Cheese Tortellini Pasta with Broccoli and Bacon

Are you looking for quick weeknight dinners? Check out this cheese tortellini pasta with broccoli and bacon! All you need is 5 ingredients and 20 minutes.

Guys! Follow this cheese tortellini pasta recipe to a T and you will be rewarded with the perfect dinner.

I like this cheese tortellini pasta with broccoli and bacon for several reasons:

• Easy recipe – anyone can do it!
• Quick preparation.
• Perfect flavor combo – but let’s be honest here. You can’t go wrong with these ingredients.
• Affordable and easy to get ingredients.

Another plus is that this bacon, broccoli and cheese tortellini pasta can be easily doubled or halved, if needed. Like I mentioned in the beginning, you only need 5 ingredients to make it. Literally! No extras but you are more than welcome to add some, if you like.

It’s the perfect recipe for weeknight dinner. If you are looking for more weeknight dinner ideas, check these easy Italian food ideas out:

• Creamy Mushroom Spaghetti
• Broccoli Tomato Pasta Salad
• Parmesan Chili Pasta
• Spicy Spaghetti Aglio Olio

By the way, you can turn most of the above mentioned recipes into tortellini dishes by adding tortellini instead of the pasta stated in the recipes.

How to make cheese tortellini pasta with bacon and broccoli dinner?

Let’s start with tortellini. You can buy fresh, dried or frozen tortellini. I personally prefer the fresh ones but you can use any you like. However, their cooking time will vary.

Fresh tortellini take somewhere between 3-5 minutes to cook. That is why I love them most. They are so quick to make which is a huge plus when making a quick weeknight dinner (or lunch).

So how long do you cook tortellini?

Fresh tortellini take somewhere between 3-5 minutes to cook. That is why I love them most. They are so quick to make which is a huge plus when making a quick weeknight dinner (or lunch).

Now the best thing to do when cooking tortellini is following the package instructions as well as not over-cooking them.

To make this cheese tortellini pasta with bacon and broccoli, start off with boiling tortellini and broccoli together. It takes about 4-5 minutes for both to cook so I always cook them together.

Meanwhile fry the bacon. I buy bacon cubes or pancetta pieces. There is no need to add oil to your pan as bacon will release some. Make sure the bacon is cooked through before you add fresh cream in. The sauce should thicken pretty quickly so reduce the temperature to low and stir in grated cheese. Once the cheese has melted, turn off the heat completely.

Mix the cheesy bacon sauce with tortellini and broccoli. Make sure all tortellini are covered with the sauce. I noticed that the tortellini and broccoli suck in quite a lot of the sauce but that’s ok. If you prefer having more sauce, simply increase the amount of cream and cheese.

Note: This recipe takes even less than 20 minutes as the prep for the sauce can be done while waiting for the tortellini & broccoli to cook!

I did not use any seasoning at all to make this bacon, broccoli and cheese tortellini pasta. The bacon and cheese I used were salty enough to flavor the whole dish. I recommend you taste the cheesy sauce before pouring it over the tortellini to see if you are ok with its taste. If you feel it needs salt and some pepper, go ahead and use them.

This post first appeared on Julie’s Eats and Treats blog where I am a contributor.

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5 from 4 votes

Cheese Tortellini Pasta with Broccoli and Bacon

Are you looking for quick weeknight dinners? Check out this cheese tortellini pasta with broccoli and bacon! All you need is 5 ingredients and 20 minutes.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4

Calories: 655

Ingredients

• 1 cup Single Cream (250ml)
• 2 cups Cheddar Cheese or similar, grated (140g)
• 2 cups Broccoli Florets (100g)
• 2 cups Bacon Slices (200g)
• 16 oz Fresh Cheese Tortellini (1.1 lb/500g)

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Throw in tortellini and broccoli and cook until ready (this should take about 5 minutes unless the tortellini’s package instructions state otherwise).
• Meanwhile: Fry the bacon. Pour in cream and stir. When the sauce has thickened, reduce the heat and stir in grated cheese. Turn off the heat.
• Drain tortellini and broccoli. Pour the cheesy bacon sauce over and mix well.
• Serve warm with some more cheese (optional).

Notes

You can use frozen or dried tortellini as well. If you do, bear in mind that the cooking time will be longer. Check for package instructions and add broccoli in at a later stage.

If you prefer tortellini filled with a different filling, go ahead and use those.

Nutrition Facts

Cheese Tortellini Pasta with Broccoli and Bacon

Amount Per Serving

Calories 655 Calories from Fat 324

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 36g 55%

Saturated Fat 18g 90%

Cholesterol 122mg 41%

Sodium 827mg 34%

Potassium 234mg 7%

Total Carbohydrates 53g 18%

Dietary Fiber 5g 20%

Sugars 4g

Protein 29g 58%

Vitamin A 18.8%

Vitamin C 49.2%

Calcium 45.5%

Iron 19.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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