Recipe: Tortellini con Prosciutto e Panna


What's Cooking Wednesday It’s holiday time. You’re in a rush. I’m in a rush. I’ll keep this short.

For this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday, you need three ingredients–prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), panna (heavy cream), and tortellini, preferably stuffed with prosciutto crudo. OK, you need salt and water too, but that’s it.

panna, prosciutto crudo, tortellini
Interested? (The clementines in the background are dessert!)

I’ve seen other versions of this recipe that add butter, cheese, and even an egg yolk, but honestly this is delicious just like this, although, as always, I do encourage you to experiment.

Feel especially free to add other ingredients to spice it up–peas or mushrooms are our favorite. You can also play with the type of pasta from fettuccine to pennette. It’s all good.

Tortellini con Prosciutto e Panna
(serves 3-4)

Tortellini con prosciutto e panna250 g tortellini (half of the bag shown above)
150 g (between 1/4 and 1/2 lb) prosciutto cotto/cooked ham, torn up in pieces
400 ml panna/heavy cream (about a cup and a half)

1. Prepare tortellini in salted, boiling water.

2. Meanwhile, heat cream in large saucepan over medium heat until it starts to bubble. Stir in prosciutto and lower heat, being sure that cream isn’t sticking to pan. I use a heat-resistant rubber spatula during this part. Keep the cream and prosciutto mixture warm until the tortellini are ready.

3. When the tortellini are cooked to your satisfaction, drain them, and combine well with cream and prosciutto.

That’s it!

Buon appetito!

30 Beans of Wisdom to “Recipe: Tortellini con Prosciutto e Panna”
  1. Lisa Milton
    12.12.2007

    Simple and sure to be a hit with my fam.

    Who can resist prosciutto?

  2. Carla
    12.12.2007

    Hi Michelle, I hope you’ve been well. It’s been a while! I just wanted to say I love this dish and I always stock up on prosciutto crudo tortellini when I’m there to bring back for me and my family. So, so good and easy.
    Ciao for now 🙂

  3. beachgrl
    12.12.2007

    Recipe sounds great, and so simple! My honey has a prosciutto in the garage fridge. Now I have to go get some tortellini and heavy cream. Unfortunately, we don’t have the prosciutto crudo tortellini over here in Ct as far as I know.

  4. qualcosa di bello
    12.12.2007

    easy & simple…perfect fare for a busy season! our local grocer has fresh tortellini & i can’t wait to try this…

  5. The (Mis)Adventures of a Single City Chick
    12.12.2007

    So simple, yet SO yummy looking! Thankfully I held back from licking my computer screen. I don’t need to give my co-workers anything thing else to whisper about. LOL!

    Christina

  6. nyc/caribbean ragazza
    12.12.2007

    excellent recipe. so quicky and easy. someone should send this to Rachel Ray, so she could learn something. This 30 minute meal looks delicious.

  7. janie
    12.12.2007

    Delicious! Can’t wait to make this.

  8. Genevera
    12.12.2007

    Thank you for sharing your beautiful pasto with the blogosphere . . . I LOVE pasta with panna! After living in Italy I couldn’t understand the American fascination with Alfredo sauce when plain old panna is so much better! 🙂

  9. Karina
    12.12.2007

    HMMM….easy and delicious looking, one I’m sure to try. Thanks!

  10. Sharon
    12.12.2007

    That looks so very good…I am dieting..boohoo!

    Have you seen the Ciobar offer in the store? I think I spelled that chocolate drink correctly.
    They are offering 15 packets of powdered chocolate along with a porcelean cup and saucer.
    Great for gifting and great for you.

  11. Maddy
    12.12.2007

    I think I may have to add some marinaded artichoke hearts!
    Cheers

    This is my calling card or link“Whittereronautism”until blogger comments get themselves sorted out.

  12. Something
    12.12.2007

    Thank you for your company this year- I’ve really enjoyed it -Really!

    I’m off to Melbourne to visit my family and especially my mother so I won’t be logging in until the new year. All the best for the Holidays and for 2008!

    Rosa

  13. Italianissima
    12.12.2007

    I just made this the other night for my hubby – now that we can find real “Italian Bacon” here – yes that is what they call it – I can make this quickly and easily! It is so much better than plain boring red sauce! Buon appetito!

  14. Cris
    12.12.2007

    It looks so yummy, I love any kind of pasta! Hey, so did you try to make anything with your Brazilian nuts yet? 🙂

  15. Anna L'americana
    12.13.2007

    Ahhh, this is the best of Italian cooking, simple yet oh so delicious. They just don’t get here, why must EVERTHING have oregano and/or anise in it?

    Wish we could get the prosciutto crudo tortellini, so sick of the spinach and bad ricotta that’s put in anything farcito. Hmmmm…I believe I just challenged myself to make the tortellini at home, YESSSS!

    Right on NYC – I hope Ms Ray IS taking notes, after all, it really doesn’t count as 30 minutes when you spend an entire day washing peeling and pre-preparing all your groceries in advance, now does it?

  16. Jb
    12.13.2007

    Oh how did you know that this is my favourite dish?? It’s the one thing I always request from my zia Lelia when I go visit Italy. I almost always start with this one after the gelato al limone, plus the pizza al prosciutto, and the pasticcini from Caldarola near my favourite piazza, and focaccia alle cipolle, and also frittata alle cipolle, and….oh I could go on! Brava for this one!

  17. Stefanie
    12.13.2007

    Dang, that looks good! I actually had something really similar at a restaurant last week (theirs had peas, too, which were good for some added color, if nothing else). Usually I just drool over your recipes but never make them. Maybe I should actually do this one. 🙂

  18. Gil
    12.13.2007

    Pictures are so good, I can almost taste it in my mouth!

  19. sognatrice
    12.13.2007

    *Lisa, I, for one, cannot resist prosciutto.

    *Carla, glad to see you’re around; hope all is well with you too!

    *Beachgrl, lucky you with a prosciutto in the garage…sounds like a great title for a book 😉

    *Qualcosa, this is my new comfort food 🙂

    *Christina, I admire and applaud your restraint 😉

    *NYC, hah! I don’t this one even takes 30 minutes if you start with hot enough water 😉

    *Janie, buon appetito!

    *Genevera, you know I’ve never liked Alfredo? In fact, when P suggested this to me, I was *very* reluctant to try it…so glad I’m adventurous 😉

    *Karina, and, best of all, easy to make in one serving; I remember cooking for one very well, and this one is actually worth the effort (what little there is required!).

    *Sharon, I saw that offer about a month ago and have been kicking myself ever since for not picking one up; I’m going back to that particular store this weekend, so I hope they still have some….

    *Maddy, mmmmm 🙂

    *Rosa, so happy that you’ve been visiting, and I wish you all the best this season and in the new year–see you then 🙂

    *Italianissima, red sauce gets boring for the best of us, I agree!

    *Cris, I’m sorry to report that I have eaten every last Brazil nut that was in this house. I’m starting to look under things, just in case one rolled….

    *Anna, yes! Homemade tortellini! I’ve never done it, but I’d love to hear about your experience 😉

    *JB, glad to bring back some good memories…your regular menu upon arrival sounds fabulous 🙂

    *Stefanie, I knew I’d get you sooner or later….

    *Gil, to be honest with you, I’m starting crave it yet again….

  20. my melange
    12.13.2007

    Simple and delicious….my favorite combination!!!

  21. KC
    12.13.2007

    Yum, that looks so good! I’m a sucker for anything that has ham. And this dish is creamy at the same time!

  22. Patricia Scarpin
    12.13.2007

    I am VERY interested, actually. 🙂
    This pasta is everything I wanted for lunch today!

  23. sognatrice
    12.13.2007

    *Robin, I’m with you there!

    *KC, I know…ham and cream…how can you go wrong?

    *Patricia, buon appetito!

  24. Proud Italian Cook
    12.13.2007

    Delicious, rustic, and my kind of comfort food! Mmmmmmmm

  25. Giusi
    12.13.2007

    Wait just a cotton picking minute! Are those dried tortellini? For real? I have never even tasted them. There’s something just strange about drying tortellini… isn’t there?

    Judith from up the road

  26. sognatrice
    12.14.2007

    *PIC, mine too! Glad you like it!

    *Giusi, Giusi, Giusi…welcome to the world of dried tortellini! I never saw anything wrong with dried tortellini–in fact, it’s the only kind I can get here in the village unless I make it myself.

    And let’s be honest: making it myself really takes away the convenience of this meal….

  27. The Passionate Palate
    12.14.2007

    You are so lucky that you can by tortellini that is good. It is very difficult here. The recipe looks like exactly what I crave!

  28. Giusi
    12.14.2007

    Huh! I betcha anything there’s a lady in your town that would make extra for you and I’ll betcha that some of your neighbors depend on her for their tortellini.

    When you come to visit, we’ll make something stuffed, although agnolotti are my fave.

    I’m having a hard time figuring out how the stuffing isn’t spoiled by drying, but I trust you.

  29. sognatrice
    12.17.2007

    *Jeni, lucky indeed! You’ll just have to make your own 🙂

    *Giusi, you know they don’t really seem to do tortellini around here. Or ravioli. Although they do a lot of stuffed vegetables, I don’t see a lot of stuffed pasta, but maybe I’m just peeking in the wrong kitchens….

    As for the drying, I don’t understand it either, but it tastes pretty good–they don’t have a long shelf life though I don’t think.

  30. Lisa
    07.20.2009

    Can you even bake them? So they are like ” Oven-Tortellini” ?!

    Anyway this recipe souns great and delicious. (Y)

    cheers

    I don’t know, Lisa; this recipe is great because it’s so fast, so I’ve never tried to make it longer 😉


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