from the oil), pine nuts, garlic, basil, parmesan, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until all ingredients roughly chopped.
- Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and replace the lid
- With the machine running on low, slowly stream in the olive oil and process until just combined but still kind of chunky.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of the reserved sun-dried tomato oil from the jar.
- Drain the tortellini and return to the pot.
- Spoon 1/2 of the pesto over the tortellini and toss gently to coat. (If you want it to be coated more, you can use all the pesto.)
- Serve with parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil, if desired.
- Leftover pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container.