Well, the countdown to 2021 is officially on! For me, and probably millions of others, the countdown to healthy eating is also on. Only a few days remain of wanton cookie-eating, random wine and cheese parties on the kitchen island for no particular occasion and eating full-blown pasta dinners without even feeling guilty about it. We’ve been binge-watching all kinds of series on Netflix. The challenge is finding something all of us can agree on. I’ve learned that a 13-year old girl and a 16-year old boy agree on just about nothing! So when we can find something we all agree on, it’s a huge deal. This Herby Tortellini w/ Roasted Mushrooms is one of those things.
We can all curl up on the couch with a bowl of this warm comfort and watch a funny series (Mini Me’s vote) or a crime drama (acceptable to The Prince) or – by default – a Harry Potter movie (always the middle ground). It’s such a heavenly meal to enjoy during this in-between time.
I like this Herby Tortellini w/ Roasted Mushrooms so much because it feels more indulgent than it actually is. It tastes rich, almost creamy, but there’s no cream. There’s some butter but not a lot, and then there’s wine and chicken broth. So, aside from the butter, there’s like, nothing “bad” in this recipe, yet it will completely fool your taste buds into thinking you’re cheating. Perhaps it’s the soft little bundles of pasta filled with ricotta cheese. Yeah, that might be it. Our supermarket sells fresh tortellini, but if you can’t find it fresh you can almost always find it frozen. If you can’t find tortellini, grab ravioli or any other type of stuffed pasta.
This Herby Tortellini w/ Roasted Mushrooms also fools people into thinking they’re eating something fancy, something that must have taken you hours to prepare. And they’d be wrong again! This dish is as easily good for weeknight cooking as it is for weekend cooking. Prepare the sauce, made from just a few simple ingredients, while your mushrooms are roasting in the oven. The kitchen will smell of those earthy, herby mushrooms and that buttery white wine pan sauce – so luxurious. Start to finish, it’s 45 minutes max. Closer to 30, but I don’t want to overpromise.
And since you had to open a bottle of wine for the sauce anyway, may as well make it a good bottle so you can enjoy what’s left with dinner. Most of the time, when cooking with wine, you want to choose a dry white like Sauvignon Blanc or an oaky Chardonnay. Either of these choices just so happens to pair perfectly with this Herby Tortellini w/ Roasted Mushrooms. So curl up and enjoy this warm, comforting and easy dish tonight. After all that holiday cooking, you deserve it! Enjoy!
- 1 lb. cheese tortellini, cooked and drained according to package directions
- 1 lb. white button mushrooms
- 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup shallot, minced
- 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth for a vegetarian option)
- 3 Tbsp. chives, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash, dry and cut the mushrooms into quarters. Arrange mushrooms in a single layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes. Set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp. butter. Saute the shallots and thyme in the butter until soft. Stir in the wine, reduce heat to low and cook until almost evaporated. Add the broth and continue to simmer 2-3 minutes. Add the pasta and mushrooms and toss to coat.
Finish by stirring in the remaining 3 Tbsp. butter, chives, lemon juice and more salt. Serve warm.
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