Name: Cheese Tortellini in Garlic Butter Sauce
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 32 ounces chicken broth (or vegetable broth, divided); 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 (16 ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini ((see notes)); 4 tablespoons butter; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 teaspoons dried basil; 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (for garnish); Fresh basil (chiffonade, for garnish, optional)

An easy, delicious recipe for Cheese Tortellini in a simple garlic butter sauce with basil. Keep it warm in a crockpot for a party appetizer, or serve up in a big bowl for a comforting weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less.

Ingredient notes:

Cheese tortellini: Your favorite brand. It can be handmade, or store-bought. Fresh, frozen, or even dried. Tortellini are small and compact, easy to grab with a fork, and hold up well in the cooking water.

Step-by-step instructions:

Set aside 1 ½ cups of broth in a small bowl and whisk the cornstarch into it. Heat the remaining broth in a saucepan until boiling.
Add tortellini and cook until the tortellini floats to the top of the water and the internal temperature of a tortellini is 165 degrees. Gently drain and set aside.
In a non-stick skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat until it foams. Add the garlic and dried basil and stir for 2 minutes to sauté the garlic.
Then add the broth and cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the mixture thickens, only 1 or 2 minutes.
Stir in the al dente tortellini and toss in the garlic butter mixture to coat every piece. Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese.

Recipe tips and variations:

Yield: 16 ounces of pasta should feed 4 people.
Make ahead: This recipe is best made when you plan to serve it, even though the leftovers are delicious. But if you want to pre-cook a larger amount of tortellini so you can replenish a buffet, toss the pasta lightly in olive oil after it’s drained, which will keep it from drying out. Then simmer the sauce and combine the two as you need more.
Using water: Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil for each pound of tortellini you plan to cook. Add salt if desired; I like 1 tablespoon salt/quart if I’m using water. (I do not add salt if I’m cooking in broth.)
Tortelloni vs tortellini: Both types of stuffed pasta have the same basic shape. However, tortellini are smaller (generally about 2 grams each) and tortelloni are larger (generally about 5 grams each).
Leftovers: Cooked pasta, in general, keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. This recipe should be consumed within that time frame as well (and the leftovers are excellent.)
Low sodium: Although I typically purchase low-sodium chicken broth and unsalted butter, this particular recipe tasted a little off when I tested with those ingredients. So, in this one instance I do not recommend the low-sodium options. If that’s what you have, just add a little salt to the finished dish until it tastes perfect.
Tortellini cooking times: 2 to 3 minutes for refrigerated (soft) tortellini, 3 to 5 minutes for frozen tortellini, and 10 to 11 minutes for dried tortellini. Signs of doneness are when the pasta floats to the surface of the water, and has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Spinach: A handful or two of baby spinach added to the pasta in the pan couldn’t hurt, especially if you want to up your leafy greens.

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