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Tortellini in mushroom and ricotta sauce

This tortellini in mushroom and ricotta sauce is a quick and easy vegetarian pasta dish that comes together in about 20 minutes. It uses ready-to-cook mushroom and cheese tortellini with a simple, creamy sauce made from ricotta, sautéed mushrooms, garlic and lemon. You can use mushroom and ricotta, wild mushroom and mascarpone, or another mushroom-filled tortellini depending on what you can find. Shiitake mushrooms work particularly well, adding a deep, savoury flavour to the sauce. A little pasta cooking water gives the ricotta a silky consistency without making the sauce heavy. Finish with plenty of grated Parmesan or Pecorino and fresh parsley for an easy midweek supper.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g mushroom and cheese tortellini
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 shallot finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove finely chopped
  • 100 g shiitake or wild mushrooms roughly chopped
  • 125 g ricotta
  • Zest and juice of ½ lemon
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Grated Parmesan or Pecorino to serve
  • Chopped fresh parsley to serve

Method
 

  1. Finely chop the shallot and garlic. Cut the mushrooms into fairly large pieces.
  2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the tortellini and cook for 2–3 minutes, or according to the packet instructions. Transfer the tortellini to a plate with a slotted spoon, reserving the pasta cooking water.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallot and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened and released their juices.
  4. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if the mixture seems too dry or sticky. Stir in the ricotta, lemon zest then gradually add a little more pasta water, stirring until you have a thick, smooth and silky sauce.
  5. Add the lemon zest and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  6. Turn off the heat and gently add the tortellini to the sauce. Toss carefully to coat without breaking the pasta.
  7. Serve immediately with plenty of grated Parmesan or Pecorino and chopped fresh parsley.