Creamy Pea & Pesto Tortellini

This easy tortellini pasta recipe features fresh pesto, chicken, and parmesan cheese. Quick-cooking tortellini and a simple pesto tortellini sauce keeps this pasta recipe weeknight-friendly - ready in under 30 minutes!

this recipe

Sometimes, I like spending all day in the kitchen. Baaaaaking and cooooooking and singing along to some muuuuusic and just having a lovely, relaxing time.

Other (ok...most) days, I'm more like "ONLY HAVE TEN MINUTES MUST FIND FOOD MUST GET BACK TO WORK SO MUCH WORK TO DO AAAAAH."

The challenge on those days is not to cave and order takeout, both because it costs money (helloooo, broke grad student!) and because in the 45 minutes it generally takes to get here, I might as well have made something tastier and healthier myself anyway. Ya feel me?

I threw this creamy pea & pesto tortellini together the other day as one of those super-speedy takeout alternatives in between packing for the move to our new apartment and working on a ton of cool stuff.

PS - Love this recipe? Try our creamy lemon pasta next →

I loved the simplicity of this tortellini with just peas and some chicken, but it would also be great with broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms or some peppers. The sauce is really just pesto and cream, and in my opinion such a tasty, simple sauce pairs well with just about anything. Go crazy!

📖 Recipe

Creamy Pea & Pesto Tortellini

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

• Author: Jessie
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Yield: Serves 3-4 1x
• Category: Pasta
• Cuisine: Italian-American

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Description

This quick and delicious chicken pesto tortellini recipe is perfect for busy weeknights.

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Ingredients

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• 10 oz. fresh cheese tortellini
• ½ cup green peas
• ¼ cup pesto
• ½ cup shredded cooked chicken
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• (optional) extra fresh basil leaves, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Cook the tortellini according to package directions in very salty water. Drain and set aside.
2. Return the empty pasta pot to the stove and heat peas, pesto, and chicken over medium heat until warmed through, about 3 minutes.
3. Return pasta to pot, add heavy cream, and toss to combine sauce and coat tortellini. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.
4. Top finished pasta with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil (optional) and serve immediately.

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Notes

Use any pesto you like for this recipe - a traditional basil pesto, pea pesto, arugula pesto, or cilantro pesto are all great choices.

Eliminate the chicken to make this a vegetarian dish. You could also substitute grilled shrimp or Italian sausage to switch up the protein.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4 servings
• Calories: 382
• Sugar: 2.2 g
• Sodium: 1104.5 mg
• Fat: 17.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 37.1 g
• Protein: 18 g
• Cholesterol: 55 mg

Keywords: pasta, tortellini, alfredo, comfort food