Tortellini with Prosciutto and Asparagus

Pasta. Tonight I wanted pasta and fresh (ok, store bought ‘fresh’) tortellini just fit the bill. This recipe is one of my go-to recipes when I don’t really feel like cooking. And with this cold/flu/lingering death making me miserable, I can say I honestly did not feel like cooking tonight. But I needed to eat, so here we are. I hope you feel like cooking tonight… and perhaps you will make this easy and tasty pasta dish!

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Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients

1½ oz sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
8 oz asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1½ inch pieces
5 oz fresh tortellini
½ shallot, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
juice of ½ lemon
zest of 1 lemon, divided
½ cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp butter, divided
⅓ cup cream
freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
Parmesan cheese shavings

Instructions

Cook the pasta per the package instructions (typically 7 minutes in lightly boiling water).
Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over Medium/Medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the prosciutto by spreading it out across the pan bottom.
Cook the prosciutto stirring regularly until lightly crisp, approximately 4 minutes.
As the prosciutto finishes crisping, add ½ the butter and the shallots saute until softened, approximately 2 minutes.
Add the asparagus and saute until bright green, approximately 3 minutes.
Add a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
Add the chicken stock and lemon juice, stirring to combine and bring to a simmer.
Add the cream and half the lemon zest and stir to combine, bringing to a simmer.
Turn off the heat and add the remaining butter, stirring to combine and smooth the sauce.
Drain the tortellini and add to the pan, tossing to coat with the sauce and combine with the prosciutto and asparagus.
Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
Plate and sprinkle with remaining lemon zest and Parmesan cheese shavings.

Notes

I rarely need to add salt to this dish given the salt in the prosciutto and chicken broth.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 887 Fat: 50g Saturated fat: 23g Unsaturated fat: 10g Trans fat: 0g Carbohydrates: 75g Sugar: 8g Sodium: 1949mg Fiber: 10g Protein: 38g Cholesterol: 147mg

Cook the pasta per the package instructions (typically 7 minutes in lightly boiling water). Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over Medium/Medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the prosciutto by spreading it out across the pan bottom. Cook the prosciutto stirring regularly until lightly crisp, approximately 4 minutes. As the prosciutto finishes crisping, add 1/2 the butter and the shallot and saute until softened, approximately 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute until bright green, approximately 3 minutes. Add a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice, stirring to combine and bring to a simmer. Add the cream and half the lemon zest and stir to combine, bringing to a simmer. Turn off the heat and add the remaining butter, stirring to combine and smooth the sauce. Drain the tortellini and add to the pan, tossing to coat with the sauce and combine with the prosciutto and asparagus. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Plate and sprinkle with remaining lemon zest and Parmesan cheese shavings.