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Tortellini Carbonara

Tortellini carbonara with plump cheese tortellini coated in a silky egg-and-parmesan sauce. Crispy pancetta and lots of cracked black pepper finish the creamy, clingy coating.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 720
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cheese tortellini
  • 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
pancetta
  • 6 oz pancetta or thick-cut bacon, diced
eggs
  • 4 count egg yolks
  • 1 count whole egg
parmesan
  • 1.25 cup parmesan, finely grated
garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
pasta water
  • 0.5 cup pasta cooking water
seasonings
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 salt to taste
  • 1 fresh parsley for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook tortellini and pancetta
  1. Bring a well-salted pot of water to a boil and cook the refrigerated cheese tortellini until tender, then reserve 1 cup cooking water for the sauce.
  2. Cook the diced pancetta until crispy in a cast iron skillet, then add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, turning off the heat right after.
Make the egg-parmesan sauce and finish
  1. Whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, finely grated parmesan, nutmeg, and generous black pepper until smooth and well combined.
  2. Add the hot tortellini to the pancetta pan off heat, then quickly pour in the egg mixture.
  3. Toss vigorously for 30–60 seconds, adding pasta cooking water a splash at a time until the sauce turns silky and creamy and clings to every piece.
  4. Season with salt to taste, then top with fresh parsley and extra parmesan right before serving.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the pan off the heat when you add the egg mixture and toss immediately so the eggs thicken into a creamy sauce instead of scrambling. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of pasta water. Freezing is not recommended because the egg sauce can break after thawing. For a lower-fat option, use reduced-fat parmesan (and consider half the pancetta) while keeping the off-heat technique the same.