Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce

I make a lot of pasta around here. I love meat just as much as the next dude, but sometimes I just want a good, meatless dish. I'm always on the prowl for a good pasta recipe. I've scoured through my cookbooks and didn't find one that struck my happy bone, so I turned to the internet. I stumbled across a recipe by Giada de Laurentiis. It looked fantastic! Shoot... It tasted delicious! My husband really likes this Italian restaurant here called "Brio," and he said that this pasta is right up there with theirs. I really liked it, too. It's not mainly tomato, and it's not mainly cream. It's not alfredo. It's a new breed of pasta sauce, and it's glorious. I'm blogging this one for a couple reasons: 1. I won't remember where I found this next time I want to make it. 2. I think the world needs to stumble across this recipe more than once online. 3. Good pasta = happiness and sometimes, happiness is hard to find.
This recipe is very straight-forward, so I failed to take any other pictures. Actually, I have one of the tomato stuff in the pan. I think you can use your imagination for that one. This recipe is really easy. You've got to try it!

Tortellini with Tomato Cream sauce:
source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-shrimp-and-herbed-cream-sauce-recipe/index.html

1 pound tortellini
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Pour the olive oil into a saucepan and saute the garlic, salt, and pepper over medium heat.

While that is going, heat water in a saucepan for the tortellini. Once the water is boiling, prepare the tortellini according to package directions. Drain.

Add the tomatoes to the saucepan with garlic, salt and pepper. I chopped the tomatoes up in a food processor to make them a little less chunky. Add half of the parsley and half of the basil. Toss in the red pepper flakes. Cook for two minutes. Keep stirring it for the two minutes.

Add the wine and heavy cream. Bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 8 minutes. The sauce will thicken. Add 1/2 of the Parmesan cheese, the tortellini, and remaining herbs. Toss to combine.

Put on a plate and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. I used the shaved cheese for the top of mine. It looked awesome.

In Giada's original recipe, she used shrimp, penne, and clam juice as well. If that sounds like a plan to you, you can click on the link to get her original recipe. She is, after all, a Food Network star. I think the lady knows what she's talking about. :)