Get my Cookbooks! Tortellini Alfredo
This Tortellini Alfredo recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make with sauce that’s restaurant quality! It’s easy to add broccoli or leftover chicken for a dinner that your family will love.
Be sure to serve this with a side of my Garlic Bread with Cheese.
Tortellini Alfredo
A few years ago, I was lucky to the best Alfredo sauce recipe from Olive Garden, and since then, life has been pretty wonderful. This is definitely one of my favorite 30-minute meals on the blog. (And it actually takes less than 30 minutes!)
Although you can pair this with any kind of pasta you have on hand, Tortellini has to be my favorite because, well, it’s cheese-filled. 😉
(Unless we’re talking about my Chicken Alfredo Bake, in which case, I love using shells.)
Alright- let’s do this.
Ingredients
The bottom of this post also contains recipe card with ingredients and full instructions.
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 20 oz. refrigerated Tortellini, Rana 5-cheese tortellini is my favorite, but any variety will work!
Alfredo Sauce
- 6 Tablespoons high quality butter, Cabot is my preferred brand.
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups half and half
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated from a block and at room temperature
- ½ cup Romano cheese, grated from a block and at room temperature
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
How to Make It
Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Whisk in the flour. Slowly add in the half and half, continue to whisk. Increase heat slightly and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low.
Gradually sprinkle in grated cheese and whisk to incorporate. Let it continue to heat on low while you prepare the pasta.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tortellini and boil for 4 minutes. (Confirm cooking time on package.) Drain.
Add the broccoli and pasta to the Alfredo sauce. Stir to combine and serve. The sauce will continue to thicken as it stands.
Pro Tips
- Use high-quality butter for this recipe. Mince your own garlic, and shred the cheese from a block for best results.
- A pound of dry pasta may be used instead of tortellini. I like to use 3/4 of a pound for extra saucy pasta.
- This is a great meal to use with leftover chicken.
- I don’t recommend using milk instead of half + half, as the lower fat content can cause it to curdle.
- Serve this with a side of garlic bread with cheese.
- Any filling option is fine when selecting your tortellini. Sun-dried tomato and pesto, spinach, or tomato basil make great alternatives to cheese-filled.
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
The BEST Way to Reheat:
I recommend reheating this with an easy homemade double boiler. Just fill a metal or glass bowl with leftover pasta and place it over a pot of steaming water, ensuring that it fits snuggly. The bowl will reheat slowly and evenly, and this will reheat the pasta nicely, as close as possible back to its original state.
Try These Next
-
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
-
- Baked Ravioli
-
- White Chicken Chili
-
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
-
- The Best Meat Sauce
-
- Creamy Chicken and Noodles
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Tortellini Alfredo
Ingredients
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 20 oz. refrigerated Tortellini, *see notes
Alfredo Sauce
- 6 Tablespoons butter, high quality
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups half and half
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated and at room temperature
- ½ cup Romano cheese, grated and at room temperature
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Whisk in the flour. Gradually add the half and half, whisking constantly.
- Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Slowly sprinkle in the cheeses, continuing to whisk. It will continue to thicken as it simmers.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the broccoli. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tortellini and cook for 4 minutes. (Confirm cooking time on package.)
- Drain the tortellini and broccoli and add to the Alfredo sauce, stir to combine.
- Garnish with parsley and serve!
Notes
Any kind of pasta may be used as an alternative to Tortellini.
Alfredo sauce isn’t meant to be too thick, but if you prefer for it to thicken more, let it continue to simmer and reduce slightly prior to adding the tortellini.
Nutrition
We are from shrimp area at the Gulf so I added fresh peeled shrimp for the last 3 minutes.
Also, my go to is adding chopped sun dried tomatoes from a jar of olive oil. Another fun ingredient is adding sliced green olives and chopped artichoke hearts from a can/jar.
I impress company.
Hey Diana! Sounds AMAZING! I love it! So glad you’ve enjoyed making this your own!