RECIPE: For a fast, flexible dinner, reach for frozen ravioli
Simple, filling, and just as tasty when tossed with jarred sauce as when used in a more elaborate dish, frozen filled pasta can be a weeknight workhorse. I pick up a bag or two of cheese tortellini or ravioli every few weeks so they’re always available when I need a fast dinner.
One such meal is this recipe inspired by my mother-in-law’s version. It takes those workhorse frozen cheese ravioli and adds, well, more cheese — in the form of tangy feta — along with a skillet of saute-softened leeks. These two ingredients, plus pasta cooking water, form a creamy, slightly briny sauce for the rich tortellini in a matter of minutes.
To that base recipe, umami-rich sun-dried tomatoes — and their oil — add complexity. A big handful of chopped fresh parsley lends brightness.
It would be simple to modify these additions to suit the season, your taste buds and the contents of your fridge. Fresh cherry tomatoes and tarragon, blanched asparagus and thyme, snap peas and oregano — each of these combinations would be a delightful twist. You can even swap the tortellini for another shape if that’s what you have on hand; the leeks don’t cling to small ravioli as well as they do larger sizes of stuffed pasta, but the flavor is still spot on.
- Salt
- 1 (22-ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini
- ½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced, plus 3 tablespoons oil from the jar
- 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved, washed and thinly sliced
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to the package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
- While the tortellini cooks, heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the leeks and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the sliced sun-dried tomatoes. If the tortellini has not finished cooking, remove the skillet from the heat.
- Add the cooked tortellini to the skillet, along with the feta and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until the feta begins to melt and form a sauce, 2 to 3 minutes. Add additional pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed, to form a creamy sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 725 calories (percent of calories from fat, 39), 28 grams protein, 84 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 32 grams total fat (12 grams saturated), 99 milligrams cholesterol, 1,253 milligrams sodium.Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
