Spicy tortellini with butter beans and spinach

You all know how big a fan I am of pasta. Stuff some tomatoes and cheese in the middle and I can’t resist. Yes, I’m talking about tortellini, those delicious little parcels that take pasta to a whole new level.

I’ve recently become a little obsessed with the new Pizza Express range of cook at home fresh pastas, including tortellini and ravioli with fillings inspired by their classic pizzas. This recipe features Margherita tortellini, which is pasta stuffed with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, but there are other flavours including Pollo ad Astra, Sloppy Giuseppe and American Hot. I can thoroughly recommend them all.

Today’s recipe featured in last night’s dinner, and Mondays are always meat-free in our house. The Margherita tortellini was perfect for this recipe, which I combined with spinach, butter beans, garlic and chilli oil to create a delicious, quick and easy supper. Here’s how you can create it:

Ingredients

• 1 pack of Pizza Express Margherita tortellini
• 100g of butter beans
• 125g of fresh spinach
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon of chilli olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese.

Method

• Heat half the chilli oil in a pan and toss in the garlic. Sauté for a couple of minutes before adding the butter beans.
• In a separate pot, toss the tortellini into some salted boiling water. Cook for two minutes – that’s all the pasta needs.
• Add the spinach to the butter beans and sauté. Drain the pasta and add to the spinach and butter beans. Now stir in the rest of the chilli oil and the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is the perfect dinner to cook after a long day at work. It literally takes five minutes, which gives you enough time to pour yourself a glass of wine and get set for a delicious meal.

Thanks to the lovely people at Pizza Express for sending me samples of their new pasta range. I would thoroughly recommend it and will be buying it again in the future.