Fried Tortellini
This tortellini appetizer is one of my all time favorites. I’ve been making it for years. It’s great for snacking while watching TV, makes a great item to have with drinks, or serve at the beginning of a nice meal.
You can just tell how crunchy these are. One bite and you’ll want to devour all of them.
Little bites of yumminess!
Dip these fried cheese tortellini in warmed marinara sauce or your favorite buttermilk ranch, or give this creamy garlic sauce a try!
You might like them dipped in this Green Goddess Dressing, it’s super flavorful.
This recipe uses cheese tortellini, but feel free to use any refrigerated variety of tortellini or mini ravioli you’d like.
This fun quick recipe all starts with refrigerated tortellini (or mini ravioli) and a pot with a couple of inches of oil.
I find a 2 quart pot works really well. A couple of cups of oil is all that is needed, not a whole bottle of oil. You’ll want about 2 inches of oil.
Now, I’m not going to lie… pretty much each time I’m going to fry something I make THIS first! OMG, it smells amazing and doesn’t affect the flavor of frying the appetizers.
The tortellini fry up so quickly about 1 1/2- 2 minutes. As soon as they are golden and crisp they’re done.
You can test with a thermometer to see if they’ve reached 165° to be extra sure.
And by the way, this is my favorite THERMOMETER, I sure wish I had bought it sooner. It is so sturdy, accurate, easy to use and seeing as I melted the last few I had. This thermometer has become my number one gift giving item as well. I have two of them, one for inside cooking and one for teh grill or Blackstone 🙂
There are two versions of these to choose from, plain… just fry them up and enjoy or bread crumbed… the added Italian breadcrumbs gives some more flavor and added texture, so fun. You’ll whisk a couple eggs in a medium bowl and toss the tortellini around so they are well coated, then add the bread crumbs and toss them to coat them well. Then they are ready to hit the oil.
Can I air-fry the tortellini instead?
Yes, set it to 375° for 6-8 minutes.
What other options are there?
The options are endless. Use mini ravioli, oh they are so yummy. Coat them in plain breadcrumbs, panko for extra crunch, and add any flavor option you prefer, add some hot sauce or spicy seasoning. If you’re a huge garlic fan, coat them in egg white and add garlic powder or garlic salt. Another fun idea is to coat them in finely grated parmesan cheese for that added cheesiness!
Fried Tortellini
Ingredients
- 16 oz refrigerated tortellini or mini ravioli I prefer cheese, but use any flavor
- 2 eggs (whisk in a medium bowl)
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs plain breadcrumbs, or panko, add garlic powder or another seasoning you prefer.
- 2 cups neutral oil avocado oil or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Do NOT boil the pasta.
- In a 2 quart pot with 2 inches over high heat, bring the oil to 350°
- Remove the tortellini from the package, if you're frying them plain they are ready.
- If you're coating the tortellini in egg, mix the eggs in a medium bowl, then add tortellini. Next, add the breadcrumbs or other seasonings, and lay out the tortellini so they don't stick together on a baking sheet.
- These will be cooked in small batches you'll fry them in the hot oil. Regulate the temperature of the oil, and turn to medium-high heat, so the oil stays at 350° as you cook each batch.
- Make a layer of tortellini over the oil. As they cook, turn them over. Allow the tortellini to get golden in color. Test them with a thermometer so they are fully cooked and heated to 165°. Remove and begin another batch once the oil is back to temperature.
- Remove them from the oil with a mesh-style straining spatula/spoon and allow them to drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet.
- Add salt, or salt and pepper, try finely grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, and enjoy.
- Serve with warmed marinara sauce, buttermilk ranch, garlic sauce, or green goddess dressing. Those recipes are linked in the post. If you like things spicy add crushed red pepper flakes to marinara sauce, hot sauce to the ranch to kick things up a bit.