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.
Cherise says
To have a proper carbonara I would substitute the bacon with guanciale and the parmesan cheese with pecorino.
Jacqui says
I made this but for some reason it was dry, a bit bitter and very salty! I only used egg yolks as most carbonaras don’t use the whole egg. I didn’t have the herbs so put in some cooked peas for colour. Where did I go wrong.
The Chunky Chef says
I Jacqui, I have no idea why yours turned out bitter, but I’m sorry you had a bad experience 🙁 A lot of the ingredients here are salty (cheese, bacon, and pasta), so I didn’t specify an amount of salt to add, but left that up to my readers to season to their tastes. I can’t say exactly what went wrong, as you didn’t exactly follow my recipe… but my guess would be over-salting and not adding enough pasta water to create a sauce.
Elaine Crain says
Can this be made ahead & heated?
The Chunky Chef says
In my experience, carbonara pastas are best when made right before eating
Robbyn says
Love! This recipe is quick, easy and yummy. My entire family loved it. Best compliment I received from my son “Best ever gourmet pasta”. Thank you!
Jenna says
This recipe is awesome!!! So flavorful and easy. I added canned mushrooms to the dish. Thanks for the quick recipe which presents like one slaved over for hours! 😉
JoAnn says
Thank you. I appreciate your help.
JoAnn says
Hi Amanda. I like to fix pasta dishes for family and this will fit the bill perfectly. Question for you. I would like to replace the bacon as suggested with the asparagus. Would you grill the asparagus and add after cooking the dish?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi JoAnn 🙂 I would slice the asparagus into 2 inch pieces and saute them in a bit of olive oil or butter instead of cooking the bacon in step 2, removing them to a plate once cooked until tender. In step 4, since there won’t be any bacon drippings, add a tablespoon or so of butter or olive oil. I hope you and your family love it!!
Kirsten Borrink says
This was amazing. I used only two eggs and it still was so tasty. Thank you.
Melissa C. says
I made this last night and it was AMAZING! This is a repeat for sure!
Judy nelson says
Made this tonight. Delicious! I am going to try another Buitoini pasta next time.
Ann says
This recipe looks so good but it’s very hard to read. Can you put this recipe up so it’s easy to read please.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Ann 🙂 I’m not sure what you mean by hard to read… you just scroll towards the bottom after things load and the recipe is right there
kareen says
I feel compassion for you. I have to look after a 9-month-year-old baby and everyday crazy schedule makes me totally crazy. Thanks for your 20-minute– pasta. I would try 🙂
Lauren @ Hall Nesting says
I love the twist on the traditional dish. I have some tortellini in the fridge right now!
Michelle | A Latte Food says
Wow! This is stunning! I love Buitoni, and love the additions you added to jazz things up!
Megan says
Such a family friendly meal! I know mine would gobble this up! It looks incredible.
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
Carbonara is our favorite pasta dish! I am loving this tortellini version! Pinned!
Dee says
Dinnertime is hectic here, too, so this is THE perfect meal for busy nights. My family loves tortellini!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
Dinner time is always crazy in our house, too, and I love having quick recipes to whip up for that reason. We’re definitely gonna add this one into our routine because YUM.
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist says
Glad I’m not the only one with a crazy schedule! Ready to enjoy this recipe!
Erren says
Mmmmm yes please! This looks amazing!