Tortellini Mac and Cheese

September 12, 2022

Tortellini Mac and Cheese is a delicious pasta recipe combining tortellini with a decadent cream sauce and then baked with breadcrumbs.

There are two things my family requests often for dinner: tortellini and homemade mac and cheese. So when I spotted this recipe for tortellini mac and cheese, I simply had to try it out on my family. The result: a big win. This mac and cheese has both cheese tortellini and shell pasta in it. And it’s combined with cheddar cheese, fontina cheese and cream cheese. Yep, it’s a total splurge for dinner, but it’s totally worth it!

This recipe comes from the cookbook: Southern Living 2021 Annual Recipes. I am a huge fan of Southern Living recipes. I ordered their magazine for many years, and I always buy their annual cookbooks. If you’ve never bought a Southern Living cookbook, you simply must give it a try. Their recipes are really well-tested, and they are all my kind of recipes- delicious, unique and a wide variety of options.

Here are some recipes from 2021’s book that I am so excited to make!

Salmon with Pineapple Pepper Salsa and Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Carrot Cake Quick Bread with Buttermilk Glaze
Cucumber Mint Mojitos
Blueberry Citrus Rolls with Orange Glaze
Fried Chicken Salad with Basil-Buttermilk Dressing
Hash Brown Frittata
Fresh Mint Chocolate Pie
Beef Sliders with Bacon Jam
Raspberry Almond Muffins with Honey Butter
Marinated Feta with Cherry Tomatoes
Blackberry Lime Drop Biscuits
Watermelon Sangria
I could go on and on and on— great recipes!

Ingredients needed for mac and cheese:

medium shell pasta
cheese tortellini
unsalted butter
all purpose flour
whole milk
cream cheese
Dijon mustard
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
white cheddar cheese
fontina cheese
panko breadcrumbs
chives

How to make Tortellini Mac and Cheese:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over medium-high heat. Add the shell pasta, and then return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 9 minutes. Add the tortellini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shells and tortellini are al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain; set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a broiler-safe Dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter smells nutty, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour, and cook until toasted and light brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium; gradually whisk in the milk. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until the mixture can coat the back of a wooden spoon, 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth- 1 minute. Gradually add the two cheeses, whisking in between additions, until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir the drained pasta into the sauce in the Dutch oven. Toss to coat. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to broil with the rack about 8 inches from the heat source. Microwave the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a small bowl (until melted- about 30 seconds). Add the panko to the melted butter; toss to coat. Sprinkle the buttered panko cumbs evenly over the pasta mixture. Broil until brown and crispy, about 3 minutes- watching closely to make sure it does not burn!

Sprinkle with chives before serving.

This is one creamy and amazing pot of pasta. It’s the kind of pasta that you want to make only once in a while because it is quite rich. But it’s the kind of pasta you’re going to crave more than once.

You don’t want to eat a giant bowl of this tortellini mac and cheese for dinner. That might be a little too much. So plan on smaller servings along with your favorite salad to balance it all out. Enjoy!

The Best Tortellini Recipes: