Cheese Tortellini Skillet ~ Food Buddy

This cheese tortellini skillet comes together in 15 minutes with fire-roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. This quick vegetarian dinner or side dish is perfect for busy weeknights!

Some meatless recipes on this website just stand out, and this is one of them. In fact, I think I’d be happy eating this quick dinner every day of the week. Try this cheese tortellini skillet! In just 15 minutes, you’ve got a pasta skillet full of so much flavor: basil-infused marinara sauce is perfectly complimented with pillows of tangy goat cheese.

I created this recipe by turning this reader-favorite baked goat cheese dip into a main dish by adding pasta. It’s one of my favorite tortellini recipes because it’s so quick and easy and results in massive flavor! (If you’re cooking for a crowd, try my baked tortellini which is a similar idea.)

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Here are a few reasons why I think you’ll love this recipe, too:

It’s delicious. Soft goat cheese crumbled into the marinara adds a tang and a creamy body that makes it taste like a gourmet meal. Add those beautifully boiled cheese tortellini, and every bite is velvety, heavenly goodness.
It’s fast. The whole thing comes together in about 15 minutes.
It works as a main or side. I love it as a pasta main dish with a salad, but you can also use it as a delicious side for chicken or fish.

Choosing the Best Cheese Tortellini

There’s lots of high quality tortellini on the market these days. Tortellini are traditional ring-shaped Italian filled pasta, and of course in Italy you can get them freshly made at local shops. But if you’re not in Italy (like me!), here what to look for:

Fresh tortelloni is sold refrigerated. Tortelloni is large-sized tortellini with a solid center (pictured). This is actually what I typically buy for all my tortellini recipes, and it boils up in just 2 to 3 minutes.
Frozen tortellini can also work. This type saves well and you can pull it out at moments notice.
Avoid dried tortellini. Tortellini isn’t traditionally a dried pasta: and all the brands I’ve tried dried just haven’t measured up.
Look for any type of cheese tortellini or tortelloni for this recipe. Use 3 cheese, spinach ricotta, Parmesan: any type of cheese flavor will work.

Fire-Roasted Tomatoes Make the Difference

This tasty cheese tortellini recipe is engineered by me to be two things: mega quick and mega delicious! This one’s like a cross between my famous baked goat cheese and this goat cheese pasta. It capitalizes on the best flavor pairing: a great tomato sauce that’s made creamy using soft goat cheese.

The key here is using canned fire roasted tomatoes. This special type of tomato is becoming easy to find. It’s charred over an open flame, which gives them a beautifully sweet flavor right out of the can. If you can’t find them, use the best quality tomatoes you can find. Also, using fresh basil is key: it adds essential peppery notes reminiscent of Margherita pizza.

Pro Tips for Perfect Tortellini

Don’t overcook the pasta. Fresh tortellini cooks incredibly fast: usually just 2-3 minutes. Frozen can take 2 to 5 minutes depending on the size and brand. Set a timer and test a piece a minute early.

Let the sauce simmer. For fire roasted tomatoes, the 10 minutes allow the flavors to meld and the basil to work its magic. If you’re using other canned tomatoes, simmer for up to 30 minutes to remove the bitter flavor.

What to Serve with Cheese Tortellini

This cheese tortellini recipe is an ideal quick dinner: it takes less than 20 minutes to whip up! It’s great for Meatless Mondays or impressing friends with a tasty vegetarian dinner. Or, you can serve it as a pasta side dish to pair with baked salmon or pan seared chicken.

Here are a few of my favorite quick and easy sides to pair here:

Simple salad: This Easy Arugula Salad could not be simpler (really), or try my favorite Chopped Salad.
Broccoli: Our go to! I make this Fried Broccoli almost every day.
Asparagus: This Lemony Broiled Asparagus takes just 5 minutes to broil and adds fiber to the meal.

Storage and Reheating

Leftover tortellini stores refrigerated for up to 3 days. The pasta will absorb some of the sauce as it sits, but it still tastes delicious.

To reheat, heat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce (but just a splash, otherwise it will be too watery).

Dietary Notes

This cheese tortellini skillet is vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free tortellini. There are several good brands of gluten free tortellini on the market these days (let us know if you have a brand you like in the comments).