Tortellini in a Portobello Mushroom Cream Sauce
By: Angela LeMoine
Published: Friday, September 21, 2012 - 6:47am

Ingredients




2 - 12oz pkg dried Three Cheese Tortellini, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
5 garlic cloves, sliced
5 nice big portobello mushroom caps, cut in half then sliced
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 pint light cream
a couple handfulls of basil, julienned (sliced)
1/2 cup marscapone cheese
salt and pepper

Preparation

1 Note on the pasta, I cook the pasta a few minutes short of al dente in the boiling water, drain it and finish it in the sauce. More on that in a minute. 2 In a large sauté pan, over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté until just softened. Season with salt and pepper. 3 Lower heat to medium low. Add in the sliced portobello mushrooms. I cut them into relatively thick slices and let them cook slowly until most of the moisture is cooked out and the flavor is concentrated. It took about 20 minutes. 4 Pour the vegetable broth in and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Stir the light cream and basil in and again simmer for about 8 minutes. 5 At this point go ahead and toss in the drained tortellini. Cook for a few minutes, until cooked perfectly. If it looks dry go ahead and add some of the reserved pasta water. 6 Lastly, stir in the marscapone cheese to add a wonderful creaminess to the pasta. Check for seasoning to see if you need anymore salt and pepper. If you'd like finish off with a sprinkle of freshly grated cheese.

About

One of LeMoine Family Kitchens wonderful readers had requested a tortellini recipe, I am hoping she likes this one, we sure enjoyed it! I have to say I really never liked mushrooms, not because of the flavor but because of a weird texture thing. That was until I ate the amazing Portobello appetizer from Sirenas Ristorante at Pier Village in Long Branch. Just as i'm typing that I'm realizing its been a LONG time since i've been there, note to self, get there! 
This rich, creamy tortellini dish comes together really easily and is full of wonderful flavor! Give it a try for Sunday dinner! I served a really simple salad with it.