This oven baked 4-ingredients creamy garlic butter tortellini is exactly the kind of low-effort dinner that feels like a small victory on a busy weeknight. It has that cozy, shortcut-style charm of a great baked pasta recipe: cheese-filled tortellini, buttery garlic flavor, and a creamy sauce that bubbles up around the edges while the top turns golden. It is the sort of dish you make when you want comfort food without a long ingredient list or a sink full of pans.
Serve this tortellini with a simple green salad, roasted broccoli, or garlic bread if you want to lean all the way into comfort-food mode. It also pairs well with grilled chicken, Italian sausage, or a side of sautéed spinach if you want to make it feel a little heartier for dinner.
Oven Baked 4-Ingredients Creamy Garlic Butter Tortellini
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 (20-ounce) package refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 cup creamy garlic butter pasta sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly grease a rectangular glass baking dish.
2. Add the tortellini to the baking dish, then pour in the creamy garlic butter sauce, heavy cream, and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Stir everything together until the tortellini is evenly coated.
3. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the tortellini is tender and the sauce is hot and bubbly.
4. Remove the foil, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese over the top, and return the dish to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are slightly crispy.
5. Let the tortellini rest for 5 minutes before serving so the sauce can thicken slightly, then scoop and serve warm.
Variations & Tips
Add protein: Stir in shredded rotisserie chicken or cooked Italian sausage before baking if you want to turn this into a more filling one-dish meal.
Make it greener: Add a few handfuls of baby spinach to the dish before baking. It wilts right into the sauce and is an easy way to work in a vegetable on a hectic night.
Watch the salt: Parmesan and jarred sauce can both be salty, so taste before adding any extra seasoning. A little black pepper at the end is usually all it needs.
Use the right dish: A medium rectangular glass baking dish helps the tortellini stay mostly in a single layer, which gives you more of those bubbly golden edges everyone goes for first.
Meal prep tip: You can assemble the dish a few hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate it until dinner. If baking straight from the fridge, add a few extra minutes to the covered bake time.