Tortellini Sauce
This Creamy Tortellini Sauce makes an easy 30 minute meal that you can use with refrigerated or frozen tortellini. Your family will love the Asiago and Parmesan cream sauce with browned butter, garlic, and the best blend of herbs and seasonings.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 522kcal
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon EACH: dried basil, oregano, parsley
- ¼ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, mustard powder, pepper
Sauce/Tortellini
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 splash olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup parmesan cheese finely shredded
- ½ cup asiago cheese finely shredded
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- 20 oz. tortellini refrigerated or frozen. See notes
- Fresh Parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Combine sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning.
- As you continue with the following steps, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Heat the butter and smashed garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Lift the pan and swirl it around frequently as it cooks for even coloring. When it starts to turn brown, add a splash of olive oil. The light golden color of the butter will give it a subtle sweet, nutty flavor and the splash of olive oil will prevent the butter from burning.
- Add the flour and stir continuously for 1 to 2 minutes, until the raw flour smell is cooked off.
- Add the sauce mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Let the sauce simmer, uncovered, while you cook the tortellini to al dente according to package instructions. Drain once cooked.
- Reduce heat of the sauce to low and gradually stir in the parmesan and asiago cheese. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Add the drained tortellini and toss to combine. The sauce will continue to thicken upon standing. Serve!
Notes
Pro Tips:
Storage
- Browning the butter is optional, the flavor is very subtle but it does add a touch of gourmet. There is a fine line between browned butter and burnt butter. A splash of olive oil is added to mitigate burning it, but feel free to simply melt some butter and let it start to foam without browning it.
- Shred the cheese from a block, it will melt and tastes much better than packaged shredded cheese. Belgioioso is my brand of choice for the Parmesan and Asiago.
- All Parmesan cheese can be used or a combination of Parmesan and Romano if you don't have Asiago.
- I use Rana 5-cheese tortellini for this recipe but a variety of options work well!
- Heavy cream may be used instead of half and half, the sauce will be thicker. A splash of milk can be used to thin it out slightly if desired.
- Sautéed mushrooms can be prepared in a separated skillet and mixed into the sauce at the end.
- 20 oz. ravioli can be used with this recipe as well.
- 📘 Find this recipe on page 181 of my 2nd cookbook, Let's Eat!
Storage
- The flour in this sauce helps it to maintain it’s consistency when cooled and reheated.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat it back to it's original consistency, thaw it overnight and use a makeshift double boiler to reheat it on the stove top. I've found that to be the best way to reheat cream sauces.
- If you expect leftovers, I recommend that you store the sauce separately and boil fresh pasta for serving if possible.
Nutrition
Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 860mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 589IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 382mg | Iron: 3mg