There are poor children all over the world who would not waste that tortellini

August 3, 2007 9:02 PM

I have a lot of fairly overcooked tortellini. What can I do with it?

I accidentally overcooked about 6 cups of tortellini that was supposed to go into a cold salad. Any suggestions for cooking methods that will perhaps firm them up a bit, or at least reduce the squish? They're fairly solid, but just very soft.

posted by oflinkey to food & drink (15 comments total)

A quick solution would be a short time in the microwave, but even quite wet you'd get mixed results probably. Maybe try very small amounts at a time?
posted by blaneyphoto at 9:06 PM on August 3, 2007

Fry/bake them.
posted by oxford blue at 9:09 PM on August 3, 2007

If they have not disgorged their filling, perhaps just proceed gently and see what happens?
posted by longsleeves at 9:18 PM on August 3, 2007

sauté with loads of olive oil or butter.
posted by sindas at 9:21 PM on August 3, 2007

I don't know about firming them up, but maybe make a tortellini soup? Obviously you wouldn't want to add them to the soup until it's done.
posted by L. Fitzgerald Sjoberg at 9:24 PM on August 3, 2007

Refrigerating them for an hour or two might firm them up enough to use in the cold salad as you would have.
posted by mediareport at 9:24 PM on August 3, 2007

Put some cheese on the top and bake it is your best bet. A kind of mac-and-cheese things.

Failing that, toss it. Pasta is dirt cheap. Actually, pasta is probably cheaper than good dirt.
posted by Justinian at 9:26 PM on August 3, 2007

Smoothies. For the infirmed. Or toothless.
posted by sourwookie at 9:27 PM on August 3, 2007

6 cups of tortellini

Was the tortellini stuffed with anything?

Because you could totally blend it up, add more stuffing stuff and use the whole thing as a lasagna filling.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:55 PM on August 3, 2007

It is stuffed with cheese and spinach.

These ideas are very good, thank you!
posted by oflinkey at 10:18 PM on August 3, 2007

I'm totally seconding a good hot saute with olive oil and butter. Deglaze the pan after with some white wine, and swirl in some heavy cream.

Now I'm hungry, damn you.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 10:28 PM on August 3, 2007

Mmm, saute with peppery olive oil, Italian garlic (strong!), gorgonzola and white pepper. To. Die. For.

An old Italian food wholesaler gave me this recipe.
posted by solongxenon at 10:59 PM on August 3, 2007 [2 favorites has favorites]

Just cover it with tomato sauce and eat it hot. I can't see what the problem is.

Much of the population overcooks pasta, many deliberately because they were brought up on overcooked pasta and now can't stand "al dente".
posted by watsondog at 12:11 AM on August 4, 2007

One of my all time favorite dishes is fried rigoletti. It could easily be modified to make use of your tortellinis.

Get a few tablespoons of olive oil nice and hot, and toss the tortellini and some broccoli florets until both are browning, then add some cheese. Mozarella and Parmesan both, preferrably. The cheese will get pretty brown and stuck together, and this is proper. Oooh baby delicious. Serve with a side of marinara.

You might want to cook the soggy tortellini a while first before the broccoli if they're really mush.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 12:44 AM on August 4, 2007

Just cover it with tomato sauce and eat it hot. I can't see what the problem is.

Much of the population overcooks pasta, many deliberately because they were brought up on overcooked pasta and now can't stand "al dente".

The problem is precisely that--it's overcooked and is therefore not al dente.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:20 AM on August 4, 2007