Spicy Tortellini Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce
Spicy tortellini pasta with gochujang, ground turkey, fire-roasted tomatoes, and four kinds of pepper. A creamy one-pan dinner with serious heat, ready in 30 minutes.
Servings: 6
Calories: 589kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow or sweet onion chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped (or other sweet peppers)
- 1 serrano pepper chopped (skip for milder)
- 1 jalapeno chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 pound ground meat (ground beef, Italian sausage, or ground turkey for leaner)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 14- ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang Sriracha can be used instead, if needed
- ½ cup heavy cream or Mexican crema
- 20 ounces cheese tortellini (fresh, frozen, or shelf-stable)
- FOR SERVING: Fresh chopped herbs, chopped peppers, red pepper flakes, your favorite hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, serrano, and jalapeño. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and the onion is translucent.
- Add the garlic, ground meat, basil, paprika, cumin, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Break the turkey up with a wooden spoon. Cook another 6-7 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked through.
- Pour in both cans of fire-roasted tomatoes with their juice and the chicken broth. Stir in the gochujang.
- Bring to a simmer and let cook for at least 15 minutes to develop flavor, or up to 1 hour for more developed flavor.
- While the sauce simmers, cook the tortellini in a separate pot of salted boiling water per the package instructions (3-5 min fresh, 5-7 min frozen, 10-12 min shelf-stable). Drain.
- Stir the heavy cream or crema into the sauce. Gently fold in the cooked tortellini.
- Serve in bowls, topped with fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, shaved Parmesan, and hot sauce to taste.
Notes
- For mild: skip the gochujang and jalapeño, use a poblano instead of the serrano.
- For hot: add a habanero or scotch bonnet to the pepper mix, or stir extra gochujang in at the end.
- Don't skip the long simmer if you have time. 15 minutes is the minimum, 1 hour is ideal.
Nutrition
Calories: 589kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 674mg | Potassium: 358mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1225IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 220mg | Iron: 5mg