Whew! What a title! It may sound scary, but tonight’s dinner was quick, easy and delicious. Take a semi-homemade approach and you can have this meal on the table in 20 minutes.
What You Need:
Spinach & Cheese Tortellini (I used Bertolli dry)
Sea Salt (or Kosher, whatever you use)
Olive Oil
Butter
Mushrooms, roughly chopped
Garlic, 3 cloves or so
Pesto (I use Buitoni)
Parmesan Cheese
Bacon, about 4-5 slices
What You Do:
Start a pot of water boiling with the lid on, this makes it boil faster. Meanwhile, start about 3 T. olive oil and 2 T. butter in a pan on medium heat. The reason you use both is because the oil keeps the butter from browning too much and still offers the buttery flavor. Toss in the mushrooms and let cook down a little before adding the chopped garlic.
Salt the now boiling water and pour in the tortellini, give them a stir to keep them from sticking together. Stir the mushrooms occasionally to keep them from browning too much. Put the bacon on some paper towels and cook for about 1 minute per piece. I used our fresh, organic bacon from the half a pig we just got, and by fresh I mean just came out of the smoker on Monday. It was the best bacon I have ever had.
Ladle the tortellini into the mushroom sauce. Don’t be afraid to get a little pasta water in the mushroom pan, you will need it to thicken the sauce. Turn off the heat and add 1 T. of pesto and some parmesan. Stir well to coat all the pasta with pesto, parmesan and the sauce.
Serve with a little crumbled bacon on top and some fresh parsley and basil, if you have it! Enjoy!
Thank you for having Dinner at The Hampton’s and see you around the table next time.
