Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini with a Butter and Mint Sauce

Friday 22 July 2016

Pasta is the perfect weekday family meal but its versatility means it can be dressed up or down to suit every occasion. Often in the UK we tend to over-complicate things with our pasta, however in Italy they keep it simple and let the ingredients and flavours shine through. Bertolli have recently teamed up with chef Gennaro Contaldo to help #ShowPastaSomePassion using Bertolli with Butter.


Gennaro believes that simple pasta is delicious, and has been working with Bertolli to share some of his favourite recipes so we can all show pasta some passion. Bertolli with Butter gives a rich, buttery taste combined with a touch of Mediterranean sunshine from the finest olive oil. It really does give you the best of both worlds. In terms of cooking you get the flavour of butter without the worry that it will burn, plus it contains 45% less saturated fat than cooking with butter alone. It can be used anywhere that you would normally use butter from spreading it on crusty Italian bread to cooking up a storm. 


The long school summer holidays have already kicked off in Scotland. Alas we're not heading to foreign climes this year but my 13 year old foodie boy was my sous chef to cook up Gennaro's Italian recipe. Who am I kidding? In reality I am his sous chef! He's a bit of a pasta making master and recently spent a day making and colouring a wonderful selection of tagliatelle, lasagne sheets and farafalle. The stunning natural colours came from beetroot, spinach and tomato. I hope Gennaro would be impressed with Kyle's passion for pasta. 


We adapted Gennaro's Ricotta & Lemon Ravioli served with Bertolli with Butter and Mint sauce recipe to our own Spinach & Ricotta Tortellini served with Bertolli with Butter and Mint sauce. In my mind a recipe is only ever the starting point for a dish and I pretty much always put my own twist on things. No need to panic when the supermarket doesn't have Ricotta & Lemon Ravioli. The Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini made a perfect substitute but kept to the essence of the original. I wanted to boost the veg content of the dish so I served it on top of a bed of spinach, rocket and watercress and added my absolute favourite vegetable Edamame (soya) beans into the pasta mix. When it comes to Parmesan cheese I can't get enough of the stuff so instead of grating it over the top we used a vegetable peeler to make chunky shavings. 


Whilst the minty buttery sauced tasted duly amazing with the tortellini it would be equally good tossed in a simple dish of al dente spaghetti. I know that there are specific shapes of pasta that are supposed to go with specific consistencies of sauces but I reckon Bertolli with Butter, Mint, Lemon and Parmesan could work with them all. 

To discover all nine of Gennaro's authentic pasta recipes visit the Bertolli website and be sure keep an eye out on social media for the hashtags #BertolliWithButter and #ShowPastaSomePassion.



Spinach & Ricotta Tortellini with a Bertolli with Butter & Mint sauce
Serves 4
Adapted from the original Gennaro Contaldo recipe

This dish comes from Gennaro’s home village of Minori where wonderful fresh ricotta is made and beautiful large lemons grow. The creaminess of Bertolli with Butter is perfectly contrasted by the fresh mint and lemon, creating a delicious pasta sauce. 

400 g ready-made spinach and ricotta tortellini 
100g frozen Edamame beans 
60 g Bertolli with Butter + extra knob 
handfuls fresh mint leaves only 
juice and grated zest of 1 lemon 
140g bag of Watercress, Spinach and Rocket Salad 
40 g shaved Parmesan cheese (or vegetarian alternative) 
  • Bring a large saucepan of slightly salted water to the boil. Gennaro’s tip: use lightly salted water to cook pasta in. 
  • Add the Edamame beans and allow the water to come back to the boil. Then add the tortellini and cook for a couple of minutes until they rise to the surface. My tip: don't allow the water to boil too vigorously or your run the risk of your filled pasta bursting. 
  • Meanwhile, heat Bertolli with Butter in a large frying pan with the mint leaves. 
  • Add lemon juice and cook on a gentle heat until the Bertolli with Butter begins to bubble. 
  • Drain the tortellini using a colander or slotted spoon. 
  • Add tortellini to the sauce with a little of the pasta water and an extra knob of Bertolli with Butter. 
  • Toss well over the heat for a minute until nicely coated. 
  • Divide the watercress, spinach and rocket salad between 4 bowls and serve the Spinach & Ricotta Tortolini with Bertolli with Butter and Mint sauce on top. 
  • Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan, lemon zest and black pepper. 

Disclosure : This is a sponsored post for Bertolli with Butter. All views expressed are my own.






20 comments

  1. Kyles pasta looks amazing, love the colours and perfect shaping! Well done...

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    1. He literally took ALL DAY to make it! Think he need to speed up a wee bit.

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  2. The pasta looks fantastic. Love all those different colours.. You must be super proud of your home chef. The tortellini looks delicious too.

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    1. I'm super proud of him. He's not afraid to give anything a go in the kitchen.

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  3. That looks beautiful Claire, and love the pics <3
    Janie x

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    1. It tasted beautiful too. So quick to make but a wee bit special too.

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  4. Wow, those colours are amazing. I love the sound of your sauce as well - must try it soon!

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  5. Wow, can I borrow your home chef for a week or so?? I am a huge fan of bertolli with butter

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    1. He's a good chef but really needs his own KP for the washing up!

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  6. Oh this looks amazing and how lucky are you that he loves to make pasta??!?? I am loving the Gennaro recipes for Bertolli x

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    1. He does use every sing dish, pan and utensil in the kitchen whilst doing so! Gennaro's Bertolli recipes are fab aren't they?

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  7. Yum, yum, yum, yum. I'll have this for dinner please. Perfect summer mid-week meal!

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    1. So tricky at this time of year. This is a perfect alternative to salad or BBQ.

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  8. We love Bertolli with butter so can imagine it really makes his Tortellini extra lush:-)

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    1. I'm loving its versatility,, both for cooking and spreading on my morning toast.

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  9. That homemade pasta you made is amazing - just so vibrant! And butter and mint sauce sounds beyond delicious!

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    1. I can't take any of the credit - all down to my teenage son.

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  10. I love spinach and ricotta, it's such a great combination.

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    1. A match made in heaven! Love it in Cannelloni especially.

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