Parmesan Tortellini Bites
Crisp, crunchy, parmesan-loaded tortellini bites – so good, you won’t be able to stop eating these!
So we’re just about to head into October and we cannot be more excited about Halloween.
Mainly, because of this.
I even bought this costume in the summer because I just couldn’t wait until now.
I almost wish I could dress him in this every day, but that would be too mean. He could barely sit still in this costume for about 30 seconds.
And now I’m craving a hot dog on a delicate brioche bun. Mmmmm. Oh well, these tortellini bites will have to do.
Crisp, crunchy, parmesan-loaded fried tortellini. Perfectly bite-sized and so addicting.
Now these only go well with fresh tortellini. I do not recommend using the dry pasta as it will become a very big mess.
And be sure to have extra freshly grated Parmesan on the side – you’ll want to sprinkle that everywhere before devouring every last one of these!
Parmesan Tortellini Bites
Ingredients
- 1 9-ounce package refrigerated three cheese tortellini
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup Panko*
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ½ cup marinara sauce
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook tortellini according to package instructions; drain well.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- In a large bowl, combine Panko and Parmesan; set aside.
- Working in batches, dredge tortellini in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.
- Add tortellini to the skillet, 8 or 10 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve immediately with marinara sauce, garnished with additional Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Could you make this in the air fryer?
I have made these four times now. It is the perfect recipe for a quick appetizer.
It is quick, easy, and delicious!
I made them as written and they were perfect.
Are these deep fried or shallow fried in a skillet?
Could you use frozen tortellini? Thanks! Love ❤️ tour recipes!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
These look amazing!! Could they be baked instead of fried you think?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
I’ve tried 15+ recipes on your blog and almost all of them have worked. This, however, was a total fail. I love tortellini, so I got all the ingredients and made these. After I cooked them, they were falling apart and tasted absouloutley disgusting. I didn’t make any substitutions and I followed the recipe exactly. I love your recipes but this was a total fail. What happened?
Oh no. What a bummer! It’s really hard to say. What about it tasted “disgusting”? Please note that just like any kind of plain cooked pasta, this should not be consumed without an accompaniment of sauce! Hope that helps.
Looks like something green has been sprinkled into the recipe, can you tell me what it is?
Parsley flakes! 🙂
I made these last night for New Years and we thought they lacked in seasoning. Is there anything you’d recommend to throw into the panko crust for that? I love everything you make.
You can add herbs, to taste, to suit your preferences a little better.
I used Italian seasoned panko. It gave them a good amount of flavor.
Hi Chungha–looks like another fabulous recipe! Have you tried baking these instead of frying?
I actually have not tried baking this.
Can these be made the day before and frozen for the next day and maybe baked to warm them up or will they get ruined?
This is really best when served immediately.
Can I use frozen tortellini?
Yes, absolutely, but cooking time may need to be adjusted.
Love your recipes and also love your dog! I had a female(Sable) that looked a lot like yours. I also had a red and white male. Wonderful dogs!!!
These look great. I would love to try them but I have not been successful finding VEGETARIAN tortellini (where the parmesan isn’t made with animal rennet). Could you please let me know what brand you have found that is vegetarian?
Thanks!
Aimee, I have found that Trader Joe’s has a great selection of tortellini.
I tried making these last night by deep frying them. Let’s just say, they did NOT turn out. I guess next time I will use a skillet to fry them, but deep frying was NOT the thing. 🙁
Oh no – what a bummer! What was the temperature (or setting) on your deep-fryer?
Sounds like my kind of food! 🙂
This would make the best appetizer! Ill have to remember this next time that I need a good appetizer dish.
I just made these today & I loved them. It took longer than I thought to prep but was so worth it. I used Kraft Parmesan in the canister not fresh. My 18-month-old really enjoyed them too!
Could this be baked instead? If so what temp and how long? Thanks.
Ary, yes, these can be baked but without further recipe testing, I cannot advise on the appropriate temp and time. Please use your best judgment.
Nevermind.. I just read all of the comments! Can’t wait to try them.
Has anyone tried to bake these? I don’t enjoy the smell or mess of frying things in my kitchen 🙂
Chungah, these look amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Do you think these would taste good cold? Like if you wanted to make these in advance to bring to a party and chilled them?
These are really best when served immediately.
Made these tonight for our NYE party. I used the frozen tortellini. Did not cook them, just defrosted them. Then I breaded them according to your instructions. Then I baked them at 450 for 15-20 mins. I used about 2 T of oil on the baking sheet and drizzled a little more on top. They stayed very crunchy the entire time they were out. They were amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
Jess, thanks! I was wondering about the frozen tortellini and using oven.
Jess, I was looking for a baked alternative and your instructions worked awesomely! They were super crunchy (to the point where it scraped the top of my mouth) but tasted amazing too. I babysat them for a little bit to make sure the panko didn’t burn.
You said they lose their crispness over time. We like to put foods into a warming tray on the counter for the duration of a party, since nobody wants to be cooking during the party. Would these get soggy?
Yes, there’s a very good chance these may become soggy over time as these are really best when served immediately.
I am going to take these to a party. How should I reheat them when I get to the house? Thanks! 🙂
Leenie, these are actually really best when served immediately as the crispness does lose out over time.
Hi I was wondering what you thought about doing the breading ahead of time and then fry them just before serving.
I haven’t tried breading these ahead of time but I don’t see why it would be a problem.
Can you make them a little ahead of time and heat in oven??
Linda, this is really best when fried in vegetable oil. By baking these, I cannot speak for how much this will change the overall taste/texture of the dish.
OK, I’m thinking this recipe is “corgi approved” so we KNOW it’s good! I’m a corgi owner/lover too so you had me at the first corgi “dog” photo!
Can you use the sausage tortellini instead? Have you tried with other flavors? My family is not a fan of the 3 cheese ones we always get the sausage to make into a soup but this would be different. Thanks!
Yes, the sausage tortellini sounds amazing!
After you boil the tortellini and drain them, do you let them completely cool before doing the flour/egg/panko mixture?
That’s really up to you and your tolerance to work with hot pasta! I started the breading process almost immediately and it was fine.
Holy moly so tasty!!! Like a cross between a fried ravioli and breaded cheese stick! Kids enjoyed it dipped in Ranch. Next time I would double the amount of panko cheese mixture and egg wash as I ran out towards the end and didnt have time as you have to move quickly when frying to make more so the last 10 didn’t have coating 🙁 Other than that we all REALLY enjoyed them- thanks for the recipe!!
Do you think I could make ahead of time to bring to a holiday party? Maybe quickly warm them in oven when I get there?? What are your thoughts? Thank you, Alexis
Alexis, these are really best when served immediately as they do lose their crispness over time.
Could they be made ahead of time and frozen?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. I recommend using your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Your dog is too cute; the costume is very funny. Anyway, the first time I saw this, I thought they were dumplings, maybe I was just hallucinating ’cause I’m addicted to dim sum. By the way, can I use breadcrumbs instead of panko? The only difference between the two is that panko is made from bread without crusts.
Yes, I’m sure it would be fine to use breadcrumbs instead of Panko.
Would it be possible to bake them instead?
Yes, absolutely, but these are really best when fried.
My apologies for not scrolling back all the way to the beginning before asking. But you pan fried them. Can I assume I should be able to deep fry them instead? We bring a fryer on site for more catering jobs and it would be way easier. Just checking. Great idea and pix by the way!!
Yes, a deep-fryer should work just fine!
Can’t wait to try these! However I noticed the 9-oz. package of tortellini is written twice. Is that a typo? Thanks.
Thank you for pointing that out. The recipe has been updated.
Could I do the tortellini ahead and put in a slow cooker. With sauce for a party.
Deb, you can certainly add some sort of sauce but without further recipe testing, I cannot speak for the taste/texture of the dish. Please use your best judgment to make the appropriate substitutions and additions to this recipe.
Putting these in a slow cooker would completely disintegrate them into a mess Deb.
I’m confused. The recipe says to boil the tortellini, but in the comments when asked about this, it said no need to. Do you boil them first or not? They look yummy!
Joyce, I have recently updated the recipe to boil the tortellini first according to package instructions. Hope that helps!
I just feel in love!! What a beautiful baby boy!! Oh, and can’t wait to try this recipe. LOL
Do you think it would be possible to bake these, like a baked ravioli type thing? Just for a slightly lower cal option.
P.S. my dream dog is corgi, and yours is SUPER cuteeeeeeeeeee 🙂
I’m sure you can bake these, although you just won’t have that amazing crispness you get when these are fried!
Wow I have to try these, cute dog!
OMG! hahaha I LOOOVE his face! And his costume!! What a cutie!
Your recipe is also amazing and totally genius!!
What a great idea!!! Butters is adorable……I’m trying to think of a costume for my dog this year. Last year I mad him an Underdog one, complete with blue (terry cloth towel from Walmart – perfect color) cape…
OMG, your dog is ADORABLE!!! I love Corgis!!! He looks like a total sweetheart 🙂
Yummy! I love your cute little pup too. Thank you.
Wowww these look absolutely amazing. Definitely think I’d get through the whole batch in no time 😉 and your dog is absolutely hilarious!
oooooh these tortellini bites would totally do me in! so addictive! (and omgeeee your pooch’s halloween costume!!! icant lol)
Wow perfect Friday night meal!!
They look fabulous! And I love how easy they look.
Can’t wait to give them a try!
Pinned!
Chungah, these look absolutely delicious! I love the idea of making them crunchy with the panko breadcrumbs. I know you’re excited about dressing Butters up for Halloween! When I had 2 boxers, I’d dress them up every year and all the kids in the neighborhood looked forward to seeing their costumes & playing with them… it was so much fun! I need to get Chance a new costume! 🙂
That costume is too cute! The photo of him lying down makes it look like he’s quite enjoying it, haha, he looks so cheeky!
And these tortillini bites, wow! What a way to fancify normal shop-bought fresh pasta 😀 What a great idea! x
Yumm these look soo good!!! Cant wait to try these for hubby. Thanks for sharing
Oh wow, this is perfect game day food. Love.
Wow, they look so yummy! Do you boil/cook the tortellini before you fry them?
Yes, the tortellini should be cooked according to package instructions.
Great idea with the panko! You’ve done cauli, zucchini, why not these!
And Butters. OMG TOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!! Love love love that! Beyond awesome!
Totally crushing on this idea! Looks awesome!
The doggie looks like a human child to me! Super costume! 😀
Yum!! And your corgi is so cute! I need to get a Halloween costume for my cuttie, too, soon.