This recipe accidentally recreates 1950s drive-in burger sauce by thickening cream with flour—the exact technique diners used.
Bacon Cheeseburger Tortellini
Get ready to elevate your dinner game with this mouthwatering Bacon Cheeseburger Tortellini! This delightful dish combines tender tortellini with crispy bacon and gooey cheese for a fun twist on a classic favorite. Whip it up in a flash for a satisfying weeknight treat that’s sure to please everyone at the table!
Prep
10
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This unholy matrimony was born in 1990s American suburbia when some brilliant madman in Ohio realized that Italy's stuffed pasta perfection could carry the entire McDonald's menu—ground beef, bacon bits, and processed cheese sauce crammed into delicate tortellini pockets like a Big Mac that went to culinary school and came back speaking Italian but still craving drive-through comfort food.
Regional Twist
In Wisconsin's Madison area, they swap the standard shredded cheese for aged white cheddar curds and double the bacon bits, creating squeaky pockets of dairy heaven that'll make your jaw ache in the best possible way.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1 cup (118 ml) bacon bits
- 1 lb (454 g) ground beef
- 1 cup (237 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups (473 ml) shredded cheese
- 12 oz (340 g) tortellini
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- all-purpose flour (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- butter (to taste)
- garlic powder (to taste)
- 1 cup (118 ml) onion
- onion powder (to taste)
- petite diced tomatoes (to taste)
- seasoned salt (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the ground beef and chopped onion in a skillet until browned, then drain the grease.
- 2
Reduce heat to low, add butter, and sprinkle in flour. Mix and cook the roux for 2-3 minutes.
- 3
Pour in heavy whipping cream and whisk until it starts to thicken.
- 4
Add shredded cheese and mix until a cheese sauce forms. Season with seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- 5
Stir in the cooked meat, petite diced tomatoes, and bacon bits.
- 6
Cook the tortellini according to package instructions, then drain and add to the cheese mixture. Mix well.
- 7
Garnish with leftover bacon and serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Brown the ground beef at medium-high heat (325-350°F pan temperature) without moving it for 2-3 minutes to develop the Maillard reaction, which creates deeper umami flavors essential for mimicking burger taste.technique325-350°F
- ✓Cook your flour-butter roux for exactly 2-3 minutes at low heat to eliminate the raw flour taste while preventing browning, which would muddy your white cheese sauce.timing2-3 minutes
- ✓Add heavy cream gradually while whisking to prevent the roux from seizing - the ideal cream temperature is 60-70°F to avoid thermal shock that causes lumps.technique60-70°F
- ✓Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water before draining tortellini - its 2-3% starch content helps bind the cheese sauce to the pasta and prevents separation.ingredient2-3% starch content
- ✓Add shredded cheese off heat or at very low temperature (under 160°F) because higher temperatures cause proteins to coagulate and fats to separate, creating a grainy sauce.techniqueunder 160°F
Share this recipe
Prep
10
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
This recipe accidentally recreates 1950s drive-in burger sauce by thickening cream with flour—the exact technique diners used.
Bacon Cheeseburger Tortellini
Get ready to elevate your dinner game with this mouthwatering Bacon Cheeseburger Tortellini! This delightful dish combines tender tortellini with crispy bacon and gooey cheese for a fun twist on a classic favorite. Whip it up in a flash for a satisfying weeknight treat that’s sure to please everyone at the table!
The Story
This unholy matrimony was born in 1990s American suburbia when some brilliant madman in Ohio realized that Italy's stuffed pasta perfection could carry the entire McDonald's menu—ground beef, bacon bits, and processed cheese sauce crammed into delicate tortellini pockets like a Big Mac that went to culinary school and came back speaking Italian but still craving drive-through comfort food.
Regional Twist
In Wisconsin's Madison area, they swap the standard shredded cheese for aged white cheddar curds and double the bacon bits, creating squeaky pockets of dairy heaven that'll make your jaw ache in the best possible way.
📝 Ingredients
Shopping List
- 1 cup (118 ml) bacon bits
- 1 lb (454 g) ground beef
- 1 cup (237 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 cups (473 ml) shredded cheese
- 12 oz (340 g) tortellini
Pantry Items
Amounts also listed in instructions below
- all-purpose flour (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- butter (to taste)
- garlic powder (to taste)
- 1 cup (118 ml) onion
- onion powder (to taste)
- petite diced tomatoes (to taste)
- seasoned salt (to taste)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the ground beef and chopped onion in a skillet until browned, then drain the grease.
- 2
Reduce heat to low, add butter, and sprinkle in flour. Mix and cook the roux for 2-3 minutes.
- 3
Pour in heavy whipping cream and whisk until it starts to thicken.
- 4
Add shredded cheese and mix until a cheese sauce forms. Season with seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- 5
Stir in the cooked meat, petite diced tomatoes, and bacon bits.
- 6
Cook the tortellini according to package instructions, then drain and add to the cheese mixture. Mix well.
- 7
Garnish with leftover bacon and serve.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Brown the ground beef at medium-high heat (325-350°F pan temperature) without moving it for 2-3 minutes to develop the Maillard reaction, which creates deeper umami flavors essential for mimicking burger taste.technique325-350°F
- ✓Cook your flour-butter roux for exactly 2-3 minutes at low heat to eliminate the raw flour taste while preventing browning, which would muddy your white cheese sauce.timing2-3 minutes
- ✓Add heavy cream gradually while whisking to prevent the roux from seizing - the ideal cream temperature is 60-70°F to avoid thermal shock that causes lumps.technique60-70°F
- ✓Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water before draining tortellini - its 2-3% starch content helps bind the cheese sauce to the pasta and prevents separation.ingredient2-3% starch content
- ✓Add shredded cheese off heat or at very low temperature (under 160°F) because higher temperatures cause proteins to coagulate and fats to separate, creating a grainy sauce.techniqueunder 160°F