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Baked Cheese Tortellini Alfredo is a quick and hearty vegetarian meal done in 45 minutes. Complete with my irresistible thick and creamy alfredo, this baked pasta dish is a weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
Quick and comforting dinners are something I like to keep on hand for busy days. Sometimes I just need something cozy and a semi-homemade dinner like this is perfect for such an occasion.
This Baked Tortellini Alfredo can be prepped in just 20 minutes making meal time a breeze! Do your future self a favor though - double the recipe and freeze one for later! Don't worry, instructions for all of that is listed below!
Jump to:
- 🧀 Ingredients to Make Baked Tortellini
- 📋 Different Variations of Baked Tortellini Alfredo
- 🔪 How to Make Baked Tortellini with Homemade Alfredo
- My Perfect Pasta Cooking Ratio
- 💭 Frequently Asked Questions
- ⏲️ How to Make Ahead and Freeze
- 🥡 Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- 🧀 More Alfredo Recipes
- #ScarlatiFamilyKitchen
- Recipe
- Comments
🧀 Ingredients to Make Baked Tortellini
These are all of the ingredients you need to make this Easy Baked Tortellini dish. You probably have most of this on hand already, but make sure to check out my notes below for substitutes.
- Tortellini - I like using refrigerated fresh tortellini over frozen, but either will work for this dish. You can also pick your favorite flavor, whether it be cheese, spinach, or meat. If you have ravioli on hand, this will also work! If you have extra time, make a batch of homemade pasta dough and make your own tortellini. Make sure to save extra for Tortellini alla Panna and Tortellini with Pesto Sauce!
- Sauce - My favorite Homemade Alfredo Sauce takes just under 10 minutes to make, and can be done while the water boils and the pasta cooks. It's thick and creamy and provides the perfect binder to bring everything together. If you are short on time (or energy!) a store-bought alfredo sauce works fine. You will need about 2-3 cups, depending on how saucy you want the final dish.
- Cheese - I always recommend freshly shredding your cheese from a block. Pre-shredded cheese contains an anti-caking agent that affects the flavor and the melt factor. It's not going to ruin the dish, so don't worry if that's what you have on hand, but try it sometime and you will definitely notice a difference! Mozzarella is super melty and has a neutral flavor which works great in this dish. Provolone or Fontina are other Types of Italian Cheeses that you could add to the mix.
📋 Different Variations of Baked Tortellini Alfredo
- Meat - If you want to add in some meat, try mixing in some shredded rotisserie chicken, meatballs, or Italian sausage before baking.
- Spicy - Add a bit of kick by mixing in ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper to the alfredo sauce.
- Veggies - Round off the meal by mixing in cooked broccoli florets, jarred artichoke hearts, sautéed green beans, green peas, sautéed mushrooms, or roasted asparagus. I do this when I have leftover veggies from a previous dinner or I'll quickly cook up some frozen veggies to add in.
- Sauce - If you want to switch things up a bit, you can sub out the alfredo for a marinara sauce like my Sunday Gravy. You can also use half alfredo and half marinara for a creamy tomato sauce.
🔪 How to Make Baked Tortellini with Homemade Alfredo
First you are going to cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to the package instructions. Make sure to reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water for the alfredo sauce. (This can be skipped if you are using jarred sauce, but adding a little bit to jarred sauce helps to make it taste better!)
Light grease a 2-Quart Baking Dish with either butter or olive oil and place the cooked and drained tortellini in there in an even layer.
To make the alfredo sauce (which can be done at the same time as the tortellini), melt butter in a pan, then add the garlic and saute for about 30-60 seconds.
Whisk in the flour and let that cook for a couple of minutes. Then, slowly whisk in the half and half and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken.
Take the sauce off the heat heat and then mix in the parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and reserved pasta water. Once the everything is mixed into a smooth sauce, pour it over the top of the tortellini in the dish.
Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top and bake for about 20-25 minutes. The sauce should be bubbly and the cheese should be melted and slightly browned. (If you like crispy edges, turn on the broiler at the end for a couple of minutes!)
My Perfect Pasta Cooking Ratio
1 Pound Pasta - 4 Quarts Water - 1 Tablespoon Salt
(Don't Forget to Cook Pasta Al Dente!)
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Mixing in a little bit of your pasta cooking water will help to flavor store-bought alfredo as well as help it to stick to the pasta better. You can also things like ground nutmeg, black pepper, crushed red pepper or Italian seasoning to the sauce to enhance it.
I don't cover this dish when I'm baking it because I like the consistency of the sauce and cheese with the crispy edges. If you want it to be more saucey and melty, then cover the dish with foil during baking.
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that is mentioned, be sure to look it up in our Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⏲️ How to Make Ahead and Freeze
Fridge - Assemble the dish all the way up until baking time and then let cool it completely in the refrigerator. Once it's cooled, cover with plastic wrap and it will keep like this for about 2 days. Baking may take 5-10 minutes longer since it's cold.
Freeze - Assemble the dish all the way up until baking time and then let cool it completely in the refrigerator. Once it's cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then cover in foil. This will keep in the freezer for 1-2 months and can be baked from frozen. Baking time will be closer to 45-60 minutes or you can thaw it and bake for 30-45 minutes.
🥡 Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers will keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Make sure to cool them completely and then store in an airtight container. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or covered in the oven until heated through.
🧀 More Alfredo Recipes
If you loved this Baked Cheese Tortellini Alfredo then check out these other alfredo recipes that I know you will love too!
Recipe
Vegetarian Baked Cheese Tortellini Alfredo
Ingredients
- 19 ounces cheese tortellini, fresh or frozen
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 pint half and half
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚ and lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish with butter or olive oil.
- Cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling, salted water until they float to the top. Drain the water from the tortellini, reserving ½ cup for the alfredo sauce.
- Spread the cooked and drained tortellini into an even layer in the prepared baking dish and set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat on the stovetop and then melt the butter in it until it stops foaming.
- Whisk in the garlic and let it cook for about 30-60 seconds until it becomes fragrant.
- Sprinkle the flour over the butter and garlic mixture and cook while whisking continuously for a couple of minutes.
- Slowly whisk in the half and half and then lower the heat to medium low. Whisk and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg and reserved pasta cooking liquid.
- Pour the finished alfredo sauce over the tortellini in the baking dish and sprinkle evenly with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Turn on the broiler the last few minutes to get the cheese extra browned, if desired.
Notes
- Meat - Mix in shredded rotisserie chicken, meatballs, or Italian sausage.
- Spicy - Add ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper to the alfredo sauce.
- Veggies - Mix in cooked broccoli florets, sautéed mushrooms, green peas, sautéed green beans, artichokes hearts, or roasted asparagus.
- Sauce - Use 2-3 cups of store-bought alfredo sauce.
- Make Ahead - Assemble the dish up until the baking time, cool it in the refrigerator, cover it in plastic wrap, and store it up to 2 days ahead of time. To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil and store for 1-2 months. Bake the frozen tortellini alfredo for 45-60 minutes or thaw and bake for 30-45 minutes.
- Leftovers - Keep leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
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