15 Minute Creamy Parmesan Tortellini

There’s this weird thing that we all experience on occasion where we get to the end of a busy day and think, “Dinner? Again? How does this keep happening?” Even if you meal plan and buy all the ingredients for a predetermined set of meals ahead of time, sometimes we are still overwhelmed with which those meals to choose and how long it’s going to take to prepare. Enter one of my favorite fast and easy recipes: 15 Minute Creamy Parmesan Tortellini.

There’s this podcast called The Lazy Genius that I listen to religiously, and the host, Kendra, is so smart about food prep and meal planning. She did an episode not too long ago about something called ‘brainless crowdpleasers’, in which she encourages you to choose a handful of meals that are easy for you to make without thinking too hard and that generally satisfy your crowd. This tortellini recipe holds a place of honor on my list of brainless crowdpleasers. It’s made with ingredients that I almost always already have on hand and I can make it super fast with practically no mental effort.

If you ever make homemade macaroni and cheese you will probably realize when you skim through the recipe for 15 minute creamy parmesan tortellini that it’s basically mac and cheese, but with tortellini instead of noodles. The bones are the same, but the meat is different. The proverbial meat – this meal doesn’t contain actual meat. Which makes it perfect for Meatless Monday, too, if you’re into days of the week themed meals.

So next time you find yourself reaching the end of a long day to encounter the question “What in the name of Pete is for dinner tonight?” consider giving this 15 minute recipe a try. Throw some garlic bread in to go with it and you have a real entire meal ready in less time than it takes my 6 year old to eat one piece of broccoli. I’m not even kidding. She’s THE slowest chewer ever, at least for things she doesn’t want. Cookies are a different story.

And in case you were wondering, a few other meals on my brainless crowdpleaser list include:

• Frozen pizza (for when I’m feeling extra fancy)
• Broccoli Alfredo
• Nachos with yummy toppings
• Spaghetti Macaroni
• Potato Soup with Drop Biscuits

5 from 1 vote

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15 Minute Creamy Parmesan Tortellini

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Keyword: cheese, tortellini

Ingredients

• 20 oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
• 1/4 tsp salt, heaping
• Dash ground pepper

Instructions

1. Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil, then add tortellini and cook according to package instructions. In the meantime, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat and add the minced garlic. Sauté garlic for about a minute, then whisk in flour. Gradually whisk in milk, then both cheeses, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth. Drain cooked tortellini and stir in cheese sauce. Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan if desired.

What is your favorite brainless crowdpleaser recipe?