Tortellini alla Panna with Peas
Updated Oct 24, 2025, Published Sep 29, 2022
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Tortellini alla panna with peas is made with a handful of ingredients, so you can whip this up in 15 minutes flat! Tortellini alla panna, or “tortellini with cream”, is an essential Italian comfort food dish. You won’t reach for store-bought alfredo sauce after making this amazing recipe! It is an easy dinner the whole family will love.
Serve with a side salad or Italian appetizer (like my favorite bruschetta with mozzarella) and a loaf of your favorite variety of Italian bread.
Quick Look at This Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Servings: 4-6 people
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian
- Method: Stovetop
- Technique: Cook the tortellini and peas, then cook the garlic in olive oil and add the cream. Simmer and add cheese, then stir with pasta and peas.
- Flavor & Texture: Tortellini and peas are tossed in a velvety smooth creamy sauce with lots of cheese. It’s an easy, 15-minute dinner the whole family will love!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
This easy Italian recipe brings back memories of when my mamma needed to put a quick meal on the table. I was always amazed by how quickly she put this together and how much I loved it! As the weather gets colder here in Utah, these are the kind of pasta dishes I start to crave.
The delicious creamy parmesan sauce coats the fresh tortellini pasta like a cozy blanket. Add sweet peas, and you have a complete meal. This creamy cheesy alla panna sauce is one of those indulgent and delicious recipes you will crave regularly.
Traditionally in Italy, we serve tortellini pasta hot in a broth, such as Tortellini in Brodo and Cheese Tortellini in Broth with Spinach. I even make a yummy Easy Italian Tortellini Pasta Salad that you’ll love!
Made With Amore,
“So so so good and easy. It will be a staple in our house! The kids loved it too!”
– Kasha
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Tortellini alla Panna
This cozy pasta meal has only a few simple ingredients, so make sure to use good-quality ingredients!
- Tortellini Pasta: You can use refrigerated tortelloni, ravioli, or cappelletti in recipe. The pasta doesn’t have to be stuffed; you can use your favorite pasta shape. You can also try making homemade ravioli to use in this recipe!
- Heavy Cream: You’ll need heavy cream to make a super quick and easy sauce that is velvety smooth.
- Parmigiano Cheese (Parmesan Cheese): Use high quality cheese that you grate yourself for the best flavor and texture. Using pre-grated cheese will make the sauce grainy–don’t do it!
- Peas: For this recipe, I highly recommend the ‘petite’ pea or ‘baby’ sweet pea variety. These types are smaller with tender skin and a delicately sweet flavor; they’re also less starchy. If you love peas, try my recipes for peas and pancetta pasta, penne and peas with mascarpone, and creamy pasta shells with peas and bacon.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Don’t have any heavy cream on hand? Try these two Italian pasta classics: Authentic Pasta Carbonara and Authentic Cacio e Pepe.
- Meaty: Add some cubed ham, or crispy prosciutto ham, to add a rich flavor to the dish. You can even use the meat-stuffed or meat-filled tortellini if you are a meat lover!
- Mushrooms: Sauté some mushrooms in olive oil and add to the sauce.
- Boozy: Make this a white wine cream sauce by adding a splash of white wine with the sauce bubbles and cooks.
How to Make Tortellini alla Panna
Ready to make this delectable meal in under 15 minutes? Let’s go! Here are the photos and instructions to guide you through this simple process.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil (4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of salt). Once water is boiling, add the tortellini and peas.
- Place a pan over medium heat, and add extra virgin olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add heavy cream and stir. When bubbles form, reduce the heat to low, and add nutmeg and a bit of pepper. Stir again.
- Cook for about 2 minutes until the sauce has slightly reduced; it should be still liquid. Add one-half cup of the Parmigiano cheese and stir to combine. Turn the heat off.
- Once tortellini and peas are ready, reserve one-half cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the tortellini and add to the pan with the cream sauce. If the sauce looks dry, add a bit of the reserved pasta cooking water.
- Turn on the heat to low and toss everything in the pan until the sauce has coated the tortellini, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining Parmigiano cheese; stir until the tortellini are well covered with the creamy sauce. Serve hot and top with a sprinkle of extra cheese.
Recipe FAQs
Tortellini alla panna is a simple Italian cream sauce made with garlic, oil, cream, Parmigiano cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Toss the cooked tortellini and peas in the sauce, and you have an easy Italian dinner recipe ready in 15 minutes!
No, they’re definitely not the same! What is typically known as ‘alfredo sauce’ in the US is really panna sauce, or sauce with heavy cream. True alfredo sauce is made with butter, cheese, and pasta water–no cream needed!
No, tortellini alla panna is not hard to make; it’s a super easy, 15-minute dinner that you can easily whip up even if you’re not experienced in the kitchen.
Tortellini alla panna is best served fresh and hot. This recipe only takes less than 15 minutes to make. Once cooked and coated with the cream and cheese sauce, tortellini are not suitable for freezing. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Serving Suggestions
This 15-minute tortellini alla panna tastes amazing with simple Italian dishes, like my spring salad recipe and crispy Parmesan Brussels sprouts. Serve with a big piece of easy no knead Italian focaccia as a side, and enjoy some lemon olive oil cake for dessert!
My Pro Tips
Expert Tips
- Use good quality cream, Parmigiano, and tortellini. This recipe doesn’t have many ingredients, so it is worth it to get the best of the best to create a meal the entire family will love!
- Be sure to use real Parmigiano cheese (the kind with the dotted rind) and grate it yourself. It melts effortlessly and creates a perfectly creamy sauce. Using pre-grated cheese will make your sauce clumpy, dry, and even rubbery. Here’s why you should grate your own cheese.
- No matter what type of pasta you use, make sure to cook it properly! Make sure to salt the water to flavor the pasta from the inside out. Here’s my tips for Cooking Pasta Perfectly Every Time.
- Cook the tortellini pasta al dente, since they are tossed in the pan with the sauce at the end. Tortellini makes it easy to know when it is done; since it’s a stuffed pasta, it puffs up and floats to the top of the pot when it is done. Check out my guide on how to cook frozen ravioli; ravioli and tortellini cook very similarly!
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
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Tortellini alla Panna with Peas
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh or frozen cheese tortellini pasta, or tortellini of choice
- 1 cup fresh or frozen petite peas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, or butter if you prefer
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 1½ cups Parmigiano cheese, Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pour 4 quarts of water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir in 2 tablespoons of salt,, then add the tortellini and peas. Cook until al dente according to the package directions
- While pasta and peas cook prepare the easy cream sauce. Place a pan over medium heat, and add extra virgin olive oil (you can substitute it with butter if you prefer). Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add heavy cream and stir. When bubbles form, reduce the heat to low and add nutmeg and a bit of pepper. Stir again. Cook until the sauce has slightly reduced but is still liquid; about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of Parmigiano and stir to combine, then remove from the heat.
- Once tortellini and peas are ready, reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Drain the tortellini and add to the pan with the cream sauce. If the sauce looks dry, add a bit of the reserved pasta cooking water.
- Turn on the heat to low and toss everything in the pan until the sauce has coated the tortellini, for 1 minute.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining Parmigiano cheese, stir until the tortellini are well covered with the creamy sauce. Serve hot and top with a sprinkle of extra cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use good quality cream, Parmigiano, and tortellini. This recipe doesn’t have many ingredients, so it is worth it to get the best of the best to create a meal the entire family will love!
- Be sure to use real Parmigiano cheese (the kind with the dotted rind) and grate it yourself. It melts effortlessly and creates a perfectly creamy sauce. Using pre-grated cheese will make your sauce clumpy, dry, and even rubbery. Here’s why you should grate your own cheese.
- No matter what type of pasta you use, make sure to cook it properly! Make sure to salt the water to flavor the pasta from the inside out. Here’s my tips for Cooking Pasta Perfectly Every Time.
- Cook the tortellini pasta al dente, since they are tossed in the pan with the sauce at the end. Tortellini makes it easy to know when it is done; since it’s a stuffed pasta, it puffs up and floats to the top of the pot when it is done. Check out my guide on how to cook frozen ravioli; ravioli and tortellini cook very similarly!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So so so good and easy. will be a staple in our house! the kids loved it too!
Yay! Happy everyone loved it!
Going to try it this week!!!
Yum! Let me know how you love it.
This meal comes together in no time at all and is absolutely delicious!