Tortellini with Mushrooms & Peas

Too often my friends think of pasta dishes as having to be heavy and rich.  And while I love them that way…heavy and rich certainly they do not have to be.  There are a ton of pasta recipes that are light, have subtle flavors, and are absolutely delicious.  Here’s just such a recipe for Tortellini.  In this recipe, the  pasta sauce consists of some sautéed mushrooms, peas, and some chicken stock.  That means it’s a very simple, and very fast, sauce, and a fast and easy pasta recipe, that you can easily make after getting home from work.  And while it’s filling and satisfying it won’t weigh you down.  Hope you love this tortellini recipe as much as I do.

Recipe Overview & Keys to Success

To make the best Tortellini with Mushrooms and Peas, try to make sure you do the following:

1. Over cooked tortellini will ruin this pasta recipe.  It turns mushy, and a bit gross, so I pull the pasta out about a minute before the package suggests, and finish the tortellini in the sauce.
2. The mushrooms on the other hand, I like to make sure are well done.  Undercooked, I don’t much care for the texture of mushrooms, and I don’t think the flavors are concentrated enough.  Start cooking them first as they will take the longest (about 15 minutes0, and cook the mushrooms until almost all the water is evaporated out, and they are nicely browned on all sides
3. The chicken stock, combined with the olive oil/butter, is what makes the pasta sauce, and you shouldn’t skimp.  There should be enough sauce to well coat all the tortellini.  Fortunately, if it ever looks dry, it's easy to just add a bit more.

RECIPE FOR TORTELLINI WITH MUSHROOMS AND PEAS

Ingredients (for 2)

• 1 package cheese tortellini
• 3/4 cup crimini mushrooms chopped
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 strip bacon chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of good olive oil

Tortellini with Mushrooms & Peas

• Start by sautéing the mushrooms over medium high heat in olive oil; season them with salt and pepper, and toss every 3 – 4 minutes until well cooked through; about 15 - 20 minutes
• Once cooked, remove the mushrooms and add the bacon to the pan.  Sauté it until crisp
• Once the bacon is crisp, add the mushrooms back, as well as the shallots and garlic and turn up the heat
• Drop the pasta into boiling, salted water and stir to prevent from sticking; cook about 1 minute less than the package suggests
• Once the tortellini is in the water, add the chicken stock and the rosemary to the mushrooms; bring to a boil and reduce by half while the Tortellini cooks
• If the chicken stock reduces before the tortellini is done, just turn the heat down
• Drain the tortellini and add it to the mushrooms.  Add the frozen peas and cook everything over high heat, and season with salt and pepper
• Cook for a few minutes, tossing every 30 seconds or so; if the tortellini looks dry add more stock to the sauce
• Turn the heat off, and add the butter, and parmesan cheese; toss to combine

Serve up the Tortellini with a bit more parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Wine Recommendation: With Italian food, I love Italian wine, and while there are probably many white varietals that would go very well with the Tortellini, I think the addition of the mushroom and rosemary allow you to go bigger.  Barbara would be my pick.  Generally it’s a pretty easy drinking red without a ton of tannin, and good acid, making it a nice paring wine.