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What to Serve with Tortellini? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Italy is famous for pasta, as there are wide varieties, each unique and delicious.

Tortellini are also Italian pasta from the region of Emilia filled with meat, nutmeg, egg, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

While tortellini is delicious, it’s also versatile, so you can enjoy it with multiple items.

Hence if you’re wondering what to serve with tortellini, you don’t have to look elsewhere because we’ll list the ten best dishes to serve with the pasta.

Some popular dishes like braised asparagus, grilled chicken, marinated mushrooms, and Italian meatball soup pair perfectly well with tortellini, so you have plenty of options.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes with Tortellini?

When serving a dish, it doesn’t have everything that you need.

You require some extra items to create a balance and complete a meal.

It’s the same with tortellini; it’s delicious but doesn’t have everything.

So, you require some side dishes to complete your meal and maintain a balance.

The four items mentioned above and a few others make the best side dishes with tortellini which we’ll soon list below.

Of course, it’s rather dull to eat a single dish, even if it’s something tasty as tortellini.

Adding some dishes can add excitement to the meal, and it will be sufficient for everyone too.

What to Serve with Tortellini? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Take a look at the ten best dishes that pair well with tortellini.

1 – Garlic Butter Shrimp

Sometimes, a simple dish like shrimp with garlic and butter makes the perfect side for tortellini.

It isn’t too heavy, but your meal will be well-balanced, and you’ll feel full when you eat the two items and some other dishes.

Garlic butter shrimp seems complex, but you’ll be surprised that it’s easy to cook and needs only a few ingredients.

Shrimp, garlic, butter, lemon juice, fresh parsley, and salt (optional) are all you need to make the dish.

Fresh shrimp is the best for making any dish, so check carefully when buying.

Some varieties imported from other countries may also contain antibiotics.

So, you can buy wild, or shrimp caught and prepared in the United States, as these don’t have antibiotics.

2 – Bolognese Sauce

Any pasta tastes good with a lovely sauce, and Bolognese sauce is one of the tastiest varieties out there, and it tastes yummy with tortellini.

It enhances the pasta’s flavor and makes the dish heavier and creamier.

So you can feel full and also enjoy the taste.

It’s an Italian sauce made of ground meat, cheese, tomatoes, and other ingredients.

Bolognese sauce usually contains beef, veal, and pork, but you can make it with chicken, turkey, and other meats.

You can also mix the meat, depending on what you have. Beef and pork make a nice combo.

Add some chicken broth and wine to make the sauce more intense in taste.

3 – Greek Salad

Fresh vegetables are also suitable to serve with tortellini as they add crunchy, sweet, and sour elements.

You not only get to enjoy the taste of the delicious fruits, but you have a perfectly-balanced meal too.

Greek salad is a healthy and tasty dish made with multiple ingredients.

The stars of the salad are feta cheese, romaine lettuce, and pitted black olives.

As with any veggies, it’s best to use the freshest romaine lettuce.

Fresh lettuce should be crisp with a slight crunch and have a bright color with no browning on the edges.

4 – Sautéed Broccoli

If you want something quick and delicious that tastes good with almost everything, sautéed broccoli is the way to go.

The veggie tastes incredibly good with tortellini, and your palate stays fresh too.

Sautéing broccoli doesn’t take much time, and there isn’t the need to use many ingredients.

But you can still have the tastiest dish to enjoy with the Italian pasta dish.

You can steam the veggie florets and then sauté or vice versa to obtain the perfect crisp-tender texture.

Make the dish with only fresh veggies.

Broccoli should be dark green with tight bud clusters and taut stalks but not woody.

If broccoli isn’t available, you can make the dish with broccoli rabe or cauliflower florets.

5 – Marinated Mushrooms

Have you tried this dish? If not, you must try it, and if you have, marinated mushrooms also make a great pairing with tortellini.

It’s a little different but delicious and also easy to make.

While you can serve the dish as soon as you make it, marinated mushrooms are more flavorful when you make them in advance.

You can store the food in the fridge for up to one week but not more.

You can use a variety of mushrooms like button, cremini, or portobello for the dish, as these are readily available and flavorful.

6 – Vegan Bruschetta

It’s one of the easiest dishes to make on the list, but you may be amazed at how good it tastes.

Bruschetta is also from Italian cuisine and is a frequent accompaniment to tortellini.

It’s a popular dish, either vegan or non-veg, and both are delightful.

If you serve non-veg tortellini, a vegan bruschetta will make a suitable side dish.

The topping consists of tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

The vegan variety is delicious and fresh and tones down the richness of the pasta, leaving you wanting more.

7 – Peas and Pancetta

It’s also a frequently served dish alongside tortellini and is a delicious one.

Your guests will also enjoy the combo because they match perfectly.

Peas and pancetta are delicious, but it’s convenient to make as the dish doesn’t take much time to cook, and you don’t need too many ingredients.

Besides the two main ingredients, you’ll only need salt, pepper, olive oil, and shallots.

You can use fresh or frozen peas to make the dish.

If you want to use fresh variety, look for pods that are plump and shiny.

If you buy them in advance, place the peas in the fridge and consume them within seven days.

8 – Braised Asparagus

Here is another simple yet delicious veggie dish that pairs quite nicely with tortellini.

Braised asparagus in butter and chicken or vegetable stock is yummy and fresh.

It also doesn’t take much time to cook the braised asparagus.

In just about fifteen minutes, you can prep and cook the veggie stalks.

Hence, you can make several batches if there are more guests to serve.

The asparagus will taste best when you use the best veggie stalks.

They should be fresh, so select plump and firm stalks with tightly closed tips.

9 – Italian Meatball Soup

How about yummy and hearty Italian meatball soup? It complements tortellini, will fill you up, and please your senses.

It’s also a popular dish, so everybody will enjoy the combo.

The warm and rich soup consists of cooked Italian meatballs, Italian seasoning, beef broth, Parmesan cheese, and star-shaped pasta.

You can also add veggies, herbs, and spices.

If you know how to make Italian-style meatballs, you can also create the dish from scratch.

However, it will take a little more time than when using prepped meatballs.

10 – Grilled Chicken

A simple grilled chicken dish can also be an ideal side for tortellini.

It’s tasty, filling, and a favorite with everybody.

Typically, you make the dish with chicken breast as this portion has more meat.

When cooked, you have juicy and yummy chicken ready to go with tortellini.

What makes the dish so wonderful is the marinade.

It’s made of lemon juice or vinegar, olive oil, honey/brown sugar, and proper seasoning.

The longer you marinate, the better it tastes.

But you mustn’t soak the meat for more than four hours, or the meat can get too soft.

Conclusion

When you serve tortellini, it won’t be a problem because you’ll have ten delightful dishes to serve alongside.

Each one is yummy, and everyone will love the combo.

Variety is the key to making a meal successful so serve different dishes on every occasion so that everything tastes like a new dish.

Mixing the items will also bring a balance.

What to Serve with Tortellini? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Andrew Gray
In search of the ideal sides to serve with tortellini? Look no further! We've gathered a selection of the 10 best side dishes that will enhance the flavors of tortellini and create a delicious meal.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dishes
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients
  

  • Garlic Butter Shrimp
  • Bolognese Sauce
  • Greek Salad
  • Sautéed Broccoli
  • Marinated Mushrooms
  • Vegan Bruschetta
  • Peas and Pancetta
  • Braised Asparagus
  • Italian Meatball Soup
  • Grilled Chicken

Instructions
 

  • Pick your favorite recipe from the article.
  • Organize your ingredients and utensils.
  • Follow the detailed instructions in the recipe to make your side dish.
  • Prepare and serve for delicious meal!
Keyword What to Serve with Tortellini
Did you make this recipe?Mention @AmericasRestaurant or tag #americasrestaurant!

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