Easy Roasted Garlic Alfredo Tortellini

I have been a fan of alfredo sauce ever since I can remember. I still remember my mother taking me to Olive Garden for the very first time when I was a teenager. Both of us had an instant infatuation with the alfredo dishes there. We both ordered Seafood Alfredo (which I even have a copycat version of that recipe right here on The Mrs) – and loved the sauce so much that we even started ordering it as a side to dip our breadsticks in.

It’s so creamy and perfect. It was probably first invented by magical foodie fairies who have glittery flying unicorns as pets. I mean, who else could invent something that tastes so incredibly delicious – they just have to have magical foodie powers. And, no smarty pants need to google it to try and prove me wrong because I will still insist I am right and whatever information you think you found is a conspiracy to try to prove to the citizens that fairies & unicorns don’t exist. That’s right, you heard me. 😉

A good alfredo recipe not only can make any food you cover it in taste exceptional – but knowing how to make it can attract like 50 zillion potential suitors for the single gals out there. And vise versa for the single men.

Now, I have one zinger of a recipe for alfredo sauce already published here, but truth be told – it you’re running short on time, it’s just not the recipe to make that night. So, I needed to invent a recipe that tasted equally as good without having to spend much time on it.

And, I did it y’all. I absolutely did it!

The idea came to me when I was sitting in on a live webcast/olive oil tasting with Dr. Luiscito Cercaci, the vice president of product research, quality, & development for Pompeian Olive Oil. Beforehand, I was sent this awesome olive oil tasting kit encased in a beautiful solid wood box.

One of the olive oils struck me so much with the flavor profiles that something just told me it would assist in making the perfect quick alfredo sauce!

It contained 6 different Pompeian olive oils – 3 which I was familiar with, and 3 from their new Varietals Collection which I hadn’t yet heard of prior to receiving them. As a huge olive oil fanatic, I was really stoked to see these new-to-me olive oils in the box!

The new Varietals Collection includes Arbequina, Koroneiki, & Picholine.

During the live webcast & olive oil tasting, I had the opportunity to not only learn more about the oils, but taste them. And, obviously the best part for me was getting to taste them! Plus, I found out about this neat website, www.TreeToBottle.com where consumers can track the lot number located on the back of the Varietal bottle to uncover that bottle’s special history. If you’d like to learn more, or watch the webcast – it is available for your viewing pleasure at this link.While they were all exceptional in their flavor profiles, I have to admit my very favorite was the Picholine. The Picholine olive is grown in the South of France – and you can learn even more about this exceptional olive oil by clicking here. I would be perfectly content with a large bottle of it & a fresh loaf of bread – and veg on the couch eating nothing but the bread dipped in that Picholine all day long. Who wants to babysit my kids so I don’t have to share? 😉

So, back to that fantastic EASY alfredo I was telling you about. Super super simple, and even perfect for a weeknight meal when you have barely any time!

Here’s what you need to make it:

If you can’t find the Pompeian Varietals Collection Picholini in your grocer yet, don’t fret because you can also use regular Pompeian Olive Oil with delicious results – so no worries!

Now, you can see in the ingredient photo that I’ve already roasted my garlic. I roasted 2 heads for this recipe, which was absolutely perfect. But, if you don’t know how to roast garlic already – it’s so simple and can even be done a day or two in advance (I do this all the time!). Just slice off the top ends of the entire garlic head, leaving the root bottom alone. Place them in a tin foil ‘boat’ – then, pour about 1 teaspoon of oil over each head.

Fold the ends of the tinfoil up over the garlic, making an aluminum foil purse of sorts. Bake at 35o for 1 hour exactly. Let cool until cool enough to handle, or refrigerate if you plan on using it later.

Now, for this quick & easy alfredo sauce. Pull out your blender or you food processor – either will work. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the cloves into the vessel of your blending choice. Pour in 2 tablespoons of Pompeian Picholini Olive Oil, or regular Pompeian Olive Oil.

Pour in 1/4 cup of heavy cream into the vessel of your food processor or blender.

Blend to pulverize completely.

Now, dump in 3/4 cup of heavy cream, a heaping 1/4 cup of sour cream, & 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese.

Season with a little bit of salt & pepper – and use your food processor or blender to blend it all up. 30-60 seconds will do the trick.

Now, when you pull it off, don’t worry. It’s going to look a little lumpy with the addition of the cheese, but this is perfectly normal and will not make a lumpy alfredo at all.

Set the sauce aside, and let’s get the tortellini ready. You can buy fresh refrigerated tortellini at the grocery store,and this requires no prep to get it ready. You can also use frozen tortellini, but you will have to boil that for about 5 minutes in water to get it ready before moving on to the next step. Either one you choose to use is fine.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.

Once melted, add your tortellini. (If you are using frozen tortellini instead of refrigerated, please remember you do have to cook that in boiling water before doing this step!). Toss the tortellini all around in the melted butter to coat.

Now, pour your roasted garlic alfredo sauce into the same pan as your tortellini. Stir gently to combine with the pasta.

Cook on medium heat, stirring gently occasionally, for about 10 minutes. You will notice the sauce has thickened by the end of the 10 minutes.

Sprinkle on 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan (depending on how much you want…I go for the 1/2 cup)

Stir gently to combine, & remove from the heat. You can also add chopped chicken or shrimp to this dish for an extra hearty meal.

Pour into the serving vessel of your choice & garnish with chopped fresh parsley if you desire. Serve immediately, & watch it disappear!

This makes enough for 4 people. Feel free to double or triple as desired.

Original article and pictures take http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2014/06/easy-roasted-garlic-alfredo-tortellini/ site