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This delicious Tortellini alla Panna dish is easy to make and features tortellini, one of the tastiest stuffed pastas ever. Purists might prefer their meat-filled tortellini served in hot broth, but it’s also amazing in a creamy sauce. Butter, parmesan cheese and heavy cream really do make a rich and satisfying sauce for the tortellini. Ham steak adds a meaty element to this tasty dish. If you’re looking for a hearty pasta dish that’s ready in just half an hour, this one might be perfect.
Tortellini alla panna is a flavorful Italian dish made with meat-filled tortellini, cream, parmesan cheese, and juicy ham steak. It’s wonderful comfort food for the whole family.
Pasta lovers might like to try some other easy recipes with pasta, such as seafood pasta salad, creamy lemon pasta, or this hearty pepperoni lasagna.
Why You’ll Love It
Quick and easy: Tortellini alla panna calls for very few ingredients and you can have it on the dinner table in just half an hour, making it a great midweek dinner option.
Rich and satisfying: The combination of filled pasta shapes, ham and a gorgeous creamy sauce means everyone will love tortellini alla panna!
Can be customized: You can swap out some of the ingredients or add in others. Swap the ham for cooked chicken or steak, or add some vegetables.
Tortellini alla Panna Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tortellini: Use homemade tortellini or store-bought fresh tortellini.
Heavy cream: Use the refrigerated kind, not the ultra-pasteurized, shelf-stable kind because it doesn’t taste as good.
Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated parmesan is always the best option for pasta dishes.
Ham steak: Feel free to sub prosciutto or bacon. Spiral ham or deli ham would work too, but these are thinner so wouldn’t need as much cooking time.
How to Make Tortellini alla Panna
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Cook the tortellini: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the tortellini following the directions on the package but giving them a minute less (they should be almost al dente but not quite). Drain the tortellini, reserving a little of the cooking water.
Brown the ham: Melt the butter in a large skillet and then add the cooked ham. Cook for a few minutes to brown the ham.
Make the sauce: Add the cream to the ham in the skillet, along with some salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the parmesan, stirring all the time.
Add the cooked tortellini: Stir in the cooked tortellini and gently toss, adding a little pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
Serve and enjoy: Serve the tortellini alla panna right away with extra parmesan cheese and some fresh chopped parsley.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free tortellini (this one’s my fave!)
Make it vegetarian: Use vegetable or cheese-filled tortellini and omit the ham steak.
Spice things up: A small pinch of ground nutmeg tastes good in the tortellini alla panna sauce.
Ideas for add-ins: You can use prosciutto cotto (cooked prosciutto) in place of the ham steak cubes. Some people like to add fresh or frozen peas. Thinly sliced cooked mushrooms are also good, or what about some sundried tomatoes or fresh minced garlic?
Readymade sauce: You can use your favorite alfredo sauce instead of making your own, perhaps adding extra grated cheese, but as the fresh sauce is so quick and easy, you’re better off making your own.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: You might like to start your dinner with an antipasto platter.
Side dishes: Pair tortellini alla panna with a beet salad or some garlic bread. A simple salad would also work.
Dessert: Finish off with mixed berry dessert.
Drinks: Pair tortellini alla panna with a dry or medium-dry white wine to cut through the creaminess of the sauce. Pinot Grigio would be good. Alternatively, you can’t go wrong with homemade Italian cream soda.
How to Store Tortellini With Cream Sauce
Store: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator and use within 3 days.
Freeze: Don’t freeze tortellini alla panna because the sauce will separate as it thaws.
Reheat: Warm it back up in a sauce pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Top Tips
Thinning the sauce: Keep some of the pasta cooking liquid just in case you need it to thin out the sauce.
Don’t let the parmesan cheese curdle: Turn the heat down or take the pan off the heat before adding the parmesan cheese, as it can curdle if exposed to the heat and this will cause your sauce to become lumpy.
Undercook the tortellini pasta: If you overcook it, it might fall apart when combined with the sauce, so slightly undercook them and they’ll continue to cook in the sauce.
Keep an eye on the sauce: Watch the sauce. You don’t want it to dry out, so feel free to add a little pasta cooking water or cream if needed.
Tortellini Panna Sauce Recipe FAQs
It’s the Italian word for cream, something this dish has plenty of!
Tortellini alla panna is believed to have originated in Bologna, Italy, where Cesarina Masi, a home cook, made the dish using fresh cream that had been skimmed off the top of raw milk. Her creative recipe was shared in a cookbook in the 1940s and has been popular ever since.
Tortelloni is similar to tortellini but larger. You can use this if you prefer or even ravioli which is similar but a different shape.
It’s up to you. Just ensure you follow the cooking directions on the package and cook the tortellini until it’s about a minute away from al dente, so it can finish cooking in the sauce.
Creamy Tortellini alla Panna Recipe
Tortellini alla Panna
Ingredients
- 1 Pound tortellini, fresh or frozen
- 2 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 1 Cup heavy cream
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ Cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 7 Ounces ham steak, cooked, diced
- parsley, freshly chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil.
- Add a pinch of salt and the tortellini, return to a boil, then cook for 3 minutes for frozen or see the package directions for fresh tortellini cooking times.
- When it’s almost al dente, strain the tortellini, reserving a cup of the pasta water.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over a medium to high heat. Add the ham and cook for 2 or 3 minutes to crisp and brown the diced pieces.
- Add the cream, salt and black pepper and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
- Cook for about 2 minutes, and then add the cheese. Continue stirring to mix the cheese into the sauce.
- Add the cooked tortellini and stir to combine and coat the tortellini pasta in the sauce.
- If needed, add some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- Serve immediately with extra parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley to garnish.
Notes
Don’t let the parmesan cheese curdle: Turn the heat down or take the pan off the heat before adding the parmesan cheese, as it can curdle if exposed to the heat and this will cause your sauce to become lumpy.
Undercook the tortellini pasta: If you overcook it, it might fall apart when combined with the sauce, so slightly undercook them and they’ll continue to cook in the sauce.
Keep an eye on the sauce: Watch the sauce. You don’t want it to dry out, so feel free to add a little pasta cooking water or cream if needed.
Nutrition
Tortellini alla panna is a wonderful Italian recipe with a rich parmesan cream sauce and juicy pieces of ham. It’s an easy 30-minute recipe which is so easy to make. You just need to cook tortellini, make the ham and cheese sauce, and combine the two. It’s one of the most delicious and satisfying pasta recipes ever.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This was the best pasta dish. So creamy, so meaty, and so good!
I’m hooked on this recipe, it’s always a delight.