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This Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini is the best any night of the week family dinner. We’re taking tortellini and making it even better, with a rich and creamy roasted red pepper sauce and fresh burrata cheese. Each cute little tortellini has delicious, cozy winter flavors that melt in your mouth. It’s the creamiest bowl of cheese tortellini that’s fancy enough for the weekend, but easy enough to make any night of the week. And most importantly, it’s delicious!
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Currently, I’m in a rotation of four food groups, Asian, Indian, Mexican, and then every once in a while…a random Italian recipe gets thrown into the mix.
I’m not sure what’s going on with my family, but we’ve all been wanting a good amount of Asian and especially Indian-inspired recipes. In fact, as I type this, I have golden rice and curry cooking away on the stove for yet another family dinner. Everyone has really taken a liking to dishes with lots of flavor and spice.
Honestly, my brothers have all been surprising me with what they’ve been requesting. They’ve really come such a long way from their chicken and rice days. I’ve found I’m actually enjoying cooking for everyone these days. It’s a lot of work, but we don’t always get to be together. So I’m taking advantage of this time and testing out as many recipes as I can on these guys. The one thing about brothers is that they’ll always tell it to you like it is…
If they love something, they really LOVE it.
And if something is not that great, I’m going to hear about it. Not in a mean way, but in a, “yeah, that wasn’t my favorite” kind of way.
Anyway, in an effort to switch things up a bit, I thought I’d make some easy Italian style pasta.
Originally this was just going to be a roasted red pepper pasta, because the other two things I’m currently obsessed with are red peppers and red Fresno peppers. But then I opened the fridge and saw one lingering box of cheese tortellini. I decided that while roasted red pepper pasta sounded good, roasted red pepper cheese tortellini sound even better.
And that’s how I finally came to make the simplest cheesy, red pepper tortellini.
Here are the quick details.
To give the sauce a bit of extra flavor, I decided to cook up the shallots and garlic in a little olive oil before pureeing them with the roasted red peppers. Pureeing the shallots, garlic, and peppers will leave you with a silky smooth red pepper sauce.
Once you have the sauce made, this comes together in minutes. You’ll want to cook up a little tomato paste, add a splash of vodka, then stir in the red pepper sauce. For the vodka, I pretty much always add a splash to most of my tomato-based pasta sauces. I find that it perfectly highlights all the flavors within the sauce. Of course, if you don’t use or drink vodka, you can easily just use water or broth.
Once the sauce is in the pan, add a little cream and fresh baby spinach. Let that simmer over low heat while you cook the tortellini.
For the tortellini, I used a cheese tortellini from Whole Foods, but use any kind of tortellini flavor you love.
Then toss the pasta with the sauce, add fresh parmesan cheese, and that’s that. Simple. Simple.
But wait, there is one extra special touch.
Serve this cheesy tortellini up with a ball of fresh burrata cheese. It adds a layer of creaminess to each and every bowl of pasta and it’s delicious with a sprinkling of fresh basil.
Yummm. And super easy. Perfect for just about any night of the week. And for me personally, I’m actually beyond excited to make this again today on Instagram stories. It feels like an exciting Wednesday night dinner.
Cannot wait!
Looking for more quick pasta dinner? Here are a few to try:
Crispy Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Pesto Pasta
Roasted Broccoli Pasta Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Whipped Ricotta
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini
Ingredients
- 1 (16 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup vodka, (or water)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pound fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
- 8 ounces burrata cheese, at room temperature
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the tortellini. Now add the red peppers to a food processor or blender. 2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Cook until the shallots begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the mix to the food processor or blender with the red peppers. Puree until smooth. 3. Set the same skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes, cook 4 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the vodka, cook another 2 minutes. Stir in the red pepper sauce, cream, parmesan, spinach, and basil. Season with salt and pepper.4. Cook the tortellini according to package directions until al dente. Drain, then toss with the red pepper sauce.5. Divide the tortellini between plates and top with burrata and fresh basil. Eat and enjoy immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Very good especially with the burrata! My husband absolutely loved it!! I grilled fresh red peppers since I didn’t have the canned ones. Love your recipes!!!
Hey Deanne,
I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Super easy recipe with a lot of flavor. This was so delicious!!
Hey Maria,
I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
This was such a great dish! So many layers of flavor. Perfectly balanced.
Hey Virginia,
I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Super easy and delish. We halved the recipe for 2, used way more spinach, courtesy of our CSA, and used spinach and cheese tortellini. It was superb! Great recipe for using up last year’s home roasted red peppers taking up precious real estate in my freezer.
Hey Briana,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, it makes me so happy that it was enjoyed. Happy Friday! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it is DELICIOUS! I ended up using spinach ricotta ravioli instead of tortellini and it was perfect. So simple and my two kiddos loved it so this will definitely be added to our meal rotation!
Hey Jenny,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
I just made this delicious recipe. I have family coming in town over the Easter Holiday. Can I make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it.
Hey Delbra,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! Yes, you can freeze the sauce. xTieghan
When do I add the olive oil? I couldn’t find it in the directions. So I ended up sauteing the shallots and garlic in it but it seemed like a lot of oil for just sauteing.
Hey Kristin,
You are using 2 tablespoons of olive oil in step 2 and 2 tablespoons in step 3. Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xTieghan
We liked this but my husband preferred it without the burrata cheese. I did use 2 teaspoons of the red pepper flakes flakes and it had a nice little kick to it.
Hey Kristin,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Wow!!! Hands down one of the best things I’ve made in a long time. This is bursting with flavor. I added some sautéed mushrooms on the side and my carnivore husband said it was one of his favorite meals ever. We’ll make this a lot!
Hey Katy,
I am so thrilled this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a major crowd pleaser! My 3.5 yr old helped me make the sauce and then actually even ate some of it AND liked it! Didn’t have basil, so I left it out, but we will definitely be making this again.
Hey Maggie,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This is delicious —- one of our very favorites! Easy and tasty!
Hey Barb,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
How would you add a protein? Say chicken or sausage? At what step?? And trying for keto so I might just do veggies instead of tortellini ?? Recommendations???
Hey Cheryl,
I think spicy Italian sausage would work well here. I would sauté it at the beginning, set a side, and then add at the end. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Tried this out tonight and it was huge hit! LOVED it! Yummmm….another win!
Hey Jill,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a go! I am thrilled it was enjoyed. xTieghan
SO GOOD!! This is the perfect week night meal! quick and easy!!!!
Hey Julia,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a go! I am thrilled it was enjoyed. xTieghan
This is the 4th recipe I’ve tried of yours, every one has been absolutely delicious. Buying your book right now.
Hey Kris,
I am so glad you have enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan