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This pesto tortellini recipe makes a quick weeknight meal or side dish! Drape the tender pasta in this creamy, herby sauce.

We’re all about simple recipes these days, and if we can get simple with elevated flavors? Even better. Here’s a recipe that works as a quick main dish or easy side: try this pesto tortellini!
The herby, creamy sauce is perfect for coating tender tortellini (or tortelloni…more on that below!). Sometimes we eat it as a main with a few veggie sides, or it’s perfect alongside chicken or fish. Here’s what you need to know!
Ingredients in pesto tortellini
This recipe is quick and simple, and you only need a few ingredients to pull it together. As with many simple recipes though: quality of ingredients is key. Here’s what you’ll need for the recipe:
- Refrigerated cheese tortelloni: Tortelloni is large tortellini. This recipe is best with the refrigerated kind sold in packages (instead of try tortellini).
- Homemade basil pesto: You can use also purchased pesto, but the flavor and color are best with homemade. We like refrigerated fresh pesto versus the type sold in jars.
- Heavy cream and 2% milk: Adding cream and milk to pesto makes a quick and creamy sauce.

Tortelloni vs tortellini: what’s the difference?
We know—this recipe is called pesto tortellini and it calls for tortelloni. But much of what you think is tortellini is actually the larger version, called tortelloni. We prefer it because it’s larger, more tender, and more satisfying.
- Tortelloni is a pasta shape that is larger than tortellini with a filled center. Tortellini is smaller and ring shaped, with a hole in the middle. In traditional Italian cooking, tortelloni filling is vegetarian whereas tortellini often has meat. Tortellini is also often served in broth, whereas tortelloni is served with creamy sauces.
- How to tell the difference quickly? Tortellini has a hole in the middle, tortelloni has a solid center that encloses the filling/
- Where to find it? Fresh tortelloni is easy to find the refrigerated section at your local grocery (it’s usually not available dried or frozen). You can make this recipe with refrigerated tortellini too. Just don’t substitute dried tortellini because the weights are different.
Tips for the pesto
This pesto tortellini tastes best with homemade basil pesto made with fresh basil—but of course, that’s not always possible. Keep in mind when using jarred pesto: purchased pesto varies greatly between brands. Many jarred brands taste intensely acidic or have an odd aftertaste. Here are some tips:
- Homemade pesto has the best flavor! Basil pesto is best homemade. You can also try cashew pesto, walnut pesto, or vegan pesto.
- Purchased pesto brands vary greatly in flavor: some taste acidic. Brands all have a different salt and acid level. Some we have stopped using because of the bitter and acidic notes can overwhelm the dish.
- You can also try refrigerated fresh pesto, found in the produce section. In our taste tests, we’ve found this type of pesto tends has better flavor than pesto in jars. It’s often sold in tubes.

Ways to serve pesto tortellini
Once you’ve got your ingredients, this pesto tortellini recipe is a breeze to put together. Simmer the pesto with heavy cream and milk until it thickens, then add the pasta. You may want to add a protein, or pair it with some filling vegetable sides. Here are a few serving suggestions:
- Serve as a side dish for chicken or fish, like this chicken cutlet recipe or baked salmon.
- Add protein to the dish like chopped pan seared chicken or sauteed shrimp.
- Serve as a vegetarian main with sides of cannellini beans, peas, canned chickpeas, quinoa salad, seasoned quinoa or sauteed broccolini.
Dietary notes
This pesto tortellini recipe is vegetarian. For vegan, use vegan pesto and non-dairy milk.
Pesto Tortellini
This pesto tortellini recipe makes a quick weeknight meal or side dish! Drape the tender pasta in this creamy, herby sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Pasta
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 18 ounces refrigerated cheese tortelloni (or refrigerated tortellini)*
- ¾ cup homemade basil pesto or purchased**
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup 2% milk
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Start a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Boil the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions (usually around 2 minutes).
- Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce just starts to thicken, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the tortellini into the sauce and serve. If desired, top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
*Tortelloni is large tortellini that you can find in the refrigerated section. Do not substitute dried tortellini.
**The flavor is best with homemade pesto. But if basil is not in season, look for fresh pesto that’s refrigerated in the produce section for better flavor than jarred. Or, use a jarred pesto you love!
More recipes with pesto
Got pesto on the brain? Here are a few more tasty ways to use pesto in your cooking:
- Try pesto pasta salad
- Go for pesto gnocchi, pesto spaghetti or pesto cavatappi
- Add seafood for pesto salmon, pesto shrimp or shrimp pesto pasta
I made this and used a emersion blender on the sauce and it was really good
Let us know if you have any questions!