Simple, elegant and quick cooking, this 20 minute tortellini pasta carbonara is the answer to your weeknight dinner prayers! Easy and family friendly!
Weeknight dinners can be a hassle, but with this ultra quick tortellini pasta carbonara you can have a fresh, wholesome dinner that the whole family will love!
I’m not sure what dinner time is like at your house, but I know around here, it can be pretty hectic.
That’s where I turn to trusted brands like Buitoni. Their freshly made filled pastas are so convenient and make it really easy to create a dinner that everyone will enjoy.
Our favorite is the versatile three cheese tortellini, but they have a large variety of other options as well! The fresh, flavorful pastas allow you to maximize your time and get you closer to serving a meal you can definitely be proud of to your family 🙂
The recipe I’m sharing with you today is one of my family’s favorites… a pasta carbonara. Usually carbonara is done with a long cut of pasta, like spaghetti. But I wanted to really maximize the cheese factor, and what better way than to serve the rich cheese sauce over a three cheese tortellini!
Pasta carbonara is such a classic pasta dish… but it does have the tendency to freak people out. There are raw eggs in the sauce. Granted, the sauce is tossed around in a warm pan, and that heat allows the egg to cook (but not scramble!)… but if you’re REALLY worried about it, pick up a package of pasteurized eggs and you’ll be good to go!
The sauce itself is really simple, with the whole recipe’s ingredients list topping out at 6, and that’s including the pasta, which is pretty much a given ingredient for a pasta recipe.
If you really wanted to bump up the flavor profiles here, try adding some basil pesto on the top of your pasta. If you want to make this meal vegetarian, swap out the bacon for your favorite veggie, maybe sun-dried tomatoes or even asparagus!
So the next time you’re worried about how to get a delicious meal on the table during a hectic dinner time, grab a package of Buitoni’s no GMO freshly made pasta (from the refrigerated section) and whip up this mouthwatering 20 Minute Tortellini Pasta Carbonara!
This pasta would be perfect with a crusty, no-knead bread and a salad drizzled with a homemade shallot vinaigrette!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 20 oz family style package of Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini fresh
- 4 large eggs, room temperature use pasteurized if concerned
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 slices bacon, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped optional garnish
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped optional garnish
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring large pot of water to a boil. While water is heating up, add eggs and Parmesan cheese to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Add diced bacon to a large skillet and heat over MED to MED-HIGH heat. Cook until crispy, about 5-6 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, reserving the grease in the pan.
- Salt boiling water, then add tortellini pasta. Boil according to package directions. Ladle out about a cup of the pasta water to a small bowl, then drain pasta.
- Add shallot and garlic to bacon drippings in skillet. Cook about 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently so they don't burn.
- Working quickly, pour about 2 Tbsp of hot pasta water into the egg mixture, whisking very quickly as you pour. This tempers the eggs so they won't scramble when you add them to the pasta later.
- Turn off heat to the skillet. Add drained pasta to the skillet, then, working very quickly, add in the tempered egg and cheese mixture a little at a time, tossing to combine as you add in a little more. Pour in reserved pasta water, a tablespoon or so at a time, as you toss, until sauce reaches a consistency you like.
- Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with cooked bacon pieces and toss one more time.
- Serve hot with additional Parmesan cheese, parsley and basil if desired.
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Brittany says
Tad too much garlic for our tastes but overall good flavor. Next time I’ll probably cut the garlic and shallot by half
Sue Reddy says
I tried this for dinner last night and added chicken and sun dried tomatoes. It was super delicious!! Best part – my kids who are picky eaters LOVED it and asked for seconds! Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Margie harris says
I am making this for my parents anaversary. Do you have any helpful tips I am 14 but I’ve cooked a little and baked a little with my mom and by myself. I just wanted to make sure I dont miss anything first trying out this recipe. I am super exited!
Amanda says
Kudos to you for cooking and baking at your age… I love it. Also, that’s very sweet of you to cook a meal for your parents anniversary 🙂 I’m honored you want to cook this recipe! My only real tips, are to make sure you reserve some of the pasta cooking water, and to make sure you temper the eggs by quickly whisking in a bit of the hot cooking water. These are all outlined in the recipe, but they’ll keep you from having a scrambled egg pasta. And even if things go awry, I’m sure your parent’s will love the meal, because you took the time to make it for them 🙂 I have every confidence you’ll knock this one out of the park though 🙂
Jan says
Very good. My husband is not a tortellini fan, but served this way was the best he’d had, he said. I think the shallots make a great flavour addition. Thank you!
Marilyn says
Yummy gor my tummy❣
Bevan Richardson says
This was fantastic. On my last visit to Italy, one of the main dishes that I regularly ordered was carbonara and this was right up there with anything I enjoyed over there. I served it with tomato bruschetta (roma tomatoes, basil, garlic on toasted baguette with smoked mozz) and it was a perfect meal that, for as rich as the pasta was, did not leave me feeling weighed down. I added peas to the mix as well just for a little pop of green. Definitely added to my list of go-to meals. Thank you!
Sharon Rhodes says
What would you suggest serving with this, if anything?
The Chunky Chef says
We like to have a Caesar Salad and/or Garlic Bread 🙂
Justin says
Wonderful meal!
As a note, go very light with the basil and parsley. They overpowered some of the more delicate flavors for me.
Tim says
Just made this. Was amazing. Thanks.
Katie Helms says
Hi Amanda,
I want to double this recipe. Would I just simply just double all the ingredients? New cook here… 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Katie 🙂 Yes, you would want to double all the ingredients, that way everything tastes the way it should.
Jim and Steph says
My husband and I made this tonight and it was amazing.
I added fresh mushrooms and sautéed them with the onion and garlic and I also used half Parmesan and half Gouda, it was very good. We will make this again may add sun dried tomatoes to it as well.
Jane says
Enjoyed this dish immensely. Froze the leftovers. Thawed, added cream, pesto, and more cheese, heated in the oven. It was awesome again! Thank you for this company worthy recipe.
Patti says
Hi there, the recipe looks great! Question please, I am using large ravioli with prosciutto and cheese- do you think it will be too salty?
The Chunky Chef says
Sounds amazing! I’d hold back on adding any salt until after you’ve tasted it. It might be okay without it, or you might need just a pinch.