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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
30 Minute Meals
Easy Goulash Recipe
30 Minute Meals
The Best Turkey Tacos
30 Minute Meals
Pesto Cavatappi (Noodles & Company Copycat)
30 Minute Meals
Balsamic Glazed Chicken
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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 freshly grated 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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How long did it take for sauce to thicken? I’m wondering if I have the right consistency.
Hi Jenna, it should thicken in 1-2 minutes. If it’s not thickening up, your pan might need to be hotter. I hope this helps! I hope it works for you! Thanks for your question.
I use a small jar with COLD liquid and add shake with the cornstarch until it’s about the consistency of heavy cream. It avoids lumps when added to thicken this and many other recipes.
Hi Meghan! I just tried this recipe and wow! I just wouldn’t have thought to cook the torts in chicken broth! And I do think of things like! I used fresh basil cause that’s what I had then saw the chopped tomato basil olive oil veg from last night so I added them to the garlic butter basil sauce, chopping the tomatoes very small then added the sauce to the torts in broth pan and super wow! You are so right about the flavors! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Hi Rosalie! The chopped tomatoes sound AMAZING! I’m so glad you tried the recipe and loved it. 🙂 Makes my heart sing! Take care and thanks so much!
I love this recipe. It is quick, easy, and tasty. I think it comes out perfect each time. I have tried making this recipe with a combination of different filled tortellini. I have used cheese and Italian sausage and I have just made half cheese tortellini and half beef tortellini.
Thank you so much Danielle! This is one of my favorites. It always tastes so good, I cannot stop eating. I will definitely have to try meat-filled ravioli sometime, I’ve only ever done the cheese. But sausage in particular sounds awesome. 🙂 Thanks again!
I was wondering about the chicken stock you make the totellini in. Instead of draining the stock couldnt you remove the tortellini out and use the stock for the garlic sauce?
Hi Dawn, YES. Yes you could, and you should. I am going to re-write the recipe to do that. The only thing I was going for with using separate broth is a time-savings because you can start the sauce while the tortellini is still cooking. But, I think saving on chicken broth is the better idea. Thank you so much for this suggestion! It’s a brilliant idea and I wonder how I never thought of that. 🙂
Beautiful Community
This was delicious!! To save time during clean-up, I cooked and drained the tortellini, and then used the same pot to make the sauce. It came out great!
Hi Deborah, that is a great idea (using just one pot). I will update the recipe to reflect your genius! Thank you so much. 😀 Most importantly, glad you liked it!
Great recipe but since I only had a 12 oz pkg of dried tortellini that’s what I used. However 2-1/2 cups of broth isn’t near enough liquid to cook the pasta. I had to add another 2 cups.
Hi Pat! Sorry about that, I have always used 2 1/2 cups of broth to cook this, but I’ll retest. I know I never used the same ratio as I would for cooking regular pasta because the tortellini only takes a couple of minutes to float. But, I’ll take a look! Sorry again, and thanks.
I would recommend using a chicken bouillon cube in enough boiling water. That way you can fill your bot with enough liquid to ensure a good cook. Then you only need a small can of broth or stock to make the sauce with.
That’s a great tip, Jerry! Good cost savings. Thanks. If you try the tortellini, I hope you love it!
Can always add a little water.
This was awesome, thanks!!
Thank you so much, Christin! I could eat the entire batch of tortellini myself, I swear. I’m obsessed. Have a great weekend!
I always have tortellini in the freezer because they make the perfect quick meal on those days when I just can’t go to the store and I need my ’emergency food dinner’. This dish would make a perfect emergency food dinner because you can keep all the ingredients in the freezer, pantry and fridge at all times.
Meggan!
All of my best memories are intertwined with food too!! Don’t you just love that? and now that I have kids, they already know all the baking and eating we will be doing over the holidays. . hoping these become great memories for them! haha, the power of good food. I’ve never thought of it that way but I know what you mean! When I first moved to Seattle, food and cooking was how I connected with friends there! I love this cheese tortellini recipe! I could eat this all day, everyday! Keep in touch!! and thanks for the sweet email! 🙂