Better Bacon Tortellini

Time :30

Yield :4 servings

Recipe Background

Leave the buttered noodles in your college days! Better Bacon Tortellini ups your meal game and adds an explosion of flavor to your pasta party. Mix those tender tortellini with a creamy, cheesy sauce complete with crispy bacon pieces and you've graduated to a dish worth celebrating about. Still perfectly budget-friendly, Better Bacon Tortellini proves that a few more ingredients can make your favorite meal that much tastier!

Ingredients

6 strips bacon chopped
2 (9-ounce) packages refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Directions

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon pieces until they are crispy, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the bacon pieces to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease in the skillet and drain the rest.
In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the tortellini to al dente, according to the package directions.
Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
In the same skillet over medium heat, add the garlic, the chicken broth, the heavy cream, and the cream cheese to the reserved bacon grease and cook, while stirring, until the sauce is smooth and has reduced, about 5 minutes.
Add the cooked bacon pieces and the parmesan cheese to the sauce and stir to combine.
Transfer the skillet from the heat and add the cooked tortellini to the sauce. Toss to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add a few spoonfuls of the reserved pasta water to thin it.
Season the tortellini mixture with the salt and the pepper and stir to combine.
Serve.