Super EASY Pesto with Tortellini made with a few basic ingredients in 15 minutes! Busy weeknight dinners never tasted so good!
I decided to update this post so that it's more user friendly and easier to read. It's the same recipe aside from making chicken optional 🙂
Pesto, tortellini, and broccoli is what it's all about. Let me show you how easy it is to make my 'go to' meal for busy weekdays and how you can change it up!
Believe it or not, I created this recipe over ten years ago by throwing a few ingredients together because it's what I had. It quickly became a family favorite!
And thankfully my kids love this pesto tortellini recipe now just as much now as they did then. As you'll see, it's almost too easy to be considered a recipe! 🤩
Also known as 'al pesto pasta,' this pesto with tortellini meal can be made with store bought or homemade pesto sauce. Pesto is the 'star of the show' with this dish, so be sure to use a pesto that you really like.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy recipe A quick weeknight meal that your kids will be begging you to make on repeat. If you're looking for a new easy dinner recipe with fresh flavor, this is it!
- 15-minute meal Tortellini and broccoli cook super quick. Believe it or not, the 15 minutes includes the time it takes to bring the water to a boil.
- One-Pot This is my number one "one pot wonder' meals. Using only one pot means less time and fewer dirty dishes. 😅
- Simple Ingredients Tortellini, pesto, and broccoli can be found in most grocery stores. Frozen tortellini can be found in the freezer section of the grocery store. If you prefer to make your own homemade basil pesto, you can find basil and fresh garlic in the produce section. Basil will be in the fresh herbs area.
- Versatile Recipe Serve this meal as is, add shredded chicken, leftover roasted chicken, or salmon for extra protein! Turn leftovers into a cold pasta salad to serve as a side dish the next night.
- Kid-Approved This is a great, simple pasta recipe that has been a kid favorite recipe for years! My whole family loves this recipe so much that I now double the recipe so there is enough for leftovers.
Dietitian Tip
Oftentimes we don't have time to serve a bunch of side dishes with meals to offer a variety to our kids. And that's where 'one pot meals' like this come in handy.
And if your kids like to have a say in what's for dinner, ask whether or not they would like to sprinkle parmesan on their pesto pasta. This is a great way to give them a say in how it's served without giving them too much control.
Sometimes it just takes one small step to make a meal seem that much more special. 😍
Recipe Modifications
There are so many easy ways to change this recipe up just a bit. Here are a few ideas:
- Toss in fresh spinach when you add the broccoli, or you can sub spinach for broccoli.
- Add a pinch or two of red pepper flakes for spice.
- Add more veggies. Toss in carrot slices with the broccoli, stir in cherry tomatoes, or sauteed red bell pepper when you add everything back to the pot to heat through.
- For Mediterranean flavor, add sun-dried tomatoes with or without olives.
- Add protein: shredded chicken, roasted chicken, or pesto salmon taste delicious with pesto tortellini.
- Serve with pieces of fresh basil leaves to enhance the basil flavor.
- Mix in pine nuts or toasted walnut pieces for a little crunch and even more flavor.
Ingredient Notes
- Tortellini I like to use fresh tortellini (spinach tortellini from Trader Joe's). Cheese tortellini will work just as well.
- Pesto Use homemade or store-bought pesto sauce. Homemade pesto adds a vibrant green color and can be made with less oil. If I don't have the ingredients to make my own pesto, I use the Genova Pesto or Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto from Trader Joe's.
- Broccoli Adds color and texture to this recipe. Broccoli is a good source of fiber, and it has a high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory content.
- Parmesan Added for flavor. A little goes a long way.
- Chicken (optional) Good source of protein. I always keep cooked shredded chicken or leftover Dutch oven chicken on hand so I can use it to make quick and easy meals like this. The flavors from leftover Italian chicken would also taste fantastic!
How to Make Pesto with Tortellini
Here is a very brief overview of how to make this pesto with tortellini recipe. For a full list of ingredients and complete instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Add tortellini to a large pot of boiling water (medium-high heat) and cook it according to the package instructions (typically for 2-3 minutes).
- Add broccoli florets to the pot as the tortellini cooks, but only for the last minute of cooking the tortellini.
- Drain tortellini and broccoli.
- Return the tortellini and broccoli to the pot. Reduce to medium heat. Add pesto and chicken (if using) to the pot and cook just until heated through.
Helpful Tips
- Cook the tortellini to al dente, which means it should be tender but firm. This will allow it to hold its shape when mixed with sauce.
- Tortellini cooks very quickly, so be sure not to overcook it.
- Add the broccoli to the boiling water for no more than one minute. If you add it too soon, the broccoli will be mushy.
- This meal will taste as good as your pesto. Use a pesto that you know your family enjoys.
- The type of tortellini used can change the flavor or cooking time.
- If you don't have quite enough pesto or if you prefer a mild pesto flavor, add a small amount of broth, olive oil, or a quarter cup of the pasta water to thin out the pesto that you do have.
- To make this meal vegetarian, leave the chicken out.
- Allow leftovers to cool to room temperature before storing refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
Questions You May Have
I absolutely love the combination of the lemon and garlic from my Tuscan Kale Salad with this pesto tortellini dish! Otherwise, garlic bread, naan, Caesar salad, or even applesauce would work great as side dishes.
Yes, absolutely. Frozen tortellini will take a few more minutes to cook, so keep an eye on it to be sure it's cooked but not overcooked.
You can use any type of pasta in place of tortellini. I was making this for someone who was on a low sodium diet, so I made this with whole wheat spaghetti noodles instead of tortellini and it still tasted great.
Yes! Use whatever pesto you enjoy.
Leftover pesto tortellini can be reheated and placed in a thermos for an easy packed lunch or served as dinner another night. It can also be enjoyed cold, as pesto tortellini with chicken pasta salad, or served as a side dish with Italian baked chicken.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
📖 Recipe
15-Minute Pesto with Tortellini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 oz Spinach Tortellini Can use cheese tortellini instead.
- 2 cups Broccoli florets Can use up to 3 cups.
- 7 oz Pesto Homemade or Storebought
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese grated cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add tortellini to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions, until the tortellini is 'al dente' (cooked through, but still firm). This takes about 2-3 minutes when using fresh tortellini.
- Add broccoli to the boiling water for the last minute of cooking the tortellini.
- Use a colander to drain tortellini and broccoli. Return the tortellini and broccoli to the pot. Reduce to medium heat.
- Mix in the pesto and cook over medium heat, just until heated through. If making this with leftover chicken, add it when you return the cooked tortellini and broccoli to the pot.
- Optional: sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese before serving.
Notes
- Tortellini cooks very quickly. Be sure not to overcook the tortellini or broccoli, otherwise it will be mushy.
- This recipe is easily doubled.
- This meal will taste as good as your pesto. Use a pesto that you know your family enjoys.
- If you don't have as much pesto as this recipe calls for, you can either reserve some of the pasta water or use broth or olive oil to thin out the pesto that you do have.
- Add 1.5 cups of cooked shredded or leftover roasted chicken for more protein. Or top it with cooked salmon.
- Leftovers can be enjoyed hot or cold (like a pasta salad). My kids like to heat leftover pesto tortellini up and place it in a thermos to pack in their school lunches.
- This recipe is super flexible. You can stir in fresh spinach leaves or cherry tomatoes in the final step for to add color and enhance the nutrient profile.
- If you like spice, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- For more of a Mediterranean flare, add sun dried tomatoes or sliced olives.
Melissa says
Super fast and easy! I get so tired of pasta dishes with tomato based sauce so I’m always looking for easy alternatives. Costco is my best friend for This recipe - from the tortellini, pesto and rotisserie chicken.everything was made in my enameled Dutch oven. After mixing the tortellini, chicken and broccoli, I placed slice of fresh mozzarella on top and then sprinkled with grated Parmesan, and then Italian seasonings. I baked in oven at 325, just I til mozzarella melts. So poet gooey delicious! Picky teen boys loved it!
Kristi Ruth RD says
Yum!! You just made my day! Thank you for your detailed review!
Sarah says
Delicious! Just made this tonight for supper and my daughter said she loves it! Thanks for the great recipe.