Name: Air Fryer Tortellini Bake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 16 oz box dry tortellini; 3 cups prepared marinara sauce; 4 wedges of laughing cow cheese (any variety, chopped in small pieces); ½ teaspoon dried thyme; ½ teaspoon dried parsley; ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese; ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

This Air Fryer Tortellini Bake is comfort food at its finest. The air fryer allows it to cook in a mere fraction of the time it would take in a conventional oven.

What are the ingredients in this Air Fryer Tortellini Bake?

Tortellini– this recipe calls for boxed, dry tortellini. If you prefer you could substitute frozen or fresh tortellini. To do so, prepare the tortellini as directed on the package and then continue along with the recipe as directed.
Marinara Sauce– use any prepared marinara you like. Store bought or homemade with both work fine. Be sure to pick a sauce you like as it will provide much of the flavoring for the final dish be it spicy, tomato basil, garlic lovers or sausage and mushroom, just select a favorite.
Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges– I prefer these wedges over traditional cream cheese for this recipe as it provides the desired creaminess along with a bit of extra flavoring and a lightened up overall baked pasta recipe. I prefer the pepper jack flavor for this air fryer pasta bake, but garlic & herb or traditional swiss would all work perfectly well.
Dried Thyme & Dried Parsley– These spices keep a more traditional flavor to your Air Fryer Tortellini Bake. If you would like to add additional dried spices, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper or crushed red pepper flakes could all make good additions to your tortellini.
Grated parmesan cheese– this is the kind that comes in the green can, not the freshly shredded variety. I prefer that Parmesan for this Air Fryer Tortellini as it melts very easily and evenly to flavor the pasta well throughout the entire pasta bake.
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese– here you can use either freshly shredded mozzarella or bagged, pre-shredded mozzarella cheese.

How to Make Air Fryer Tortellini Bake?

Begin boiling a pot of water. Generously salt the water and, when boiling, add the tortellini. Cook for the amount of time as instructed on the box. When the cooking time is done, drain the tortellini and return to the pot.
While the tortellini is cooking, chop the laughing cow wedges into several small pieces. Add the pieces to a medium-sized saucepan along with the marinara sauce. Add the thyme, parsley, or other dry seasonings and the grated Parmesan cheese.
Place the marinara mixture over medium-low heat. Stir often to avoid splattering and to ensure the cream cheese melts. When the grated parmesan cheese and laughing cow wedges have melted remove the saucepan from heat. Add the mixture to the pan with the prepared tortellini and gently stir to combine.
Spray a baking dish lightly with cooking spray. Add the tortellini mixture to the prepared pan and sprinkle evenly with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Heat the air fryer to 350 degrees and then cook for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.

Why make this in an Air Fryer instead of an Oven?

Easy, it is SO much faster! Baking this dish in a traditional oven would take 30 minutes or more. Compare that to the under 10 minute cook time you are able to achieve by making this tortellini bake in the air fryer.

Can leftover Air Fryer Tortellini bake be saved?

Yes, this baked pasta tastes awesome straight from the air fryer but it also keeps very well making it perfect for leftovers, next day lunches or even a make ahead dinner. It will keep well when stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

What to serve with Air Fryer Tortellini Bake?

BREAD– Bread and pasta is a classic pairing, here are a few that would go particularly well with this Air Fryer Tortellini:

Little Caesars Copycat Cheesy Breadsticks taste just like the restaurant version and are so easy to make at home.
Put your air fryer on double duty with these Cheesy Breadsticks made in the air fryer.
Some Texas toast would also be amazing with this tortellini. This Homemade Version will make you forget you ever loved the frozen variety.

APPETIZERS– This tortellini bake can be a meal unto itself, so you skip the heavy sides and your Air Fryer Tortellini with some small bite appetizers. Here are a few to try:

These Air Fryer Pinwheels are an easy make ahead appetizer that is a perfect pair with this pasta.
Try some Air Fryer Stuffed Mushrooms to double up on cheesy goodness.
Broccoli Bites go perfectly with tortellini and keep just as well as the pasta for some cook once, eat twice perfection.