3 Cheese Tortellini with Truffle Cream Sauce

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I have been dying to try and recreate this pasta dish since the moment I had it on vacation in Germany. Some may say it’s unreasonable to consider Germany the source for the worlds best pasta, but trust me, this meal was heavenly. I have also never been to Italy, so there’s still a chance this dish can and will be outdone. Pasta is by far my favorite food, and I will try it regardless of if I am visiting it’s country of origin or not.

My friend and I stumbled upon the quaint little restaurant of Il Pescatore in Fussen, Germany after a 3 hour train ride through Bavaria. We arrived in Fussen full of champagne from the train bar, and happy as could be. From the train station, we walked through the quiet, snowy town until we found the highly rated restaurant we had discovered through all of our research of the area.

We both ordered the same thing – Caramelli al tartufo – homemade Tortellacci, filled with ricotta and truffels in truffel cream sauce, with fresh champignons. It was divine. We have since bragged about this pasta to anyone who would listen and even discussed taking a trip to Austria just so we could cross the border into Fussen specifically for another serving of this decadent dish.

Caramelli al tartufo from Il Pescatore in Fussen, Germany.

Here we are, approaching the one year anniversary of discovering the world’s best pasta, and I finally decided to give it a go myself. Because of the uniqueness of this entree, I was unable to use my usual technique of combining multiple existent recipes and adding my own flare. This one I had to create from scratch, using nothing but one year old taste bud memories.

I think I nailed it, and I hope that if you try this recipe at home it leaves a lasting impression on you like it did me!

Recipe

Prep Time  10 minutes

Cook Time  30  minutes

Serves 2-4 people 

Ingredients

Pasta

• 20 oz pre-packaged 3-cheese tortellini
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil 

Sauce

• ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup white wine,  + ¼ cup for mushrooms
• ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar, + 1 tsp 
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 cups mushrooms, quartered 
• One black truffle
• Salt
• Freshly cracked pepper

For Serving

• Arugula
• Black Truffle, grated
• Balsamic glaze – I used Bertolli, which you can find here: https://www.kroger.com/p/bertolli-balsamic-glaze/0060422653362

Instructions

For Pasta

1. Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add in pasta and cook until al dente. (Follow instructions on the package for times.)
2. Drain and set aside. Drizzle olive oil over the pasta and stir to prevent sticking while preparing the sauce. 

For Sauce

1. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  
2. Add minced garlic to the pan and stir until fragrant – about 30 seconds. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent. 
3. Reduce to medium heat and add in ½ cup of white wine and ½ tbsp of balsamic vinegar.  Cook until liquid has reduced by at least 50% – about 5 minutes.
4. Add butter to the pan. Once butter is melted, add in heavy cream  and parmesan cheese and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly. 
5. While sauce is simmering, in a separate medium skillet, saute mushrooms in olive oil and remaining white wine for 5-7 minutes. Drain and add to cream sauce along with remaining balsamic vinegar. 
6. Add in cooked pasta and stir all ingredients together. 
7. Season with salt & cracked pepper. Grate about ½ of the truffle over the pasta and stir to combine. 

For Serving

1. Place desired amount of pasta on a plate. Using a back and forth motion, drizzle a small amount of balsamic glaze across pasta. 
2. Lightly dust a small amount (to taste) of freshly grated truffle over top of pasta. 
3. Top with fresh arugula, and enjoy!

Tips

• Any variation of pasta will work with this recipe – ravioli, fettuccine, stuffed shells, etc.
• This doesn’t have to be a vegetarian recipe! You can opt to add meat to this recipe if you prefer – I would recommend shrimp or mahi mahi.

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