From classic spaghetti and meatballs, trendy baked feta pasta, super creative miso bolognese, even simple buttered noodles…we love all pasta! One of our favorites? Gotta be tortellini. You can’t beat 'em for convenience, flavor, and, surprisingly, versatility. They’re great for last-minute appetizers, ever-popular pasta salads, easy weeknight dinners, and the most comforting of soups. Check out our best tortellini recipes for ideas—we bet you’ll pick up a pack or two to keep in your cabinet or freezer from now on.
When you think of tortellini, you might think of the little ring-shaped pasta (Italian rumors say the shape is based on the goddess Venus’ belly-button 😉) stuffed with meat or cheese and falling under the same umbrella as ravioli or wontons. You’d be half right: Technically tortellini are smaller stuffed pastas traditionally stuffed with meat, while tortellino are larger and usually filled with cheese. These definitions have gotten muddled, and you’ll find both shelf stable and refrigerated/frozen options labeled as both. Pretty much all of them will work here, so try out different brands to find your favorites.
Then get to cooking! Most brands of tortellini will cook in less than 10 minutes, so you can have a meal on the table, FAST. Try our Asiago tortellini, our Tuscan tortellini skillet bake, or our ham & cheese tortellini (super kid-friendly!) for an easy dinner everyone will love. Looking for something potluck-worthy? Try our Greek tortellini salad, our one-pot creamy tortellini & greens, our Tuscan tortellini salad, or our spinach artichoke tortellini bake—be prepared to hand out the recipes. Need a quick appetizer, like yesterday? Try our Parmesan tortellini bites, our antipasto bites, or our tortellini skewers—you can get them out to a hungry crowd in no time. Craving soup, but don't have hours for prep? Try our Tuscan tortellini soup, our creamy Parm tomato soup, or our spinach tortellini soup—they all come together in less than an hour!
Want even more pasta inspiration? Check out our favorite penne pasta recipes, our top gnocchi recipes, and our best spaghetti recipes too.
Tuscan Tortellini Skillet Bake
Savory pancetta gets paired with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and oregano, then simmered with heavy cream and finished with grated Parmesan and fresh spinach. It’s tossed with cooked tortellini, topped with fresh mozzarella, and broiled to creamy, melty, just-slightly-browned perfection.
Bolognese Baked Tortellini
Waiting for a big pot of water to boil is the worst. In this baked pasta, there is no boiling. The tortellini magically bakes in the Bolognese until it's perfectly cooked! Even if the sauce seems too thick and meaty, the tortellini too cold, trust us—it works.
Get the Bolognese Baked Tortellini recipe.
Tuscan Tortellini Salad
This easy tortellini salad is ALWAYS a fave at picnics. It's also super adaptable—feel free to swap the sun-dried tomatoes here for fresh cherry tomatoes, use kale instead of spinach or bacon instead of salami, or replace the Parmesan with Pecorino or mozzarella...
Get the Tuscan Tortellini Salad recipe.
Cheese Tortellini With Peas & Bacon
If you love bacon and cheese, say hello to this amazingly easy spring pasta. You only need 5 ingredients—cheese tortellini, bacon, garlic, frozen peas, and Parmesan—to make it, so feel free to jazz it up with extra veggies (asparagus maybe?) or greens if you like.
Parmesan Tortellini Bites
You may have heard of toasted ravioli, but these crispy Parmesan tortellini bites will soon become your new favorite appetizer. Not a fan of frying? Trying our Parmesan "fried" tortellini (made in your air fryer!) instead.
Get the Parmesan Tortellini Bites recipe.
One-Pot Creamy Tortellini & Greens
Indulge in pure pasta bliss with this heavenly one-pot tortellini recipe. Picture perfectly cooked, cheese-filled tortellini delicately simmering in a lusciously velvety cream sauce, generously infused with vibrant fresh greens. Best part? With this one-pot wonder and a handful of ingredients, you can have it all—in just 20 minutes.
Tuscan Tortellini Soup
This healthy, hearty soup featuring chicken sausage, crushed tomatoes, white beans, spinach, and tortellini NEEDS to be in your fall dinner lineup.
Get the Tuscan Tortellini Soup recipe.
Burrata, Pea, & Prosciutto Tortellini
After a quick cook with aromatics in olive oil, sliced sugar snap peas are tossed with toasted tortellini, then topped with salty, tender prosciutto and a ball of creamy burrata. Despite all of the rich and decadent ingredients in this pasta, the sweet green peas take center stage and keep it light and springy.
Ham & Cheese Tortellini
This is one of our favorite quick kid-friendly meals—everyone can get into salty deli ham and cheesy tortellini in a creamy sauce. Swap peas for bigger veggies if your kids are little, or are just pea-averse. 😉
Get the Ham & Cheese Tortellini recipe.
Spinach Tortellini Soup
A regular rotation of healthy soups makes getting through the week so much easier, and this spinach tortellini version slides easily into the mix. It only takes 25 minutes to make, thanks to pantry staples like shallots, Parmesan, canned tomatoes, and, of course, tortellini.
Get the Spinach Tortellini Soup recipe.
Antipasto Bites
Fresh tortellini make these the hearty bite-size appetizer of our dreams. If you're not a fan of olives, pepperoncini peppers would be a delicious substitute!
Get the Antipasto Bites recipe.
Air Fryer Parmesan Tortellini
Tortellini lovers, you'll flip for these crunchy, "fried" bites. Be warned: They're EXTREMELY poppable and best served with marinara sauce.
Get the Air Fryer Parmesan Tortellini recipe.
Greek Tortellini Salad
Jazz up store-bought tortellini with Greek-inspired ingredients like kalamatas, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and feta. This pasta salad is what picnic dreams are made of.
Get the Greek Tortellini Salad recipe.
Tortellini Skewers
Beyond maybe pasta salad, we never see tortellini at a party—which is a major shame. These skewers are easy to make, transport, and eat, which makes them ideal cookout fare. Plus, they're so cute!
Get the Tortellini Skewers recipe.
Creamy Tortellini Minestrone
When it comes to classic Italian minestrone soup, we say the more, the merrier. Sure, typically that's in reference to lots and lots of vegetables, but we took it a different direction and added a touch of creaminess, plus cheese-filled tortellini.
Get the Creamy Tortellini Minestrone recipe.
Creamy Parm Tomato Soup
This easy tomato soup is perfect for those chilly fall and winter evenings. If you prefer heartier greens, kale or broccoli rabe can be added 5 minutes after the tortellini.
Get the Creamy Parm Tomato Soup recipe.
Spinach Artichoke Tortellini Bake
Our ideal easy weeknight dinner definitely involves pasta and plenty of it. This spinach artichoke-inspired baked pasta is so simple and has an easy creamy sauce that you'll be tempted to eat before ever adding the pasta. Trust us, it's worth the wait.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup
Homemade chicken noodle soup is already the most comforting soup ever; tortellini just adds a hint of indulgence. This might just become your sick day go-to.
Pizza Tortellini Bake
Attention pizza lovers! This cheesy tortellini skillet is calling your name. Mix and match your favorite toppings and make this the personal "pizza" of your dreams.
Get the Pizza Tortellini Bake recipe.
Oven-Fried Tortellini
Oven fried tortellini is the perfect last-minute appetizer. Do like we do and keep a couple packs of tortellini in your freezer and marinara sauce in your cabinet, just in case.
Get the Oven-Fried Tortellini recipe.
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