Tortellini Primavera with Ham
This is a delicious pasta/veggie dish with ham. Leave out any veggies you do not care for, but it is wonderful the way it is. This is good with any pasta, but I like a larger variety like cheese tortellini.
This is a delicious pasta/veggie dish with ham. Leave out any veggies you do not care for, but it is wonderful the way it is. This is good with any pasta, but I like a larger variety like cheese tortellini.
- Carbohydrate 74.8863089816076 g
- Cholesterol 128.464 mg
- Fat 44.7819774127107 g
- Fiber 5.23498780178193 g
- Protein 17.1769010774042 g
- Saturated Fat 14.9627708244369 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (386g)
- Sodium 1159.23655654342 mg
- Sugar 69.6513211798256 g
- Trans Fat 4.47129890246471 g
- Calories 767 calories
Step-by-step
- Put 4 quarts water on to boil in large pan.
- While waiting for water to boil, in large skillet, saute onion and pepper in olive oil till tender or carmelized. Add pasta sauce, blk olives, and ham. Return to boil and add softened cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Add milk 1/4 at a time stirring constantly until boiling returns. Turn heat down to low and continue to simmer until pasta is ready.
- When water is boiling add favorite pasta and cook until al dente.
- Drain water from pasta, rinse, return to large pan and pour hot sauce mixture over pasta and stir gently. Serve hot.
Standard marinara relies on acidic tomato reduction for brightness, whereas this hybrid sauce incorporates softened cream cheese and milk to bridge the gap between heavy dairy and sharp tomato solids. Adding dairy directly to a boiling tomato base risks curdling if the fat content breaks; incorporating milk gradually in quarter-cup increments while maintaining a gentle simmer prevents this separation by stabilizing the emulsion incrementally.
Starchy cooking water contains gelatinized starches that improve sauce adherence better than plain tap water, meaning reserving a half-cup before draining the pasta provides insurance against a watery finish. Cook the tortellini strictly to al dente—usually eight to ten minutes depending on the brand—because the residual heat of the simmering sauce will continue softening the pasta during the final toss. Storing leftovers requires airtight refrigeration within two hours to prevent bacterial growth in the dairy-rich sauce, and adding a tablespoon of milk when reheating restores the original glossy consistency without scorching the cream cheese solids.
