Tortellini carbonara is one of those dishes full of complex flavors, but here’s a secret: It’s really easy to make. Using refrigerated tortellini is a major timesaver when it comes to making this dish, and since there are no eggs in this recipe, it’s so much easier to make. Tortellini pasta carbonara could just be the perfect comfort food for those days when you don’t feel like spending much time in the kitchen.
Ingredients for Tortellini Carbonara
- Cheese tortellini: Refrigerated tortellini cooks quickly, saving you the effort and time needed to make tortellini from scratch.
- Bacon: Bacon serves as the pork component in this dish—it’s crispy, and the bacon fat further flavors the sauce. Yum!
- Heavy whipping cream: The cream combines with the Parmesan cheese to make the delicious carbonara sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: Parmesan is the key flavor that plays off the bacon for an amazingly tasty sauce that’s both decadent and delicious.
- Fresh parsley: Is there any garnish more perfect than parsley?
Directions
Step 1: Cook the tortellini
Cook the tortellini according to the package directions, then drain the pasta and set it aside.
Step 2: Cook the bacon
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and set it on folded paper towels to absorb the grease. Pour off the drippings remaining in the pan.
Step 3: Finish the dish
In the same pan, combine the cream, cheese, parsley and bacon, then heat through over medium heat. Stir in the tortellini and serve immediately.
Tortellini Carbonara Variations
- Add egg: Make this a little more like a traditional carbonara by adding egg to the sauce. Try halving the cream and tempering two whisked eggs into the sauce for added protein. Temper the eggs by adding a small amount of the hot mixture to the whisked egg before adding it all back to the pan, and do this after removing the pan from the heat to keep the eggs from scrambling!
- Make it with spaghetti: If you love long noodles, make this dish with spaghetti instead of tortellini. Here’s an authentic pasta carbonara recipe for another take on the dish.
- Use pancetta or guanciale: Instead of bacon, fry some pancetta, or if you can find it, guanciale, which is pork jowl.
- Add fresh ground pepper: Grind some black pepper atop each serving of tortellini carbonara for enhanced flavor. Delicioso!
How to Store Tortellini Carbonara
Once it cools, store the tortellini carbonara in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for three to four days.
Can you freeze tortellini carbonara?
This dish is best served fresh, or reheated after being kept in the refrigerator. Freezing isn’t recommended because the sauce could separate and the pasta’s texture may change.
Tortellini Carbonara Tips
What does carbonara mean?
Carbonara comes from the Italian word carbonaro, which means “coal burner.” Theories abound that carbonara pasta originated as a dish for Italian coal workers, while other theories state that shepherds around Rome made the dish because of their readily available bacon and cheese. What we do know is that it’s a classic Italian dish, typically made from pancetta, eggs, cheese and pasta. Here’s another way to make carbonara sauce.
Could I add peas?
Yes, peas are often included in carbonara recipes—they help lighten the dish with fresh flavors. Snap peas or small bits of asparagus also taste great in tortellini carbonara. Here’s a peas and pasta carbonara recipe that uses cream cheese as a sauce base, plus it has cherry tomatoes on top.
What could I make that’s similar?
Tortellini paired with a creamy sauce is doubly delicious. Try our tortellini Alfredo or prosciutto tortellini recipes for similar flavor profiles with slightly different ingredients.
