Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini

This roasted red pepper tortellini takes store-bought tortellini to the next level. It's coated in a super easy homemade creamy red pepper and tomato sauce and is so so tasty. There's no oven or roasting involved, so it's the perfect easy weeknight meal.

This roasted red pepper tortellini is made with store-bought tortellini, pan-roasted tomatoes and red peppers, fresh basil, and lots of delicious fresh parmesan cheese. You could add a protein to bulk it up, or serve it as a vegetarian dish.

If you're looking for other ways to use your store-bought tortellini, try our Creamy Parmesan Tortellini with Tomatoes or Mushroom and Ricotta Cheese Tortellini.

Ingredients

• Store-bought tortellini- We buy the two packs of Kirkland Five Cheese Tortellini from Costco, but any store-bought (or homemade!) variety works. This recipe would work with ravioli as well.
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Red bell pepper
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh basil
• Lemon juice
• Heavy cream
• Parmesan cheese
• Other ingredients: olive oil, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper

See recipe card for amounts.

Instructions

Step 1: Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

Step 2: Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the red peppers and tomatoes and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are blistered and the peppers are soft. Then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Step 3: Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor or blender, then add the basil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and crushed red peppers. Blend until smooth, then add the mixture to the pan and put over medium-low heat.

Step 4: Add heavy cream to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Then add the reserved pasta water and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens again.

Step 5: Transfer the drained pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix until the pasta is coated. Then add the parmesan cheese and mix until melted and combined.

Garnish with basil and extra parmesan cheese if desired.

Variations

• Add chicken or shrimp
• Cook extra tomatoes and add them in at the end (instead of pureeing them all)
• Add extra veggies
• Swap out the tortellini for ravioli

Roasted Red Pepper Tortellini Recipe

Recipe by Mollie

This roasted red pepper tortellini takes store-bought tortellini to the next level. It's coated in a super easy homemade creamy red pepper and tomato sauce and is so so tasty. There's no oven or roasting involved, so it's the perfect easy weeknight meal.

Course: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

5 from 2 votes

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Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

590

kcal

Total time

20

minutes

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Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds 1.5 store-bought tortellini (we use five cheese)

• 1 tablespoons 1 olive oil

• 2 2 red bell peppers, diced

• 2 cups 2 cherry or grape tomatoes

• 4 cloves 4 garlic, minced

• 1 cup 1 fresh basil leaves

• Juice of Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 teaspoon 1 salt

• 2 teaspoons 2 black pepper

• ½ teaspoon ½ crushed red pepper

• 1 cup 1 heavy cream

• 1 cup 1 pasta water

• 1 cup 1 grated parmesan cheese (see note)

Directions

• Cook the tortellini according to package instructions. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
• Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the red peppers and tomatoes and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are blistered and the peppers are soft. Then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor or blender, then add the basil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and crushed red peppers. Blend until smooth, then add the mixture to the pan and put over medium-low heat.
• Add heavy cream to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Then add the reserved pasta water and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the sauce thickens again.
• Transfer the drained pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix until the pasta is coated. Then add the parmesan cheese and mix until melted and combined.
• Garnish with basil and extra parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

• High quality parmesan cheese (not the unrefrigerated stuff in the canister) works best.

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