Recipe for Cheese Tortellini with Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes at Life's Ambrosia

Last Thursday I got up bright and early knowing that I had a busy day ahead of me. It involved the hitting gym, cleaning the house, getting ready for a family visit and completing the Daring Bakers Challenge. By dinner time I was exhausted and ready to run to the nearest drive through to pick up a burger and fries. That however, would’ve made the trip to the gym earlier in the day a big waste of time. Instead, I decided to look for a meal that was short on time but big on flavor. This quick pasta is just that. There are 4 ingredients and 2 steps. I had this meal on the table in 10 minutes.

For this recipe you can use store bought pesto but I had just purchased a bunch of basil the day before so I made my own. It is fairly easy to make. I will say that a package of pine nuts can be pretty expensive. If you are only using them for this recipe, check the bulk section of your grocery store. I found some there, got exactly the amount I wanted and it only cost a few dollars.

Serves 2

You will need:

1 (9 ounce) package fresh cheese tortellini pasta
1/2 cup pesto (recipe follows)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
Freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Transfer to serving bowl.
Stir in pesto and sun dried tomatoes. Toss to coat pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.
Serve.

Basic Pesto

Makes 1 cup

You will need:

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic peeled
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Combine basil, garlic, pine nuts and cheese in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
With the food processor running, slowly pour in a steady stream of extra virgin olive oil until combined.
Refrigerate any unused portion in a airtight container for up to 1 week.

I served this pasta with salad, garlic bread and pinot grigio. It was the perfect way to wind down after a busy day.

Enjoy!

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Responses to "Cheese Tortellini with Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes"

“
Basil & sun dried tomatoes? can I come over? these 2 makes every single thing taste like a dream.. lovely picture there.
”

- Soma

“
Hum, I love this dish, whenever I make I always make extra and have it later cold (or room temp) as a salad. Nice photo!
”

- Rita

“
pasta salads are a favorite of mine simply because there are so many different ways of making them. I love all of the colors in the photo as well. Your husband has a great eye for food!
”

- Jessie

“
I love these simple recipes! I’m lazy so I’d probably just use the premade pesto sitting right next to the tortellini! :)
”

- Cookie

“
Hmmm, might be I shall try to use coarsely ground cashews for pine nuts then.
Yes, colors in the pic are in good harmony.
”

- TasteHongKong

“
What a great combination of flavours for a pasta!
”

- Kevin

“
On the table in 10 minutes? Works for me. And I have everything in the fridge but the pasta which would be easy to pick up after work. Yahoo!
”

- Mrs. L

“
I made this delicious and easy recipe on Sunday night. I substituted the sun dried tomatoes with fresh cherry tomatoes that I purchased that day at a farm stand. Even with halving the cherry tomatoes, this ended up being so easy in prep and the fresh pesto smelled and looked amazing! I blogged about it and linked the recipe to your site (http://funandfearlessinbeantown.blogspot.com/2009/08/scenes-from-sundays-dinner-tomatoes.html). Thanks again for sharing!
”

- Fun and Fearless in Beantown

“
You’re welcome fun and fearless! I am glad that you enjoyed it. I bet it was delicious with the substitution of cherry tomatoes.
”

- Deseree

“
Simple but delicious flavor of pasta.
”

- Cheese products

“
I’ve already made this dish 3 times within the past two weeks. My husband and I love it! I will never look at store-bought pesto the same. Great hit for Valentines Day and I love the vegetarian options, please keep them coming! Thanks!
”

- Debra