Tortellini Alfredo is a delicious pasta available at Panera Bread restaurants. Now you can make it at home in 15 minutes for an easy pasta dinner.
Jump to RecipeYears ago, when Tyler was almost a year old, I had to have my wisdom teeth removed. All four of them. At once. I couldn’t eat for nearly a week. We went to Tampa to take photos of a friend’s newborn for them and needed food while we were there. I couldn’t eat much, so they suggested Panera since they have a lot of soups.
While we were there, I decided to try the tortellini alfredo and it was delicious! You can get it with diced chicken, but I prefer just pasta. That trip was in 2014 and I’ve never gotten anything else at Panera since!
Every time I would go, I wonder why I didn’t try making it at home yet. I’ve made my own Alfredo sauce before. And we like tortellini recipes. I finally decided to combine the two and make an easy tortellini alfredo recipe, my favorite Panera copycat recipe, at home! The best part is the creamy sauce in this recipe. We like it fairly plain to really taste the rich alfredo sauce, but you can also add a bit of black pepper, fresh garlic, fresh basil, Italian seasoning, or onion powder to your creamy homemade alfredo sauce.
Unfortunately, they have taken the tortellini alfredo off the menu, so I have to find other food while there. After finding that out, I definitely had to make my own.
Tips for Making Tortellini Alfredo
You can purchase frozen tortellini or fresh tortellini pasta from almost any grocery store. As long as it’s cheese-filled tortellini, it will work for this recipe since the first step is to cook the pasta as directed.
Since this comes together in about 15 minutes, this is a delicious meal for busy weeknights. You can pair it with garlic bread and some fresh vegetables or a side salad for a full meal. If you want to add protein, cook and shred chicken breast and add it to the creamy tortellini alfredo.
This recipe makes a thick sauce. For those who prefer one that’s thinner, I suggest you melt butter, probably about 4 tbsp or 1/2 stick of butter, and add that to the sauce after the cream cheese.

Tortellini Alfredo Step by Step
Ingredients
- 19 oz cheese tortellini
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning

Preparation
Cook the tortellini according to the package instructions.
Heat the heavy cream and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until warm. Stir occasionally so the milk doesn’t scald. Whisk in the cream cheese until it’s completely melted.

Add the parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Sprinkle in the garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Fold the cooked tortellini into the Alfredo sauce.

Serve the tortellini Alfredo warm. Garnish with shredded parmesan cheese if desired.

Leftovers
Storage: Save any leftover tortellini Alfredo in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Warm in a saucepan over medium heat. Add a bit of milk or cream if needed to thin the sauce.
Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this meal as one. You can make the creamy alfredo sauce on its own and freeze that, then reheat it with freshly cooked tortellini when you are ready to serve.

Recipe
Originally Published On: August 14, 2020
Last Updated On: July 16, 2023

Tortellini Alfredo
Ingredients
- 19 oz cheese tortellini
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese (shredded)
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Cook the tortellini according to the package directions
- Heat the heavy cream and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat until warm stirring occasionally so the milk doesn’t scald
- Whisk in the cream cheese until it’s completely melted
- Add the parmesan cheese and stir until melted
- Sprinkle in the garlic powder and Italian seasoning
- Fold the cooked tortellini into the alfredo sauce and serve warm
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Other Recipes with Alfredo
- Chicken and Spinach Alfredo Bake Casserole
- Tortellini Alfredo Copycat Panera Recipe
- Fettuccine Alfredo
More Recipes with Tortellini
- Zesty Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Leftover Turkey Tortellini Soup
- Skillet Tortellini and Broccoli Meal
- Tortellini Alfredo Copycat Panera Recipe
- Herbed Tortellini (or Ravioli)
- Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Skillet Dinner with Pasta Sauce
- Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Salad with Lemon Dressing
This is something I have never tried before! It looks delicious indeed 😋 I should try making this dish at home soon!
I love it, it’s the only thing I order when we go to Panera now. And it’s so much better and cheaper to make at home!!
I love the panera version so I am really glad you made this copycat recipe! I can’t wait to make this and try it!
I know, it’s such a great meal. I love being able to make it at home when I want it without having to go out.
This recipe looks like such a treat but so quick and simple to make. Will have to try it, I am sure my girls and husband would love this meal!
It’s definitely easy, and we all really enjoy it. It’s a great way to have a restaurant meal at home!
What a great recipe, I can’t wait to give this a try and win some brownie points with my partner 🙂
It never hurts to get some brownie points 🙂
It tastes good, but honestly I don’t think it tastes like the panera version. The sauce just tastes like regular Alfredo sauce and panera’s has a distinct flavour to it that I haven’t been able to find.
Anything with cheese sauce is great with me, this sounds very tasty x
I am drooling big time!!! I can’t wait to make it, can’t wait!!! Looks so delicious!
So easy to make and so comforting too. I love alfredo…haven’t had it in so long and perfect with tortellini! Delicious!
I love Panera and this looks amazing. I like copy cat recipes and will bring using this one soon!
I love to eat this when I stop by Panera. It’s my son’s favorite too. Perfect recipe to try!
I am STRUGGLING to find new things to make at home, totally trying this!
Tortellini is sooo yummy! It’s been a few years since I’ve had some, need to change that!
Love a good pasta recipe. Will have to try this!
looks very delicious! I would LOVE to try it for myself, saving for later
I absolutely love tortellini. I am going to have to try this recipe out for dinner soon.
aaaaaahhhhh omg this looks so dastardly delectable yum.
my mom and sister would love this!
I love pasta and your tortellini Alfredo looks delicious. The recipe looks easy enough to make. So I might give it a try. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It doesn’t really taste like the Panera one at all, plus it tastes just too salty and there’s too much garlic powder
Initially when I made this and did a taste test I was disappointed because it didn’t taste anything like Panera’s. So I quadrupled the seasonings, added salt, pepper and parsley flakes and it was AMAZING. Much closer copycat result.