This easy ham and cheese tortellini recipe is perfect for those nights when you want to get dinner on the table in a short amount of time.
I also love this ham and cheese recipe because I often have all of the ingredients on hand.
It’s one of those pantry staple recipes that everyone should have in their dinner rotation. And when you’re stuck with leftover ham from a holiday meal, this is the most delicious way to use up your leftovers.
Ham And Cheese Tortellini
An easy stovetop meal that uses pantry staples and only takes about 30 minutes to whip together.
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen cheese tortellini (19 oz)
- 2 TBSP. butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I like either sharp white cheddar or monterey jack) shred fresh!
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 small bag frozen peas
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt the butter.
- Add the onions, and cook over a medium heat until onions soften.
- Add the garlic and stir and cook for about 30 seconds
- Add the ham and cook for another minute.
- Turn up heat to medium high. Add the pasta, stock, half & half and salt and pepper and stir well.
- Cover, and bring a boil, then turn down the heat to medium and cook, stirring until pasta is tender (about 8-10 minutes).
- Add the cheeses and mix in until well combined.
- Stir in frozen peas. Let cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and let sit, covered for about 5 minutes.
- Garnish with extra parmesan if desired.
Notes
You'll have a much better melt from the cheese if you shred it yourself. This will seem runny at first, but you'll see that the cheese really helps to thicken this up. If it's still too liquid for your taste, add a bit more parmesan to help thicken. You can always try a tbsp of corn starch too, before you add the cheese.
Tips For Ham And Cheese Tortellini
If you’re planning on making this dish and find you don’t have tortellini on hand, I’ve made this with fusilli (corkscrew) and farfalle (bow tie) pasta.
Just substitute 1 lb, of uncooked dried pasta for the tortellini. For some of you, this might make this recipe even easier! And when you see deli ham on sale, that’s often what I use in this recipe. I just cut my deli ham pieces into short strips and use them that way.
And if you want to play around with the types of cheese, feel free to try pepper jack or Colby. There’s a lot of versatility around this recipe. This ham and cheese tortellini recipe is just one of many pasta dishes I prepare for my family.
More Easy Pasta Dishes
If you love cheesy and meaty pasta in red sauce, then be sure to check out my BAKED ZITI recipe. It’s a recipe I perfected after many meals of trial and error.
And I have to say, my Easy Macaroni and Cheese is another great one. It’s not that saucy kind of macaroni. It’s more like a casserole or “southern-style” mac and cheese. SO delicious!
I hope your family enjoys these pasta meals as much as mine do!
From my kitchen to yours,
Jill
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