Let’s start the week with a little real talk, shall we? As a full-time blogger, I am a work at home mother. This means that while I have my office at home and can (in theory) work whenever I’d like and still be present for all things domestic, I’m actually constantly juggling the duties and expectations of being a “stay at home mom” with the realities of running an active and growing blog. It’s hectic and all coordinated via a paper planner, but I definitely find myself feeling the rush around dinner time.
A typical weekday evening finds me trying to figure out a wholesome, balanced dinner for my family that can be on the table in 20ish minutes, even with a toddler “helping”. I am not a meal planner, so I look for easy ingredients to keep on hand for on-the-fly recipes. This easy kale shrimp tortellini is one of those concoctions. I use fresh Buitoni filled pastas because they contain no GMO ingredients and are a great shortcut to maximize my time so I can relax over dinner. I like how the variety of options allows me to get creative and make a delicious dinner I’m proud to serve even when I’m short on time.
One way I love to dress up pasta is with seasonal vegetables. Dark, leafy greens like kale are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins and adding kale to pasta was actually one of the first ways I was able to successfully introduce dark, leafy greens to my family. Now, kale is a staple in our diet. [pullquote width=”300″ float=”left”]Time saving tip: Look for pre-washed and cut kale or baby kale in your grocery store’s produce section. [/pullquote] Change it up based on what’s in your produce drawer and what’s in season, and you’re always presenting something new!
When it comes to selecting a protein for this dish, it’s up to you! I like shrimp as a low calorie and quick protein to prepare, but you can always sub something else. Leftover cut chicken, steak, pork, or tofu all make great substitutes. Or you can leave out the meat altogether. Actually, Buitoni has a chicken and prosciutto tortellini in their fresh filled pasta line that would make a great base for this recipe if you’d like to omit the shrimp and want to change things up a little. Versatility is a beautiful thing, darlings.
Speaking of versatility, you’ll definitely want to take a look at Buitoni’s line of fresh pastas. Buitoni crafts all their fresh pastas with quality in mind. Not only are their products free from artificial flavors and colors, they now have an entire line of pasta and sauce made with no GMO ingredients. Recent flavors we’ve tried include the spinach and artichoke ravioli and mushroom agnolotti – both delicious and easy to prepare in minutes. I added greens and caramelized onions to the mushroom agnolotti and garlic, fresh spinach, pine nuts, and freshly grated Parmesan to the ravioli. See how easy it is to create something unique everyone will love?
I hope you enjoy this easy kale shrimp tortellini recipe!
Easy Kale Shrimp Tortellini
Keep dinner simple with this quick Easy Kale Shrimp Tortellini pasta recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 20 ounce package Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini
- 3-4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, optional
- 1 bunch kale, chopped with stems removed, about 6-8 cups
- 1 pound shrimp, tails removed, deveined
- 1 7 ounce tub Buitoni Pesto with Basil
- shredded Parmesan cheese to top, optional
Instructions
- Put 6-8 cups of water to boil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Follow package instructions for cooking the pasta.
- While the water is coming to a boil, heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium low heat in a large skillet.
- If you are using pine nuts, add them to the skillet and stir very frequently for 4 minutes until toasted to a light golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon. If you need to, add the additional tbsp of oil to the skillet before adding the kale.
- Add the kale to the skillet, increase the heat to medium, and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook another 4 minutes until the shrimp are just pink. Remove from the heat. At this point, the pasta should be ready to drain.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta in a colander. Return the pasta water to the large stock pot and add the entire contents of the pesto container. Stir until smooth and warmed through, about a minute.
- Return the pasta to the stock pot and add the kale, shrimp, and pine nuts (if using). Toss to coat. Serve warm topped with Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Richa
Friday 27th of January 2017
I love that these Buitoni pastas are non GMO. Just makes eating pasta so guilt free. Kale is a staple in our house too, and I recently did a pasta recipe with kale that's going up on the blog today! I loooove the sound of this and will be sure to try it out.
Rosemary
Friday 20th of January 2017
Don't we love our Tortellini, looks delicious. Looking forward to trying it.
Brian Jones
Wednesday 18th of January 2017
How very dare you put pine nuts as optional ;) Hehehehehe, just kidding this sounds delicious :)
Mary (The Goodie Godmother)
Wednesday 18th of January 2017
LOL, only because if not I get questions regarding substitutions. Pine nuts are a staple in this house. ;)
Erin
Monday 9th of January 2017
We love tortellini as a fast weeknight meal! This sounds delicious to try, although I am not a kale fan and may substitute it with spinach.
Mary (The Goodie Godmother)
Monday 9th of January 2017
Spinach makes a great substitute if you aren't a fan of kale. :)