Cheese Tortellini Alfredo

5 from 1 vote

This creamy stovetop Cheese Tortellini Alfredo is a comforting, family-friendly meal that comes together in just 25 minutes with a homemade sauce.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian American

Servings: people

Calories: 899kcal

Gather your ingredients and get them ready. Get a large pot of well-salted water ready to boil and prepare the sauce as the water is about to boil. The Alfredo sauce will take less than 10 minutes to come together, and frozen tortellini generally take 4-6 minutes to cook
1 package cheese tortellini
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in salt and flour and stir until the raw flour is cooked—about 1 minute.
5 tablespoons butter, 4 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Slowly whisk in milk and heavy cream; cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2-4 minutes.
1 3/4 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream
Stir in nutmeg, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until combined and the sauce is thick and creamy. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed.
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Add tortellini and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired. I like to add loads of freshly cracked black pepper and more Parmesan.
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Top Tips

You can replace part of the heavy cream with a Parmesan broth (made by simmering Parmesan rinds) for a deep, umami-packed sauce.
Toss the cooked tortellini briefly in garlic butter before coating it with the Alfredo sauce for an extra flavor layer.
Add a few dollops of homemade basil pesto on top—but don’t stir it in.