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Store-bought tortellini are the kind of weeknight hack we can get behind—especially when they're tossed with plenty of garlicky brown butter and toasty walnuts. Any variety of stuffed pasta will work here (ravioli, agnolotti, etc.), though we're partial to a classic cheese filling regardless of shape; it'll really let that sage-y sauce shine. Just make sure to buy the fresh stuff from the refrigerated (or frozen!) section of the store, and avoid weird shelf-stable versions at all costs.
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What you’ll need
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Large Pot
$55 $48 At Amazon
Chef's Knife
$34.53 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Large Skillet
$74 At Amazon
Rubber Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Colander
$11 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
¾
5
½
16
1
2
2
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, do some prep. First, chop ¾ cup walnuts so they’re roughly the size of peas.
Step 2
Smash 5 garlic cloves, peel, and discard skins. (You don’t want the cloves to be obliterated, but smashed enough create plenty of surface area.)
Step 3
Cut ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter into 8 pieces and transfer to a large skillet. Heat skillet over medium-low and cook butter, swirling often, until just melted, 2–3 minutes.
Step 4
Add walnuts and garlic and continue to cook, stirring often with a heatproof spatula, until nuts and garlic are light golden brown and butter solids are browned as well, 3–4 minutes longer. It will get very foamy and hard to see the bottom of the skillet, so use spatula to drag through butter—you should leave a trail of little brown specks in your wake (a.k.a. toasty, delicious milk solids).
Step 5
Add 16 sage leaves and cook (still over medium-low heat), stirring constantly, until sage crackles and is dark green and crisp, about 1 minute longer. Remove skillet from heat. Hot tip: If you think things are getting too dark, add a splash or two of pasta cooking liquid to the hot pan; this will halt the browning process. Season with 1½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper.
Step 6
Cook 1 lb. store-bought cheese tortellini (or other stuffed pasta) in boiling salted water and set a timer according to package directions, but start checking doneness a minute early. Fresh pasta packages are often a little generous with their cook times, so it pays to check sooner rather than later—you don't want falling-apart pasta! Stir pasta once or twice as it cooks to ensure it cooks evenly.
Step 7
When pasta is cooked, drain and transfer to butter sauce. Return skillet to medium heat and cook, stirring and tossing, until pasta is well coated in sauce, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar. Taste sauce and add more salt if needed.
Step 8
Divide tortellini among plates. Sprinkle with 2 oz. Parmesan and a few good cranks of pepper.
How would you rate Tortellini With Brown Butter and Sage?
Leave a Review
Reviews (56)
Back to TopSo simple, yes so delicious!
Anonymous
Wimberley TX
8/10/2022
Try it with a Belgium beer. We opened a Trappistes Rochefort 6. It was a fantastic flavor combo.
Anonymous
Springfield Mo
11/19/2021
The recipe is good but too much Salt on this recipe, I guess half amount is enough. If you do not have apple vinegar you can use balsamic vinegar.
Anonymous
10/26/2021
Made this with Anagolli cheese pasta excellent dish I made ot a few times already.
Anonymous
Ontario Canada
9/7/2021
I make this with butternut squash ravioli, as I had it in Italy. I usually serve it over a bed of steamed spinach, and use pignoli. I never would think to add vinegar (I don't like it much), but I now I will have to try it, and with the walnuts instead of pignoli. Sounds like a good version.
Anonymous
Woodstock NY
6/13/2021
Made this is half the butter and it turned out very nice. Might work if people find the recipe heavy. Just be sure to splash in pasta water until it's saucy enough.
Anonymous
8/26/2020
This recipe was very easy to make and also very quick from start to finish, with little dishwashing involved. I smashed the garlic more thoroughly, which allowed it to caramelize and have a very soft almost melt-y texture. I also added lots black pepper and some chili flakes in the butter while it was browning, which gave a nice mildly spicy taste. I wasn't mindblown by the result, but overall it was a very yummy, quick weeknight family meal.
Anonymous
Ottawa
4/8/2020