~Rich & Creamy Tortellini~

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes :-) It's such a simple recipe and everyone who's ever had it likes it! Sometimes I buy cheese or mushroom ravioli instead of tortellini, but any filled pasta will pair well with this sauce. It's exactly what its name says--rich and creamy. MMMMM. I adapted this recipe from my awesome Taste of Home (which I highly recommend getting). We have tried soo many good recipes from that magazine.

This dish takes about 20-25 minutes to make, depending on how soft your cream cheese is...but either way it cooks up quickly. This is a good dinner to make when you don't have a ton of time or don't want to wait for a meat to cook. For a slightly healthier alternative, buy whole wheat pasta, non-fat milk and reduced fat cream cheese.

Don't ever cook tortellini or ravioli too long--it will be soggy and no bueno! I cooked my tortellini a little too soon, but instead of letting it sit in the hot water, I just let it sit in the strainer.

This time I bought 4 cheese tortellini, but other times I have tried ravioli, spinach tortellini, etc. It's all good!

The day I made this, my girlfriend and I accidentally showed up at work wearing the exact same outfit! So funny. Same blazer, white shirt, black slacks and closed-toed black pumps. Love you, Patty!

Serves 2-4

You'll Need:

9 oz. package refrigerated cheese tortellini

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbs. butter

4 1/2 tsp. flour

1 c. milk

15 oz. jar marinara sauce

4 oz. cream cheese, cubed

salt and pepper, to taste

Get Busy:

Cook the pasta according to the directions. In a saucepan, saute the garlic cloves in the butter for 1 minute. Stir in flour; slowly add the milk and bring to a boil. Add the marinara sauce, cream cheese, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until cheese melts. Serve over tortellini. That's all folks!