Recipe Background
How could we ever appropriately thank Italy for all the amazing dishes they've blessed our tastebuds with?! They've given us so much! Just take Tortellini Al Forno for instance. It's got a creamy cheese sauce that's draping all over tender tortellini and wilted spinach. The crumbles of salty bacon bring the perfect little crunch with each bite. Sure, we love a juicy burger, but something this rich and divine is hard to compete with. Italy, if you're reading this, consider this Tortellini Al Forno recipe as our humble way of showing our exploding, overwhelming gratitude for all the yummy flavors you've brought us!
How could we ever appropriately thank Italy for all the amazing dishes they've blessed our tastebuds with?! They've given us so much! Just take Tortellini Al Forno for instance. It's got a creamy cheese sauce that's draping all over tender tortellini and wilted spinach. The crumbles of salty bacon bring the perfect little crunch with each bite. Sure, we love a juicy burger, but something this rich and divine is hard to compete with. Italy, if you're reading this, consider this Tortellini Al Forno recipe as our humble way of showing our exploding, overwhelming gratitude for all the yummy flavors you've brought us!
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon uncooked and cut into 2-3-inch pieces
- 20 ounces refrigerated tortellini
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 pint half-and-half
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup parmesan shredded
- 1/4 cup Asiago cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 3/4 cup spinach optional, finely shredded
Directions
- In a large skillet, cook the bacon slowly on low heat until cooked and crisp on each side.
- Once the bacon is almost finished cooking, cook the tortellini in a large pot according to the package directions.
- Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate, leaving 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease in the skillet.
- Add the garlic to the bacon grease and cook on low heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Increase the heat to medium and gradually whisk the flour into the garlic mixture, stirring constantly, until all the flour is incorporated and the grease has thickened.
- Gradually add the half-and-half to the flour mixture, while stirring constantly.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and season with the salt, the pepper, and the Italian seasoning.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook the sauce mixture, while stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
- Add the parmesan, the Asiago, and the mozzarella to the sauce mixture, stirring until well incorporated and thick.
- Toss the spinach and the tortellini into the sauce mixture using a rubber spatula to carefully incorporate the sauce and cook until the spinach has wilted, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the pasta mixture away from the heat.
- Crumble the cooled bacon into smaller pieces and sprinkle over the pasta mixture.
- Serve.
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