This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This creamy garlic butter sauce for tortellini is easy, quick and amazingly creamy. Make it with fresh or frozen tortellini for a quick restaurant-style meal. No flour required!
What is Tortellini?
Tortellini, which is Italian for “little cakes”, are delicious little filled pasta packages. They’re great for easy weeknight cooking, and because they are typically filled with meat, cheeses, or herbs, you can often forego chunky sauces and pursue something very simple.
For this sauce, we’ll be using some butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream and herbs to make a restaurant-style meal.
Best Sauce for Tortellini
One of the coolest things about this tortellini sauce is how quick and easy it is to make! Of course, it’s indulgent enough – and impressive enough – to fire up if you’ve guests over or a date night coming up. Like a lot of home-style Italian cooking, this is a versatile meal that is sure to please just about everyone who tries it.
What Makes This Recipe Special?
For a start, we’ll be using browned butter, which has a sweet, nutty flavor. This complements the Parmesan cheese we’re using as the source of umami flavor in the sauce. We’ll smash up some garlic cloves to bring that delicious flavor to the forefront, and, of course, using some simple herbs and seasonings to take this recipe from good to great.
You’ll Need
It is an easy to make tortellini sauce that requires only simple ingredients.
How To Make Tortellini Sauce
- First, you’ll want to smash your garlic cloves. Be sure to shell them first, and crush them using a knife, a rolling pin, the round edge of a spoon, or a mortar and pestle.
- Add your smashed garlic to a deep skillet with butter, melting the butter over medium heat, and stir for about five minutes. At that point you should have a noticeable garlic aroma rising from the skillet. Once the garlic and butter turns brown, throw in a lug of olive oil to keep it from burning.
- Next, you’ll stir in your heavy cream, add Parmesan and your seasoning. Bring this mixture to a boil, and then immediately reduce to a simmer, stirring as you go.
- Tortellini cooks really quickly, so at this point you’ll want to boil your tortellini in a separate pot full of salted water. You want the pasta water to be, as the Italians say, “as salty as the sea”. Once the tortellini has cooked, drain the pasta, but keep a small cup of the starchy pasta water on hand in case your sauce needs thinning out. Add your drained tortellini to the skillet, stirring to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add a small amount of your leftover pasta water at a time, stirring through, to thin it out. If you’re happy with the sauce’s consistency, you can simply throw out the water.
Recipe Tips
- You don’t have to brown the butter. The difference in flavor is subtle, and unbrowned butter will work just fine. However, as any great cook will tell you, little differences are what separates good dishes from gourmet dishes. Remember that there’s a fine line between browned and burnt butter, which is why we use a splash of olive oil to prevent burning. You can, if you prefer, simply melt butter, allowing it to foam, without browning it.
- If you can, shred the cheese yourself from a block rather than using store-bought pre-shaved cheese. It will taste better, melt easier, and blocks of cheese are typically of a higher quality than the pre-grated bags.
- If you don’t have any Parmesan, that’s OK! You can substitute it for pecorino romano. Most of the salty, crumbly, hard Italian cheese have similar flavors and textures, but their depth of flavor varies based on region of origin and their aging period.
- You can use a classic four-cheese (look for quattro formaggio on the label) tortellini, to really make this an indulgent, cheesy treat. If you like, however, there are a variety of other tortellini you could try. Some have pumpkin, spinach, or even meat fillings, and they all work very well in this sauce.
- You could use half and half rather than heavy cream for this recipe, too. It will make your sauce thinner, however. If that happens, add 1 tablespoon flour ( mixed with water).
- If you want to really take this to the next level, try sauteeing some mushrooms in a different skillet with thyme and olive oil. Add them to the sauce at the end to bulk this dinner out. You could even try adding pancetta or bacon to the mushroom skillet!
Storing Tortellini
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw sauce overnight in the fridge and reheat gently using a double boiler to keep it creamy. For best results, store the sauce separately and cook fresh tortellini when reheating.
Garnishes
Like many creamy, savory dishes, you want to garnish with something bright and fresh. Typically, Italian restaurants will top a cheesy pasta dish with parsley. Its bright green color, and fresh flavor are wonderful balances for this delicious dinner.
Looking for more pasta sauces? Try these!!
If you want to make tortellini at home, be sure to check our Homemade Pasta Recipe and Homemade Chicken Tortellini.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Best Creamy Garlic Butter Sauce for Tortellini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 35-36% fat
- 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 18 ounces 500 grams tortellini
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Begin boiling salted water for tortellini pasta. Cook your tortellini as per package instructions. Drain once cooked.
- Crush the garlic with the flat of your knife and the heel of your hand. Transfer it to a 10-inch (25 cm) heavy bottomed skillet together with the butter.
- As the butter melts, swirl it around for even coloring. Once it starts to turn brown, add olive oil to prevent butter from burning. Keep an eye on the butter as it goes from brown to burnt really quickly.
- Once it smells nutty, add the heavy cream, seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Cook until the cheese is melted, stirring continuously. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
- Add the cooked tortellini and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
All rights reserved. CHEF JAR. All images and content are copyright protected. PLEASE do not use my images without my permission. If you want to share this recipe, PLEASE provide a link back to this post.
Great sauce however WAY too much butter. I would probably cut butter in half next time. Otherwise a great sauce!
Thanks for the feedback, Karena! Glad you enjoyed the sauce, and cutting the butter is a great idea if you prefer a lighter version. Appreciate you sharing your tip! 😊
Im looking forward to making this tomorrow. Is there anything I can used to substitute heavy cream?
Hi Janet! I’m excited for you to try it! If you’re looking to substitute heavy cream, you can use half-and-half or even coconut cream for a dairy-free option. Let me know how it turns out! 😊
Absolutely awesome receipe! Quick and easy. When my son asks for a dish 2 nights in a row, you know it’s got to be good. First time I made it with tortellini second night made it with ravioli. Both times added sautéed fresh mushrooms which added more flavor. Thanks for the receipe!!!
That’s wonderful to hear, Dianne! I love how you made it your own with the mushrooms and tried it with both tortellini and ravioli. So glad it was a hit with your son! 😊
Hello Tatiana, thank you for this recipe. I was looking for something easy for me to cook because of my recently broken wrist. I’ve made this twice already.
Hi Tanya! I’m so sorry to hear about your wrist—wishing you a smooth and speedy recovery! I’m really glad the recipe was helpful and easy enough to make during this time. Thank you for trying it not just once, but twice already—that truly means a lot! 💛
I just made this to use with frozen tortellini and it was DELICIOUS! The only thing I didn’t have was parsley but it wasn’t missed and everyone loved it. I’m saving to make it again and again.
Stephanie, that makes me so happy to hear! Tortellini is one of those meals that’s perfect for a quick dinner, and I’m glad the sauce worked well with what you had on hand. Skipping the parsley is totally fine — sometimes the simplest version ends up being the best. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and for planning to make it again! 😊