Skillet Tortellini with Chorizo and Asparagus

Tortellini holds endless possibilities — they can be tossed simply with tomato sauce, turned into pasta salad, or stirred into soup. My favorite approach, however, is to treat them like Chinese potstickers and pan-fry them. They’re both dumplings, after all. 

Pan-frying fresh or frozen store-bought tortellini lets the pasta brown and crisp in spots before a splash of water finishes steam-cooking them to al dente perfection. This two-step method lends a deeper flavor and more interesting texture than simply cooking tortellini in a pot of boiling water. 

Perhaps the true win here is that you only need one skillet to prepare both the pasta and its sauce. Here, tender asparagus and smoky Spanish chorizo combine with the tortellini in a single pan for a simple and satisfying spring-inspired meal. 

There are two kinds of chorizo: Spanish and Mexican. While both are equally delicious, each one is distinct. 

• Spanish chorizo is a type of salami — a dried and cured sausage. It has a rich flavor and chewy texture. It’s made of chopped pork and pork fat and seasoned with smoked paprika, garlic, and other herbs and spices. It can be mild or spicy, although the most readily available version in grocery stores in the U.S. is somewhere between mild to medium-spiced. 
• Mexican chorizo is a fresh sausage made typically from pork or beef that is seasoned with chiles and other herbs and spices. Because it’s a fresh meat product, it needs to be cooked first. 

Both types of chorizo lend big flavor to food, but in this recipe I opt for Spanish chorizo because it comes with the added perk of being shelf-stable. That means when I see it on sale at my local grocery store (you’ll find it in the specialty cheese section with the other salami), I stock up on a couple to slice for snacking or to dice up and add to sautéed vegetables, sheet pan dinners, and, of course, this seasonal supper.

Pantry Pasta is Sheela Prakash‘s monthly column of easy, accessible pasta recipes. You’ll discover a new, inspired recipe each month that takes advantage of grocery staples and highlights one pantry hero. Follow along and grab all the recipes here.