Ricotta Tortellini with Green Pea Sauce

Fresh pasta is my weakness.

Any restaurant that tells me they make their pasta fresh, that is what I’m ordering. Doesn’t matter if I went out because I wanted a steak, or nachos, or just for drinks. Someone offers me fresh pasta, I have to take it…the other item that will win over anything (besides pasta) is poke, but you won’t catch me making that at home, I live in Utah, being landlocked I feel better cooking the fish since I can’t fly it in fresh daily.

I also love making pasta at home and playing with fillings and sauces. A sauce made with cream and fresh peas was one of the first sauces I made on my own, and it’s still one of our favorites! When my CSA box (community supported agriculture) had fresh peas in it this week, I knew I had to put this on the menu.

As I’ve said in previous posts, I use other people’s recipes for the pasta dough, I love the simplicity of Bon Appetit’s pasta dough, though it can be a bit sticky for ravioli or tortellini, and I also own and often use The Ultimate Pasta and Noodle Cookbook. With that being said, I have my own recipes for the tortellini filling, and pasta sauce/garnishes below.

I would recommend serving this dish fresh and warm, and I won’t tell if you decide to grab a bag of frozen tortellini instead, pasta can take hours and is a labor of love, though I always recommend making your own sauce!

Ricotta Filling

Fills: ~1lb of pasta dough
Serves: 4

• 1c Ricotta cheese
• 1 Egg
• Zest of one lemon
• 1/4tsp Salt
• 1/8tsp Nutmeg
• 1/8tsp pepper
• 1/4c Shredded parmesan

1. Mix all ingredients until smooth.
2. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
3. Roll out pasta to desired thickness.
4. Cut into even 2.5-3inch squares for large tortellini.
5. Use a pastry bag or small spoon to dollop out the filling in the center of each square.
6. Wet two sides of each square and fold into a triangle and gently press the edges to seal.
7. Then press two corners of the triangle together to form the tortellini.
8. Cook in salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until floating.
9. Toss in sauce over low heat, garnish, and serve.
10. Enjoy!

Green Pea Sauce

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

• 1 1/4c Fresh peas, already shelled
• 2c. Heavy cream
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 1/4tsp Garlic, minced
• 6 Slices of bacon
• 1 pint Grape tomatoes
• Shaved parmesan for serving

1. Wash grape tomatoes and slice in 1/2, set aside.
2. Using a blender or food processor blend the peas, heavy cream, lemon, and garlic together. The mixture will be a smooth thick cream. Hold until later.
3. In a medium sauté pan cook the bacon until crispy over medium heat, and set aside on paper towels to drain the excess fat.
4. Reserve 2tbsp of the bacon fat in the sauté pan and sauté the tomatoes until soft.
5. In a large sauce pan pour the blended pea mixture and cook over medium-low heat until it loosens and warms.
6. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.
7. Add the drained and cooked tortellini to the sauce and garnish with the tomatoes and bacon.
8. Cook over medium heat until the pasta is coated.
9. Serve topped with shaved parmesan.
10. Enjoy!

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