Baked Tortellini with Bacon

Baked Tortellini with Bacon

Serves 2-3.

Simply amazing. The original recipe says this will serve 6, but I disagree. It IS a richer dish, so it's probably best paired with a large salad, which will stretch the servings to 4-5, but if this is the main and only dish, plan on 2-3. And you'll like it enough that you won't want to share with many others.

Source: Everyday Food magazine

4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2" pieces

1 small white onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 T. all-purpose flour

2 c. whole milk

2 pkgs. (8.8 oz. each) cheese tortellini

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, cook bacon over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper tower to drain. Add onion and garlic to pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds.

Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Add tortellini and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer; cook, stirring often, until liquid has thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in bacon and 1/4 c. Parmesan. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish and top with 1/4 c. Parmesan. Bake until top is golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.

A Note From The Little Lady: Feel free to use variations on the cheese tortellini. We had great success with mixed herb. Also, if you would like to make this ahead of time, reduce oven temperature to 350; bake for 35 minutes and then increase temperature to 400 for a final 10 minutes, bringing total baking time to 45 minutes.