Total Time
15 minutes
There are few foods ready faster than dried pasta. One of them is refrigerated tortellini. Thrillingly convenient, these little bundles come in a variety of fillings, but cheese-stuffed usually wins for versatility. All you need is a swift sauce and dinner is done. Sure, you could opt for a jarred marinara or food-processor pesto. But this homemade favorite is also quick—just brown butter (a lot of it), stung with fresh garlic, then splashed with lemon zest and juice. It is weeknight-meets-fancy: fast enough to come together as the tortellini boil, yet vastly more flavorful than the sum of its parts. If dill is not your scene, swap in another tender herb like parsley or basil. Just don’t be shy with the black pepper; it makes the cheese filling sing. While this recipe makes a generous meal for one, you can easily scale it up for a bigger group.
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What you’ll need
Large Pot
$55 $48 At Amazon
Medium Skillet
$50 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
Microplane Grater
$18 At Amazon
Ingredients
1 serving
4
2
2
¼
Preparation
Step 1
Cook 4 oz. fresh cheese tortellini (about 1 heaping cup) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, in a medium skillet over medium heat until golden brown and nutty smelling, 2–3 minutes (watch carefully). Remove from heat and stir in 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, a pinch of salt, and several grinds of freshly ground pepper.
Step 3
Using a mesh sieve, scoop tortellini out of cooking liquid and transfer to skillet with brown butter sauce. Set over low heat and toss to coat, adding a splash or two of pasta cooking liquid if you’d like a looser sauce. Stir in ¼ cup chopped dill and juice of ½ lemon.
Step 4
Transfer pasta to a shallow bowl and top with zest of ½ lemon; season with flaky sea salt and more pepper.
How would you rate Tortellini With Garlicky Brown Butter and Dill?
Leave a Review
Reviews (1)
Back to TopThis was very tasty. I added peas, hot pepper flakes and sliced the garlic thinly and browned in the butter. Will be making again, perhaps adding broccoli or asparagus.
CAphyl
Lake Sherwood, CA
2/27/2024
Pretty good!!! I love elevating an easy recipe like tortellini from the store. Really great. I added tomatoes on the vine and some red pepper flakes.
Sarah
Denver
7/19/2023
Delightful easy comfort meal with the unexpected punch of fresh dill. I will gladly make this again. I used about half as much butter as the recipe called for but it was still great.
Anonymous
Tucson, AZ
6/21/2023
Easy and delicious
Anonymous
4/28/2023