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This bacon Alfredo tortellini recipe has a tangy cream cheese sauce with crispy bacon and parmesan! It’s fast, easy, and makes a fabulous main course or side dish.
If you can’t get enough Alfredo sauce, try my Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups or Easy Shrimp Alfredo next.
Why you’ll love it
Alfredo sauce is simple to make, but my favorite way to take it to the next level is with the slight tanginess of cream cheese. Add in bacon, and this cream cheese tortellini is a cozy weeknight treat. Readers even love it as a birthday meal!
Store-bought cheese pasta is taken from bland to grand in this creamy tortellini recipe, and a quick from-scratch sauce is just about as effortless as opening up a jar would be but tastes so much better and still has few ingredients.
What you’ll need
- Tortellini – we’re using cheese tortellini that’s found in the refrigerated pasta section
- Bacon – it gives this dish an irresistible savory quality. Who doesn’t love bacon?
- Garlic – our tasty aromatic. Use even more if you’re big into garlic.
- Chicken broth – the base of the sauce. It gives another dimension of flavor.
- Heavy cream – for that luxurious, rich quality in the sauce
- Cream cheese – my top tip for improving Alfredo-style sauce and give a hint of tang. It also helps to thicken the sauce without needing flour or cornstarch! I used Philadelphia.
- Parmesan – always use freshly grated for optimal taste, texture, and meltability
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Time-saving tools like kitchen shears for the bacon and a garlic press make this recipe go much smoother.
- Don’t have a reliable set of measuring cups yet for liquid measurements? Grab ’em now.
- I like to grate the parmesan with my handy Microplane zester.
How to make bacon tortellini Alfredo
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the bacon into small pieces, and fry in a skillet until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate, and drain most (but not all) of the fat. Boil a pot of salted water, and cook the tortellini once the bacon is done.
Into the skillet add the garlic, chicken broth, cream, and cream cheese. Stir over medium heat until reduced and the sauce is smooth. Add in the bacon and parmesan.
Remove from the heat, and toss with the drained tortellini, reserving some of the pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Season generously with salt & pepper, and enjoy!
Pro tip
- We’ve only tested this recipe as written with the heavy cream. Yes, it’s a treat meal, and that’s totally okay! You could try using half-and-half, but the sauce will be thinner and less rich. I would not recommend using milk in this one as a substitution.
What to serve with bacon cream cheese tortellini
- It’s an awesome special occasion meal, so go all out and pair it with a big slice of Cheesy Garlic Bread if serving it as a main course.
- A fresh side salad is a great complement. I recommend mixed greens with my Creamy Balsamic Dressing or this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
- This bacon tortellini recipe also makes a rich side dish to go along with my Crockpot Pork Tenderloin, simple Chicken Milanese, or Easy Meatloaf.
Leftovers and storage
- This is one of those dishes that’s best served fresh. If you have any leftovers, though, store in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container.
- Reheat in a saucepan slowly and over a low heat so the sauce doesn’t separate. Add more liquid if needed as leftovers may dry out.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftovers. This dish is very creamy, so the texture will definitely change when thawed.
Leave a review of this simple tortellini recipe in the comments below! Feel free to ask any questions if the blog post didn’t answer them. As always, I love to see your creations, so tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Bacon Tortellini Alfredo
Ingredients
- 2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated cheese tortellini
- 6 strips bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 block of Philly) softened
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water for the tortellini. Start cooking the tortellini once the bacon is done (it'll only take a few minutes for the tortellini to cook).
- Cut the bacon into small pieces (I use kitchen shears to make the job easy). Fry it in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy (about 10 minutes).
- Take the pan off the heat and remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain most of the bacon fat from the pan (keep about 1 tablespoon in there).
- Stir in the garlic, chicken broth, cream, and cream cheese. Return the pan to the burner (medium heat), and stir until you've got a smooth sauce and it's reduced to your liking (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and bacon. Take the pan off the heat and toss with the drained tortellini (but if the sauce is too thick, thin it with a few spoonfuls of the hot pasta water prior to draining it). Season with salt & pepper as needed.
Notes
- Take the cream cheese out of your fridge 30+ minutes prior to starting the recipe so it has a chance to soften up. Or, you can microwave it for about 30 seconds (microwaves vary so watch it closely) to soften it up.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on January 19, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Can i make this in the crockpot?
Hi! Hmmm.. I don’t really see how… you could tinker with the recipe a bit, but it’s easy to just do it on the stove quickly.
Could I use jar Alfredo and if so how much would I need? I hate cream cheese lol
Hi! Just a guess here, but probably 1.5-2 cups of the alfredo sauce?
Wondering how this would come out using rigatoni or large macaroni, instead of the tortellini?
I think that would probably be fine. I would stick to around the same quantity of pasta, though, because you don’t want to run out of sauce if you make too much. The tortellini’s cheese filling does add an extra little something-something to the recipe, though, so keep that in mind.
Added a little more to mine, but it was really good!!! Definitely a family winner!!
Wonderful!
Can you use frozen tortellini?
Yes
Made this the other night for dinner and it was DELICIOUS. So easy for a novice cook like myself trying to experiment with new recipes during all the time at home. I didn’t have the fresh tortellini but I did have the dried barilla kind with cheese and spinach and it was to die for. Thank you for a new staple in our household! 😊
So happy it worked out for you, Emily! 😀
Our usual takeout is closed [edited] so I had to fix something for dinner in a big hurry. Tortellini, bacon, quick creamy sauce – done! And we loved it! No surprise – I’ve tried six S&L recipes in the last month and can’t wait to make them all again. Not quite sure how I’ve cooked dinner all these years without these quick and *delicious* recipes. Thank you!
I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe, and I’m so glad that I’ve been a good recipe resource for you, Cindy! 🙂 XO
I forgot to give a star rating last time. 5 stars! I plan on making it again today.
Thanks so much for coming back to give it a rating!! I’m so glad you like this recipe! 🙂
Made this dish ladt night.
My wife enjoyed just as much as I.
Wonderful!! Thanks for letting me know, Spencer!
I made this for my family the other night and they loved it! I made it as the main dish. I used 16 oz of tortellini instead of just 9 oz because I like to have left overs. I made everything else as instructed and to me there was still enough sauce. I love the tanginess of the cream cheese in this. It was a very simple and delicious dish to make. I will definitely be adding this to my main go to meals! Thank you so much for this recipe!
You’re very welcome! So glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for leaving me a comment!! ♥️
I made this with a 20 oz Tortellini and added an extra slice of bacon. It was delicious; the whole family loved it. Next time I will add more bacon and maybe some onion.
I’m so glad it was a hit! 🙂