Pesto Alfredo Tortellini
Enjoy more comforting recipes like Pesto Pasta and Fettuccine Alfredo.
Quick Look: Pesto Alfredo Tortellini
- 🕐 Prep time: 10 minutes
- 🍳 Cook time: 20 minutes
- ⏱ Total time: 30 minutes
- 🍽 Servings: 4-6
- 🔥 Calories: 987kcal
- 🥘 Cook Method: Stovetop
- 😋 Flavor Profile: Rich, creamy, garlicky, and bright with fresh basil
- 📊 Difficulty: Easy
SUMMARISE AND SAVE THIS RECIPE AND IDEAS ON
Table of Contents
Why My Rich and Creamy Tortellini Recipe Is So Good
- You get two favorite pasta sauces in one bowl instead of having to pick between them, all in the time it takes to boil water.
- I developed this because I love pesto all year long but wanted something with more richness and staying power for a real dinner, not just a light pasta toss.
- This isn’t just Alfredo with a spoonful of pesto stirred in. Coating the tortellini in pesto first keeps that fresh basil flavor from getting muted, so you actually taste both sauces instead of one flattening the other.
- It comes together with pantry staples and one pot for the sauce, so it’s genuinely a 30-minute weeknight dinner, not a recipe that just claims to be.
- Between the tortellini itself and the rich sauce, this is filling enough to serve as a full meal with nothing more than a salad on the side.
Ingredient Notes
Heavy Whipping Cream – For the best rich and creamy Alfredo sauce, it’s best to use heavy whipping cream and nothing with lower fat content (like half and half). I really do NOT recommend substituting it.
Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter. That way, you can better control how much sodium is in your dish.
Parmesan Cheese – A combination of fresh grated and pre-grated is ideal for the flavor and the consistency of the Alfredo sauce. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese melts like a dream, but pre-grated Parmesan will add a slightly different texture.
Mozzarella Cheese – For the very best consistency, this cheese should be freshly grated off the block.
Garlic – I recommend not adding too much garlic because you don’t want it to overpower the other ingredients. Note that pesto already has garlic in it as well.
Pesto – For the very best flavor, consider making my favorite homemade basil pesto! It takes just a few minutes to make and has the most incredible fresh flavor.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Pesto Alfredo Tortellini
- Cook the tortellini in well-salted water. Drain it right at the low end of the package time instructions, since it’ll keep softening slightly in the hot pot while you finish the sauce.
- Sauté the garlic in butter. Just a few seconds over medium heat until fragrant. Any longer and the garlic can overcook and turn bitter.
- Pour in the heavy whipping cream while whisking. Adding it slowly keeps the sauce smooth instead of separating.
- Stir in the sour cream and both Parmesans. Keep the heat at medium-low here. This is the stretch where the sauce turns glossy and starts to thicken, about 5-7 minutes.
- Toss the drained tortellini with pesto first, right in the pasta pot. Coating the pasta before the Alfredo goes in keeps the basil flavor from getting lost.
- Fold in the Alfredo and mozzarella. Stir until the cheese melts in and everything turns a uniform pale green.
- Serve right away. Cream sauces firm up fast as they cool, so get it to the table while it’s hot.
Tips for the Best Pesto Alfredo Tortellini
- Use heavy whipping cream! It’s the best option to use for the comforting, rich, creamy and delicious Alfredo sauce.
- Use fresh grated parmesan cheese and some pre-grated parmesan cheese. The combination is so satisfying!
- You can cook the tortellini while preparing the sauce. That way, the whole dish will only take 15-20 minutes.
- DO NOT bring the cream to boil! Cook over medium to medium-low heat. It’s okay to bring the cream to a low and slow simmer, but you’ll need to turn the heat down right away.
- For the very best results, use homemade pesto! However, if you need to save time, you can get a store-bought jar. Just make sure you get one that you already know you like the flavor of. Store-bought pesto often don’t taste the best and will affect the taste of the dish.
Storing and Reheating
Let your pesto Alfredo tortellini fully cool to room temperature prior to storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Properly stored, it’ll keep for about 3-4 days.
Reheat your leftovers in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time it stops, until warmed all the way through. This microwave method works best for individual portions.
To reheat the entire dish, I recommend tossing it back into a pot over medium-low heat and stirring often until warmed back up. If pasta soaked up too much sauce, you can add a little milk to re-invigorate the sauce.
Pesto Alfredo Tortellini Recipe FAQs
Luckily, I have seen gluten free tortellini at quite a few stores, so yes – you can certainly make this dish gluten free! The Alfredo sauce in this recipe does not have any flour, so it’s already gluten free, as is the pesto. I always recommend that you double check the ingredients listed on your products to make sure.
Heavy whipping cream is the best option for a rich and creamy Alfredo sauce. If you’re in a bind, you can use half and half but it will be slightly thinner and not as rich. To make the sauce thicker when using half and half, add about 1/2 tbsp of flour while whisking the melted butter and garlic. You can also use a little more parmesan cheese. Don’t use anything less rich than half and half!
Of course! Feel free to add leftover meats like baked chicken breast , turkey, baked ham or pan seared steak. You can also use rotisserie chicken and mix it right into the dish. If you feel like adding some veggies, chopped broccoli florets would be great here.
More Comforting Pasta Recipes To Try
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!
Pesto Alfredo Tortellini Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 oz refrigerated three cheese tortellini
- Salt
- 1/3 cup prepared homemade pesto
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 large clove of garlic
- 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3/4-1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup dry Parmesan cheese*
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
- More fresh grated Parmesan for topping
Instructions
- Cook tortellini in a large pot with some salted water, according to the package. Drain and set aside in the same pot.
- In a small sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat and add pressed garlic.
- Saute until fragrant (just a few seconds) and slowly add heavy cream WHILE whisking. Heat through on medium heat, keep stirring slowly.
- Add sour cream, Parmesan cheeses, salt and pepper. Keep cooking on medium-low heat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring often, until all smooth.
- In the pot where you cooked the tortellini, add pesto and mix pasta and pesto well.
- Add Alfredo sauce and Mozzarella cheese. Mix well and serve.
- Top each plate with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January 2019.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Dinner Recipes, Italian Dinner Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Sauce Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Can you skip the sour cream? What does that add? Thank you
Omitting it won’t significantly alter the sauce’s flavor profile but the sour cream contributes to the richness, thickness, and subtle tanginess of the sauce.
Can I use 1/2 & 1/2 instead of heavy cream?
Yes, you can but it won’t be as thick.
I made this for my hubby last night but with Fettucini and grilled chicken. 🙂 The only changes I made were I used granulated garlic ‘cause I didn’t have any fresh and I didn’t add the mozzarella because the Alfredo was so beautiful, I didn’t think it needed it.
Thank you for posting!
Hi Kari,
I am so glad you liked it!
Do you think this recipe can hold for 2-3 days. I want to make for holiday party a head of time.
Or do you think I should make the sauce and keep the sauce and tortellini separate till ready to serve??
Hi Rachel!
I’m sorry for the late response.
Alfredo is not really the sauce that hold up well to reheating, it tends to separate. Tortellini only takes a few minutes to cook and I would recommend making the sauce fresh. It would be frustrating reheating the sauce and have the oils separate on you.
Happy holidays!
Super tasty, next time I’m going to try it with some diced fresh tomatoes for some acidity and a grilled chicken breast.
I love every word in that title. So I just had to click on this. Creamy and green..I am so drooling! 🙂
awe, thank you so much, Pragati! 🙂 Hope you’ll give it a try!
You had me at pesto. And you had me at Alfredo. And then you also had me at tortellini!! My heart and soul are yours — at the very least your recipe!! Gorgeous shots — do you have a problem with you and the lens falling right into the creamy pasta??? 🙂 Have a great day!!
Well, I guess I got your attention all around 😉
Lol, since it’s a prime lens, I’m not as close as it looks.
Thank you, Marisa!
Yummy – thank you and have a good weekend
Thank you, Liz!! 🙂
Hi there, this would be a super contribution to Food on Friday: Cheese over at Carole’s Chatter. Please do bring it over. Cheers
Thank you, Caroline! I’ll stop by to check it out