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An easy, delicious recipe for Cheese Tortellini in a simple Garlic Butter Sauce with basil. Keep it warm in a crockpot for a party appetizer, or serve up in a big bowl for a comforting weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less.
Out of all the tortellini recipes I’ve tried, this is my favorite way that I turn to again and again. It’s easy to make and everyone loves it, and it’s fun as either an appetizer or a main dish.
This cheesy tortellini recipe is absolutely delicious but you must season it properly. I love low-sodium chicken broth as much as the next person, but it doesn’t work well here. Use homemade chicken broth if you have it or mix up a batch from the “Better than Bouillon”. If you don’t, your sauce will have a bland flavor and you will be disappointed.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken broth: Do not use low-sodium chicken broth or the sauce may be bland. Homemade chicken broth is fine or you could mix up a batch with Better than Bouillon chicken base (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link). For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth.
- Cornstarch: All-purpose flour can be substituted for cornstarch. However, you may have to cook the sauce an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Cheese tortellini: The cooking times in this recipe are based on frozen cheese tortellini. To substitute fresh or refrigerated tortellini, cook it for 2 to 3 minutes (it should be floating). To substitute dried tortellini, follow the instructions on the package (should be about 10 to 11 minutes).
- Butter: Do not substitute unsalted butter or your sauce may be bland.
Step-by-step instructions
- Set aside 1 ½ cups of broth in a small bowl and whisk the cornstarch into it. Heat the remaining broth in a saucepan until boiling. Add tortellini and cook until the tortellini floats to the top of the water and the internal temperature of a tortellini is 165 degrees (see package instructions). Gently drain and set aside.
- In a non-stick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until it foams. Add the garlic and dried basil and stir for 2 minutes to sauté the garlic.
- Then add the broth and cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the mixture thickens, only 1 or 2 minutes.
- Stir in the al dente tortellini and toss in the garlic butter mixture to coat every piece. Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and Parmesan cheese.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe will make 4 hearty main course servings. Or, feed 8 as an appetizer or first course. If serving as part of a buffet, keep warm in a slow cooker.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Mushrooms: To add fresh mushrooms to the dish, first cook them down in olive oil with a little salt to encouraging sweating. Then, proceed with stirring in the garlic in step 2.
- More mix-ins: To make the tortellini a fuller meal, stir in cooked shrimp, prosciutto, crispy bacon, or veggies like blanched broccoli, red bell pepper, olives, or artichokes. Consider choosing different textures (some soft, some crunchy).
- Tortellini skewers: Use toothpicks or small skewers to serve up appetizer portions of Cheesy Garlic Tortellini.
- Tortelloni vs tortellini: Both types of stuffed pasta have the same basic shape. However, tortellini are smaller (generally about 2 grams each) and tortelloni are larger (generally about 5 grams each).
- Tortellini cooking times: 2 to 3 minutes for refrigerated (soft) tortellini, 3 to 5 minutes for frozen tortellini, and 10 to 11 minutes for dried tortellini. Signs of doneness are when the pasta floats to the surface of the water, and has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Tortellini with marinara: Try my quick marinara sauce with cooked cheese tortellini. For more richness, stir some cream cheese into the sauce, then top with mozzarella cheese, pop it under the broiler, and enjoy baked tortellini.
- Tortellini pasta salads: Cheese tortellini makes a fun, fantastic based for your next pasta salad. I love my Italian Pasta Salad made with cheese tortellini instead of the rotini. Or, try Easy Cold Pasta Salad and swap out the noodles to make a tortellini salad instead.
- Sausage Tortellini Soup: This quick, satisfying meal is made with cheese tortellini, Italian sausage, and fresh kale, and it’s ready in about 30 minutes. Add a splash of heavy cream for a creamy tortellini soup, or sub spinach for the kale to make a spinach tortellini soup.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup: A delicious, tortellini-take on Chicken Noodle Soup. This one is always a crowd-pleaser and made right in your crock pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What goes good on tortellini?
Cheese tortellini comes with my fillings: cheese, ground beef, Italian sausage, and more. Depending on the filling, tortellini are delicious with everything from cream-based sauces to red marinara-type sauces, browned butter, pesto, and even walnut sauce. They remind me of ravioli, so if you’d eat it with ravioli, you can eat with tortellini.
More easy weeknight dinners
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Easy Goulash
30 Minute Meals
The Best Turkey Tacos
30 Minute Meals
Pesto Cavatappi (Noodles & Company Copycat)
30 Minute Meals
Balsamic Chicken and Tomatoes
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Cheese Tortellini in Garlic Butter Sauce
An easy, delicious recipe for Cheese Tortellini in a simple garlic butter sauce with basil. Keep it warm in a crockpot for a party appetizer, or serve up in a big bowl for a comforting weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less.
Equipment
- Dutch oven (I love my Le Creuset!)
Ingredients
- 32 ounces chicken broth or vegetable broth, divided (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (see note 2)
- 1 (16 ounce) package frozen cheese tortellini (see note 3)
- 4 tablespoons butter (see note 4)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese for garnish
- Fresh basil chiffonade, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring 2 ½ cups broth to a boil. Add cheese tortellini. Return to a boil and cook until the tortellini float to the top of the water, about 3 minutes. The internal temperature of a tortellini should be 165 degrees. Drain completely.
- Meanwhile, whisk together remaining 1 ½ cups broth with corn starch. In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Stir in garlic and basil and cook 2 minutes.
- Add broth-cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil; simmer until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes longer. Add the cooked tortellini to the skillet and toss to coat.
- Pour into a serving dish and garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken broth: Do not use low-sodium chicken broth or the sauce may be bland. Homemade chicken broth is fine or you could mix up a batch with Better than Bouillon chicken base (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through this link). For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth.
- Cornstarch: All-purpose flour can be substituted for cornstarch. However, you may have to cook the sauce an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Cheese tortellini: The cooking times in this recipe are based on frozen cheese tortellini. To substitute fresh or refrigerated tortellini, cook it for 2 to 3 minutes (it should be floating). To substitute dried tortellini, follow the instructions on the package (should be about 10 to 11 minutes).
- Butter: Do not substitute unsalted butter or your sauce may be bland.
- Yield: This recipe will make 4 hearty main course servings. Or, feed 8 as an appetizer or first course. If serving as part of a buffet, keep warm in a slow cooker.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 508kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 21gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 1523mgPotassium: 195mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 399IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 265mgIron: 4mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
So yummy – saved the recipe to make again and soon. What’s not to love about creamy butter garlic sauce! The only change I made was the addition of smoked sausage to the skillet for the meat eaters
Sounds delicious, Shari! Thank you for stopping by to write, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! – Meggan
Easy and delicious. No adjustments needed. Thank you.
Delicious! I added the last of my garden tomatoes and about a cup of frozen chopped spinach. So I needed to add more corn starch, garlic, and salt. The result was delicious!
Sounds delicious, Anne! So happy you loved it! – Meggan
This is so good! I have now added this simple recipe to my rotation. I have followed the recipe exactly and made it with cream like Sue mentioned. Both are excellent.
I’m so happy you loved it, PAN66. Take care! – Meggan
We like this recipe and have made it a few times. I also add around a 1/4 cup of cream to this after adding the broth and a pinch of salt. Really good! Recommend for a side to any dish.
I’m so happy you love it, Sue! Thank you for stopping by! – Meggan