Pesto Tortellini is an easy dinner recipe that's ready in just 15 minutes! Tortellini pasta with an easy homemade pesto sauce, parmesan cheese, and fresh spinach.
Course Dinner, Pasta, Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Keyword pesto tortellini
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 5 minutesminutes
Total Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 6
Calories 516kcal
Author Jessica - Together as Family
Ingredients
Basil Spinach Pesto
1cupfresh basil leaves
1cupbaby spinach
1/2cupextra-virgin olive oil
1/4cuppine nuts
1/4cupgrated parmesan cheese(from a wedge)
1tablespoonfresh squeezed lemon juice
2teaspoonsminced or chopped garlic
¼teaspoonkosher salt
¼teaspoonblack pepper
Tortellini
1package (20 oz)refrigerated tortellini
2cupsbaby spinach
grated parmesan cheese(for garnish)
Instructions
Make The Basil Spinach Pesto
Into a food processor add the basil, baby spinach, extra-virgin olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Blend until combined well. Set off to the side while you prepare the tortellini.
1 cup fresh basil leaves, 1 cup baby spinach, 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, 2 teaspoons minced or chopped garlic, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Tortellini
Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the tortellini according to the package directions. * I add about 1 teaspoon kosher salt into the boiling water.
1 package (20 oz) refrigerated tortellini
When the pasta is done, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Drain the tortellini into a colander.
Add the tortellini back into the pot (or a serving bowl). Add the 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and the baby spinach into the tortellini. Stir until the spinach has wilted.
2 cups baby spinach
Add the basil pesto and stir gently to combine everything together.
Garnish with additional freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil : It's important that you use 'extra-virgin' because it has a lighter taste than classic olive oil. Classic olive oil has a very heavy taste to it, so I recommend using 'extra-virgin'. I sometimes also use the 'light tasting' of extra-virgin olive oil. Parmesan Cheese : For the best taste buy a wedge of parmesan cheese (from the deli area of the store) and use a cheese grater to grate it. I don't recommend using the shelf-stable parmesan cheese or the bagged shredded parmesan cheese in this recipe. Tortellini : Any variety of tortellini will work great. Meat, cheese, spinach, etc. You can also use frozen tortellini if wanted - however, I prefer the taste and texture of the refrigerated tortellini. If you don't have a food processor, use a blender (or a mini food chopper) to make the basil pesto sauce.