Ham and cheese tortellini with walnut pesto recipe

Our ham and cheese tortellini with walnut pesto takes only 10 minutes to cook making it the perfect speedy lunch or dinner. 

This recipe serves two but it’s easy to scale up if you want to make it for the whole family. We recommend omitting the chilli flakes from the pesto and sprinkling over your portion just before serving if your kids are still quite little. They might find it too spicy otherwise. We often have a pack of tortellini in the freezer and this is a nice alternative way to serve it if you’re fed up with the same cheese or tomato-based sauces. Homemade pesto is so quick and cheap to make but you can of course use a dollop or two from a jar if you’ve got it knocking about. 

Ingredients

• 300g pack cheese and ham
• tortellini or ravioli
• 100g (31⁄2oz) asparagus tips, cut into 3
• 150g (5oz) peas

For the pesto:

• 4 walnut halves or 12 almonds
• 2tbsp freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
• 1 small garlic clove
• 25g pack fresh basil
• Pinch dried chilli flakes (optional)
• 2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method 

1. Put a large pan of lightly salted water on to boil. Make the pesto by whizzing the nuts, Parmesan and garlic in a mini food processor until finely chopped. Add the basil leaves into the chopper along with the chilli flakes, if using. Whizz until finely minced, then add the olive oil and a little salt and pepper to taste.
2. Cook the pasta, asparagus and peas together in the boiling water for 2-3 mins until tender (adding an extra 1 min if you are cooking the pasta from frozen).
3. Add a small ladleful of the pasta cooking water (about 50ml/2fl oz) to the processor, then drain the pasta and return to the pan. Give the pesto a final whizz to make a loose sauce, then pour it over the pasta and vegetables, tossing everything gently together. Divide between 2 bowls and scatter over a little more Parmesan and a good grinding of pepper if you like, to serve.

Top tips for making this ham and cheese tortellini with walnut pesto

It’s more time-efficient to make a big batch of the pesto and keep it in the fridge. You can spread it in sandwiches, dilute it with more oil, and use it as a salad dressing or mix it into hummus for a quick and tasty dip. 

Jessica Ransom

“Shop-bought tortellini is a bit of a guilty pleasure dinner for me. It reminds me of long nights studying while at university and I often showered the bowl with grated cheese. It’s such a great family-friendly ingredient because it’s quick to cook and supermarkets sell so many flavour options.” 

The easiest way to make pesto is with a mini food processor but you could also make it with a pestle and mortar. 

Kenwood Mini Chopper - View at Amazon

Small but mighty, this nifty little chopper will quickly become one of your favourite kitchen gadgets. It’s the perfect size for whizzing together a quick pesto or hummus and is easy to clean. 

Learn how to make fresh pasta with our easy guide. It’s an excellent, affordable weekend activity to do with the kids and you’ll be impressed by just how easy it is. We also have a complete guide on how to cook pasta and a delicious spaghetti bolognese recipe that’s a real family favourite.