Tortellini alla Panna (2024)

This tortellini alla panna or "tortellini with cream" is a rich and comforting pasta dish made with prosciutto and peas. Best of all it can be prepared in under 20 minutes.

If you're craving some delicious comfort food, you can never go wrong with pasta - from penne al baffo to tortellini bolognese to pasta alla zozzona to spicy rigatoni to spaghetti alla Nerano to pasta alla salmone.

And this tortellini alla panna is the latest and greatest. Anything with cream is better. Add in some crispy prosciutto and bright green peas and you have the perfect dish.

Why This Recipe Works

• Simple - as with most traditional Italian dishes, you use a minimal amount of ingredients that generate a ton of flavor.
• Quick to prepare - you can have this dish from start to the dinner table in under 20 minutes.
• Flavorful - you get pops of saltiness from the prosciutto and sweet/savory notes from the peas and of course creaminess from the sauce.

Ingredient Notes

• Tortellini - use cheese tortellini as it works perfectly with the cream sauce. You can really step up your game and make your own, but store-bought is fine.
• Sauce - this is a pretty traditional cream sauce which consists of butter, cream and Parmesan cheese. You get some added flavor from the shallots.
• Prosciutto - has just the right amount of salt to enhance the dish. Also adds texture.
• Peas - adds some brightness and bursts of sweetness to the pasta dish.

Ingredient Swaps

While this recipe is pretty perfect, you can mix up the ingredients. Some variations include:

• It is called tortellini alla panna for a reason, but you can use any pasta you like - from pappardelle to rigatoni to orecchiette to ravioli.
• Shallotsare my go-to here , but sweet, white, yellow or red onions will work as well. They all high slightly differentflavors.
• Whileprosciutto is traditional for this recipe, you can also use ham or speck.

Step-by-Step Photos

Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.

Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat, cooking the shallot and prosciutto.

Add in the cream, salt and pepper, simmering for another minute.

Add ½ of the cheese to the sauce, mixing until melted through.

Stir in the tortellini and peas, tossing a couple of times before adding the remaining cheese. Add some pasta water if needed.

FAQs

Variations

While I like the dish as is, you can customize this recipe to your preference. Some variations include:

• Pasta - while tortellini is my go-to, ravioli works too or another pasta like rigatoni.
• Protein - prosciutto is traditional but you can use other proteins like shrimp, calamari or chicken.
• Veggies - peas are great, but asparagus, broccoli or peppers would complement the sauce as well.
• Texture - some toasted breadcrumbs or pine nuts can add great texture and flavor.

Side Dish Suggestions

While this recipe is perfect on its own. You can serve with a variety of sides including:

• Roasted Broccoli
• Garlic Bread
• Italian Salad
• Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Caprese Salad

Equipment

The equipment you use is important to how the tortellini alla panna turns out. What is needed is the following:

• Skillet/Dutch oven- you want something large enough to cook the sauce.
• Spoon- you want a good wooden spoon to stir everything together.
• Cheese grater- I mentioned multiple time but use a cheese block and grate yourself.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• Make sure the water you are cooking the pasta in is salted as some of the flavor comes from it.
• DO NOT overcook the tortellini when boiling. You want it just al dente or slightly under. It continues to cook with the sauce.
• Use ahigh fat content creamas it thickens when it cooks so you don't need a roux.
• Don't use pre-shredded cheese. You want if finely grated so it melts well. Pre-shredded has added ingredients that will just make it clump up.
• If omitting the prosciutto, add additional salt to the dish.

Other Pasta Recipes

If you’ve tried this tortellini alla pannarecipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow meonFacebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.

More Pasta Recipes