How To Make Chicken Alfredo Sauce From Olive Garden

This Tortellini Alfredo recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make with sauce that’s restaurant quality! It’s easy to add broccoli or leftover chicken for a dinner that your family will love.

Be sure to serve this with a side of my Garlic Bread with Cheese.

Tortellini Alfredo

A few years ago, I was lucky to the best Alfredo sauce recipe from Olive Garden, and since then, life has been pretty wonderful. This is definitely one of my favorite 30-minute meals on the blog. (And it actually takes less than 30 minutes!)

Although you can pair this with any kind of pasta you have on hand, Tortellini has to be my favorite because, well, it’s cheese-filled. 😉

(Unless we’re talking about my Chicken Alfredo Bake, in which case, I love using shells.)

Alright- let’s do this.

Ingredients

The bottom of this post also contains recipe card with ingredients and full instructions.

• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 20 oz. refrigerated Tortellini, Rana 5-cheese tortellini is my favorite.

Alfredo Sauce

• 6 Tablespoons high quality butter, Cabot is my preferred brand.
• 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups half and half
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated from a block and at room temperature
• ½ cup Romano cheese, grated from a block and at room temperature
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• Fresh parsley, to garnish

How to Make It

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Whisk in the flour. Slowly add in the half and half, continue to whisk. Increase heat slightly and bring the sauce to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low.

Gradually sprinkle in grated cheese and whisk to incorporate. Let it continue to heat on low while you prepare the pasta.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tortellini and boil for 4 minutes. (Confirm cooking time on package.) Drain.

Add the broccoli and pasta to the Alfredo sauce. Stir to combine and serve. The sauce will continue to thicken as it stands.

Pro Tips

• Use high-quality butter for this recipe. Mince your own garlic, and shred the cheese from a block for best results.
• A pound of dry pasta may be used instead of tortellini. I like to use 3/4 of a pound for extra saucy pasta.
• This is a great meal to use with leftover chicken.
• I don’t recommend using milk instead of half + half, as the lower fat content can cause it to curdle.
• Serve this with a side of garlic bread with cheese.

Storage

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

The BEST Way to Reheat:

I recommend reheating this with an easy homemade double boiler. Just fill a metal or glass bowl with leftover pasta and place it over a pot of steaming water, ensuring that it fits snuggly. The bowl will reheat slowly and evenly, and this will reheat the pasta nicely, as close as possible back to its original state.

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