Twenty Minute Italian Dinner
A “Twenty Minute Italian Dinner”. What could be better for a busy weeknight? I was thumbing thru this great Italian cookbook called “Italian Immigrant Cooking” and came across a recipe in the pasta section that made me remember this one. A long time ago, when I was still a kid back in New Jersey I had a real good Italian buddy named Bobby. When we were hanging out over in his neighborhood his mom would make this for us for lunch when she was in a hurry. It was great and we scarfed up every bit.
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- chopped onion
- Tortellini
- frozen peas
- grated parmesan cheese
- basil leaves – fresh or dried
- black pepper
Here is how to Quickly and easily put together your Twenty Minute Italian Dinner
Put a skillet – that is big enough to handle everything – on at medium heat. Cover the bottom with good extra virgin olive oil. Chop up the onion(s).
When we have this we like to get tortellini that has some protein inside like these with chicken and prosciutto.
Cook the onions slowly until they start to get translucent then add the tortellini.
Cook until the tortellini has softened up to how YOU like it. Turn or flip the whole shebang as the tortellini gets soft. Then add the peas.
Turn or flip everything a couple of times as the peas defrost. And, that’s pretty much all that you want the peas to do is barely warm up so that they have that garden fresh flavor not that mushy school cafeteria flavor.
Then add the parmesan cheese, some black pepper and chopped fresh or dried basil leaves. Toss it all couple of more times to get everything coated with some of that good cheesy flavor.
Then serve up your Twenty Minute Italian Dinner. Enjoy! You deserve it! We had some of Poppop’s easy homemade bread with ours along with some of Gammy’s favorite Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio.
Twenty Minute Italian Dinner
Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups tortellini
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese plus a little for serving
- 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Put a skillet, that is big enough to handle everything, on at medium heat. Cover the bottom with good extra virgin olive oil. Chop up the onion(s).
- Cook the onions slowly until they start to get translucent then add the tortellini. Cook until the tortellini has softened up to how YOU like it. Turn or flip the whole shebang as the tortellini gets soft. Then add the peas.
- Turn or flip everything as the peas defrost. And, that's pretty much all that you want the peas to do is barely warm up so the they have that garden fresh flavor not that mushy school cafeteria flavor. Then add the parmesan cheese, some black pepper and chopped fresh or dried basil leaves. Toss it all couple of more times to get everything coated with some of that good cheesy flavor.
- Then serve up your One Skillet Twenty Minute Italian Dinner. Enjoy! You deserve it! We had some of Poppop's easy homemade bread with ours along with some of Gammy's favorite Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio.
