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This Tortellini Alfredo recipe is an easy meal packed with pancetta, spinach and smothered in a creamy sauce that takes no time to make.
Serve with homemade garlic bread for a tasty midweek treat.
Homemade Alfredo
This dish takes just fifteen minutes to make from start to finish, and I can’t tell you how absolutely fabulous it tastes! I love a quick and easy meal that looks & tastes impressive but takes no time at all to throw together. Homemade Alfredo is one of those dishes! I’m sure you will love it too.
Why This Recipe Works
- The addition of pancetta and spinach adds an extra layer to the dish, transforming it from a bowl of pasta to a full-on weeknight dinner.
- The subtle use of garlic adds flavor without overpowering the dish.
- Parmesan cheese melted adds deep richness.
What is Tortellini Alfredo?
Tortellini Alfredo is simply a cheese-stuffed pasta covered in a creamy garlic sauce. It’s one of the quickest pasta dishes you can make. Easy and delicious.
Tortellini Buying Guide
- Fresh Refrigerated is always best when using pasta in a dish. I prefer fresh ready-made spinach and ricotta stuffed tortellini, but you can use your favorite.
- Frozen tortellini is very convenient and perfect when you have a time limit. Whatever suits you!
- Dried Tortellini takes much longer to cook than refrigerated or frozen, but it’s a good all-around pantry item to keep on hand.
How To Make Tortellini Alfredo
Start with cooking the pancetta (or bacon) until crisp.
Once cooked remove from the pan leaving a little of the grease to cook the garlic in.
Cook the garlic quickly before adding the cream.
Heat the cream and add the grated cheese.
Allow the cheese to melt into the sauce and then add the spinach.
Allow the spinach to cook into the sauce and add the partially cooked tortellini.
Let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce and add the pancetta before serving.
Best cheese For Alfredo Sauce
Use flavorful Cheeses that will melt easily into the sauce like Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, Asiago, or Grana Padano.
Erren’s Top Tips
- When cooking Tortellini, salt the water well so that it seasons the pasta. The best sauce in the world cannot fix bland pasta.
- Cook the pasta until just underdone and allow it to finish cooking in the sauce so it absorbs the flavors gets well coated in the sauce.
- Save some pasta water. It can be used to thin out the sauce.
- Don’t use oil when cooking pasta it causes the sauce to just slip off the pasta instead of coating it.
- Use Cream with a high-fat content as it thickens when cooked without the use of a thickening agent.
- Some Parmesan cheese is quite salty, so be sure to taste before seasoning.
- Don’t Have Parmesan Cheese? Use Cheeses with lots of flavor that will melt easily into the sauce like Pecorino Romano, Asiago, or Grana Padano.
- Serve imminently Alfredo sauce thickens as it cools and if left too long the tortellini will clump together.
- For a vegetarian option omit the pancetta.
- Variations: Add cooked chicken, shrimp for a whole new dish.
Rate This Recipe
Recipe
Tortellini Alfredo
Ingredients
- 6 ounces pancetta (or bacon chopped into small cubes)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 pound Tortellini
- 2 cups heavy cream (or whipping cream)
- 4 oz salted butter (1 stick/8 tablespoons/½ cup)
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated, plus more for serving)
- 12 oz Baby Spinach (freshly washed)
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
- fresh flat-leaf parsley (Chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the Tortellini until just undercooked. It will finish cooking in the sauce.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a deep saute pan, cook the pancetta or bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels then drain all but a tablespoon of the grease from the pan.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds then add the cream. Heat over low-medium heat.
- Add butter and whisk gently until melted. Mix in cheese until it melts into the sauce.
- Add the spinach in batches and allow it to wilt into the sauce.
- Drain the Tortellini, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the pan, gently toss to coat in the Alfredo sauce (adding some of the pasta water if needed to loosen).
- Add the cooked pancetta or bacon. Top with more grated cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Tips
- When cooking Tortellini, salt the water well so that it seasons the pasta. The best sauce in the world cannot fix bland pasta.
- Cook the pasta until just underdone and allow it to finish cooking in the sauce so it absorbs the flavors gets well coated in the sauce.
- Save some pasta water. It can be used to thin out the sauce.
- Don’t use oil when cooking pasta it causes the sauce to just slip off the pasta instead of coating it.
- Use Cream with a high-fat content as it thickens when cooked without the use of a thickening agent.
- Some Parmesan cheese is quite salty, so be sure to taste before seasoning.
- Don’t Have Parmesan Cheese? Use Cheeses with lots of flavor that will melt easily into the sauce like Pecorino Romano, Asiago, or Grana Padano.
- Serve imminently Alfredo sauce thickens as it cools and if left too long the tortellini will clump together.
- For a vegetarian option omit the pancetta.
- Variations: Add cooked chicken, shrimp for a whole new dish.
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