Easy Garlic Alfredo Tortellini
So simple, so easy, and just amazingly creamy. Best of all, it comes together in just 20 min from start to finish!
Three-cheese tortellini are smothered in a homemade alfredo sauce. And the best part about this? No, it’s not the epic cheesy-garlic goodness. Or the creaminess that just melts away in your mouth. It’s that it comes together in just 20 min from start to finish.
Seriously. It’s just that quick and easy. No joke. But the secret ingredient here is the fresh tortellini. Dry tortellini can be used but the fresh ones just taste so much better, and cuts the cooking time right in half. Either way, I recommend doubling this recipe or else you’ll be fighting for seconds!
Easy Garlic Alfredo Tortellini
So simple, so easy, and just amazingly creamy. Best of all, it comes together in just 20 min from start to finish!
Ingredients
- 1 9-ounce package refrigerated three cheese tortellini
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk, or more, as needed
- ½ cup half and half*
- 2 ounces cream cheese, cubed
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook tortellini according to package instructions; drain well.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in milk and half and half, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in cheeses until melted, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in tortellini and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Notes
*Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
This is simply amazing! My husband is out of town and despises dinner without meat, so I made this for my kids and I and we are all devouring it! I added peas because we all love them and I didn’t want to use another dish. 🙂 Thank you so much! It’s restaurant quality without leaving the house! 🙂
I know nobody has commented on this for a while, but for future makers- I added peas and ham to mine and it give it a great taste.
That sounds amazing! I’ll definitely have to try that next time.
Hmm. While I haven’t tried or tasted this, it seems to me that what you might be making here is..a big, cheesy dish. Is there any subtlety to be found? A cheeses Alfredo sauce over a cheese-filled tortellini?
I think that a simple butter sauce with sage or Rosemary with a bit of garlic would allow the tortellini to shine, rather than smothering it in more cheesiness.
Of course, I could be wrong.
We just had this for dinner for the second time. Even my Super picky 9 year old loves this & eats every bite happily. 🙂
I am putting this on our bi-weekly meal plan. I swear every one of your recipes that I make end up being a family favorite.
Thank you so much for making such easy & ridiculously delicious recipes! 🙂
I’ve made this twice so far, and I like it. It’s slightly not “salty” enough, so I added a few dashes of garlic salt. I generally like my Alfredo on the saltier/cheesier side. Haha. Thanks!
This is so fantastic! Made it tonight and was really pleased. Actually had random tortellini on hand (went to the store for gnocchi, had to go with the tortellini instead), so this was perfect!
This is the first time I have ever commented on a recipe… this sauce is the BOMB!!! Great taste, not too heavy and perfect for any kind of pasta really. Throw in some vegetables and it is an easy meal!
Thank you so much – this will be my go-to alfredo recipe from now on! YUM
This recipe, which I haven’t made yet, will not freeze well because the dairy products will separate into curds and whey when frozen. Although, you could easily freeze or use frozen tortellini–put them in boiling water while still frozen. Start checking for doneness when the water gets real foamy…and may boil over.
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and it is idiot-proof and fantastic! I add chopped broccoli to the pasta and my family adores it. Thank you!
How much is a cup? US and imperial measures are different. What’s this in ml? You can easily treble your audience with this simple addition.
Nicole, here is a great resource to convert recipes to metric measures. Hope that helps!
I really want to try your recipes,but every time I go to print,it comes up BLANK PAGEI do not know what else to do.
Internet Explorer has recently made some updates that are causing print problems. I recommend using a different browser, such as Firefox, Google Chrome, or Safari. But if you can only use Internet Explore, you can highlight the recipe, left-click, and print from there. Easy peasy!
This was fantastic! Looking for suggestions on what to serve with this.
Lisa, please feel free to browse through these side dishes for possible pairings. The garlic roasted carrots is a personal favorite!
making this tonight with garlic parm steamed broccoli and garlic knots. Can’t wait to try it! Sounds and looks amazing. I am doubling the recipe!
This was so easy and awesomely fantastic. I have cooked this 3 times in the last month for the wife and me.
Do you think this could work with any pasta? I have everything but tortellini!
It should be fine with a different kind of pasta, but it’s really best with tortellini!
I love alfredo, I can’t imagine how much better it is with tortellini!
Made this last night for dinner- So good and easy!
mmmmmmmmmmm this pasta looks SO creamy and rich and deeelish
ohhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhh
Can you freeze this?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I am a major sucker for alfredo and cheesy sauce. I think it’s just part of my heritage. But I will be more than happy to gobble this down!