Tortellini Alla Panna

Tortellini alla Panna is a tasty pasta dish with a luscious, creamy Parmesan sauce that will have your guests asking for seconds!

You won’t believe how easily you can make such a classic Italian dish in 20 minutes with just 6 ingredients. This is an ideal family weeknight meal when everyone is hungry and wants something delicious!

Why you will love this recipe

I can’t even begin to count all the reasons why you’ll love Tortellini alla Panna. This is one of those recipes you can rely on to be perfect every time. It’s a simple, no-fail, authentic Italian recipe that is loved by many.

Other hits in my house are my delicious homemade cavatelli pasta and tonnarelli which my family adores and asks me to make again and again.

Tortellini alla panna means “tortellini with cream”. I like to add ham and peas but that’s entirely optional. At its most basic, the sauce can be prepared with just butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese.

When you need easy weeknight dinners for family and friends, this is the recipe for you. If you love Alfredo sauce, then you’ll love it. Think of this as tortellini alfredo. Plus, the creamy Parmesan sauce is also delicious served with garganelli or tagliatelle.

For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Ingredients

• Tortellini: Use good-quality tortellini—meat or cheese, depending on your preference. I use locally made frozen tortellini, but refrigerated works too; just adjust the cooking time based on the package instructions. Homemade tortellini are fantastic if you’re up for it, but store-bought options from the refrigerated aisle or a local supplier work just as well.
• Heavy cream: There is no substitute because this is an “alla panna” after all.
• Parmesan cheese:  It’s best to buy a wedge and finely grate it yourself. The pre-grated cheese contains stuff to keep it dry and not clumping. Firstly, you don’t want strange additions to your food. But secondly, this will give a dry mouth feel to the sauce and won’t melt well.
• Butter: I much prefer unsalted because there is enough salt in the Parmesan and ham. However, use salted butter if that’s what you have but don’t add extra salt before tasting and checking for seasoning.
• Ham: Use Italian prosciutto cotto, which is “cooked ham”. But if you can’t find it or it’s too expensive, use whatever ham you like.
• Peas – Frozen is the way to go here. No need for podding peas when we are all about making a quick and simple authentic Italian recipe.

Instructions

Start this recipe off by putting a large pot of salted water on high heat. While it is coming to a boil, prepare the ingredients and make the creamy Parmesan sauce. 

1. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat and saute ham for 30 seconds. You don’t need to brown the ham but the gentle saute will bring out the hammy flavor.
2. Add cream, salt and pepper and simmer for 1 minute. Don’t over-reduce at this stage. The sauce will thicken with the Parmesan cheese and then the tortellini will release starch to thicken the sauce further.
3. Stir in Parmesan cheese and peas and heat through until the peas are defrosted. Remove the pan from the heat until the tortellini are ready.
4. Drain tortellini when cooked, reserving a little of the cooking water. Return the frying pan to the stove over medium heat and stir in the tortellini. Stir to combine and until thoroughly coated in the sauce. The sauce will thicken a little more once the pasta is added. If it is too thick add a splash of reserved cooking water.

Marcellina’s Hint: You may think that the quantity of tortellini suggested would not be enough to serve four people, however, keep in mind that the creamy Parmesan sauce is quite rich. If you want to double the quantity, check out my tips below.

Variations

There are a few ways to vary this tortellini alla panna recipe.

• Add a few strips of roasted red peppers to the sauce
• Substitute smoked salmon for the ham and serve with cheese tortellini
• Add finely chopped basil leaves
• Saute a crushed garlic clove with the ham (not authentic but very tasty)
• Use Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, or Asiago instead of Parmesan cheese.

Equipment needed

• Use a large pot to boil the tortellini (approx 6 quart/6 liters). Fill it ¾ of the way with hot tap water (or boiling water from the kettle) so that it comes to the boil quickly. 
• A large frying pan to make the sauce is ideal. Mine measures 12 inches across and is 2 inches high (30cm x 5cm). You’ll need the area once the tortellini are added.

Tips for Success

• The success of this tortellini alla panna recipe is based on timing. So the first thing I suggest is to use hot tap water to fill the pot for boiling the tortellini. This way the water will boil much quicker. The sauce is super quick to make so the longest step will be waiting for the water to boil. In fact, I sometimes boil water in an electric kettle and pour that into the pot to boil the pasta.
• Secondly, make the sauce while waiting for the pasta to cook. However, don’t leave the cream to reduce. As soon as the peas are thawed and cooked through, set the sauce aside until the tortellini are ready.
• Lastly, add cooked tortellini to the sauce and heat gently. What this does is add a little bit of starch to the sauce which begins to thicken it. Also, the tortellini absorbs the flavors from the creamy Parmesan sauce.

FAQ

Related Recipes

Here are some of my favorite pasta sauces and pasta combinations that I know you’ll enjoy as well.

Ragu Sauce for Pasta
Nut Free Pesto including a variation with pine nuts
Cavatelli and Broccoli is a delicious way to get more veg into your diet

Made this recipe?
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Tortellini Alla Panna Recipe

This recipe is a tasty pasta dish with a luscious, creamy Parmesan sauce, ham and peas

5 from 57 votes

Print Pin Review

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings:4 people

Author: Marcellina

Equipment

• ▢
  large pot to boil the tortellini (approx 6 quart/6 litres)
• ▢
  largish frying pan approx 12 inches across and is 2 inches high (30cm x 5cm)

Ingredients

• ▢ 16 ounces (450 grams) tortellini (fresh or frozen) (fresh or frozen)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 ½ ounces (70 grams) ham, coarsely chopped
• ▢ 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
• ▢ Pinch salt, to taste plus more for the water to boil the tortellini
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ▢ 1 ½ cups (4 ounces /115 grams) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, or Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 1 ½ cups frozen peas

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Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. When boiling, add tortellini and cook according to package instructions. The tortellini I use take 8-10 minutes.
• Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat and saute ham for 30 seconds. You don’t need to brown the ham but the gentle saute will bring out the hammy flavor.
• Add cream, salt and pepper and simmer for 1 minute. Don’t over reduce at this stage. The sauce will thicken with the Parmesan cheese and then the tortellini will release starch to thicken the sauce further.
• Stir in Parmesan cheese and peas and heat through until the peas are defrosted. Remove the pan from the heat until the tortellini are ready.
• Drain tortellini when cooked, reserving a little of the cooking water.
• Return the frying pan to the stove over medium heat and stir in the tortellini. Stir to combine and until thoroughly coated in the sauce. The sauce will thicken a little more once the pasta is added. If it is too thick add a splash of reserved cooking water.
• Serve with a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

Notes

Tips for success

• Use hot tap water to fill the pot it will boil much quicker. In fact, I sometimes boil water in the electric kettle and pour that into the pot for boiling the pasta.
• Make the sauce while waiting for the pasta to cook then set it aside.
• Add cooked tortellini to the sauce and heat gently so that the sauce thickens a little and all the flavors amalgamate.

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Nutritional Estimate Per Serving

Calories: 883kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 54g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1302mg | Potassium: 281mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1879IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 633mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.