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
i ama a cook by the seat of my pants kind of girl. All set to do this for a caterin job for 40 people.
I made breaded chicken cutlets and had my rainbow tortelloni ready for the alfredo. Oops, no parmesan. Soooo, I used heavy cream, added some cream cheese, half and half to start. i sauteed 3 large onions, a big package of brown mushroom, garlic and tomato paste. seasoned s and p, onion powder, added to the cream sauce. I was going to add some sauteed bacon but decided it did notneed it. Not as good as the parmesan sauce but it really turned out well. Now to restock the pantry. Great recipe. thx
Nice work Gail, I like your style! Thanks so much for the great comments!🩷
Would I be able to freeze this to make it as a meal prep?
Hi Charlotte, leftovers do freeze and reheat pretty well if reheated gradually over heat that’s not too high 🙂
Ohhhhh YUMMMMM! May I use heavy whipping cream instead of half and half? If so, same amount? I can’t wait to try this! Thank you!
You can! It’ll be a touch thicker but you can reserve some pasta water after you cook the tortellini and you can add a splash if you’d like to thin the sauce out a little bit! 🙂
Can I use frozen broccoli instead of fresh? Should I let it thaw first? Can’t wait to try this!!
Hi Bert!! You can definitely use frozen broccoli, no need to thaw it first but I’d give it an extra minute or two in the boiling water before you add the tortellini! Enjoy!
This is my favorite!! I add a little salt and some rotisserie chicken. Serve with garlic bread. My go-to recipe!
Sounds like a delicious meal with the rotisserie chicken and garlic bread, yummm😋 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review Jessica💖
Added spinach and some bacon – it was delicious!
I’m so happy that it was a hit, I love adding spinach too!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I SO appreciate it!! -Stephanie 🙂
Made this recipe last minute as I forgot to defrost meat for dinner and I had all of the ingredients on hand. OMG, it was delicious! It came together quickly and everyone loved it. I highly recommend it and will definitely be adding to my dinner rotation.
I’m sooo happy that it worked out for you in a pinch Ann Marie, I love it when that happens! WOO!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
My family loved this! Came out perfect! My granddaughter is expecting and I would like to make it ahead of time, can this be frozen!
Hi Debbie! I am so happy that your family loved it! You can freeze the Alfredo Sauce, but I would boil fresh tortellini for serving! 🙂 The best way to reheat the sauce is over a makeshift double boiler!