One Pan Brown Butter Corn Tortellini

This one pan pasta is the epitome of an easy weeknight dinner. Fresh tortellini, sweet summer corn, and nutty brown butter all come together in a fresh and silky sauce that makes this brown butter corn tortellini one to add to your summer recipe arsenal.

In October Eddie and I went to Italy for our very belated honeymoon. This is not really a “hot spots of Italy” or “What I did on my fabulous honeymoon” post (something which I promised a while back and never delivered on – bad blogger). But it is totally relevant to today’s recipe – an easy but luxurious summer tortellini.

But back to Italy. Rome, Bologna, Parma, La Cinque Terre, and Florence – a whirlwind adventure in just about two weeks. Eddie and I are not frequent or even avid travelers. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you could have already guessed that. We enjoy a healthy regimen of cats, TV, and more cats. But we also know that stepping outside of your comfort zone every once in a while keeps you growing, learning, and changing – things we both view as a positive and necessary. Plus, who doesn’t love a food-centric, romantic vacation?

We had the simplest but most memorable tortellini en brodo in Bologna. It was served without garnish, in a no frills, jam packed, surprisingly stressful little restaurant. And I could have sat there, wedged shoulder to shoulder with a group of day drinking 20 something’s and what seemed to be an awkward first date between two study abroad students, for as long it took to eat as many bowls of that stuff as is humanly possible – it was seriously good.

But recreating far away food experiences at home can sometimes be tricky. We live in a suburb of Philadelphia – not the rolling hillsides of Tuscany. And as much as I’d like to spend all afternoon tending to a beautiful Bolognese, I just don’t always have the time. So instead of trying to replicate my Italian experience here on domestic soil, I’m letting it simply inspire me instead. So let’s talk tortellini.

Brown Butter Summer Corn Tortellini

To be honest, this pasta has almost nothing to do with that rich, heady, bowl of tortellini I had in Bologna. But the inspiration to take a shape of pasta I rarely eat and bring it into my home kitchen was what really resonated with me. I found these adorable mini tortellini (very similar to the ones in Bologna) but instead of floating them in a delicate and flavorful broth, I stirred them into a silky and summery sauce of brown butter and fresh corn.

Fresh mint, bright lemon, and a few sprinklings of grated cheese later, and I had something new. It still reminds me of that amazing meal on that unforgettable trip, without being anywhere close to a replication.

There’s a lot to love about this summer dish. It celebrates fresh, summer corn for one. Also there’s brown butter involved – and I’m pretty sure my love for that liquid-gold substance is well documented. But the thing I love most about this easy pasta recipe (besides how it tastes) is that it’s a one pan pasta wonder!

How to Make One Pan Brown Butter Corn Tortellini

You begin by browning the butter in a large skillet. Then throw in some fresh corn kernels and scallions, letting them sizzle and get golden at the edges. The rest of the corn gets blitzed with some water creating a fresh and flavorful broth where the pasta will gently simmer. All of this marries together to create a silky sauce that wraps itself around those little tortellini, that’s packed with fresh corn flavor, and is highlighted with notes of nutty brown butter. Garnish with some fresh mint, lemon, and a sprinkling of grated parm, and grab a fork (or put it on a plate if you must).

This is one of those weeknight dinners that you don’t just make because it’s another easy pasta recipe. You cook it ultimately because it’s truly delicious and memorable – the fact that it’s convenient is merely a bonus.

Tips for Cooking One Pan Pastas

This recipe should not be a struggle, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind that may make your life easier.

• Use fresh, refrigerated tortellini. I simply didn’t test this recipe with frozen tortellini, because the fresh kind is so readily available and cooks so quickly.
• Avoid browning your butter in a dark skillet – it’s hard to to see the color change if the skillet itself is too dark.
• Hot take – people always cut corn kernels off with the cob standing straight up and down, which to me makes zero sense. It’s unstable, the corn flies everywhere, and it just seems awkward to wield a knife that way. I put the corn, long side down on my cutting board and cut the kernels off that way, rotating the cob as I go. Feel free to weigh in if you think I’m crazy.
• Depending on the size of your tortellini you might need just a touch more water to cook it through. The key to this is stirring occasionally (which promotes even cooking) and tasting the tortellini periodically for doneness. The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits, so you should err on the side of a little too saucy.

Got some sweet summer corn, a skillet, and about 20 minutes? Then make this dish and bring a little outside inspiration into your kitchen. Traveling FTW!

Looking for more pasta recipes? Get your noodle on here:

• Brown Butter Hazelnut Pappardelle
• Vegan Roasted Garlic Rigatoni
• My Favorite Spaghetti Bolognese
• Creamy Lemon Spaghetti with Crunchy Breadcrumbs

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