Bacon Tortellini Alfredo

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.

Ingredients · Servings 4

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)

Method · 30 min

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.

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

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.

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.