Cheese tortellini is coated in breadcrumbs and air fried for a dish that has a crunchy texture filled with gooey melty cheese. Serve this with a marinara or pesto dipping sauce for an easy snack or main dish.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time per Batch10 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Servings: 6
Ingredients
9ouncescheese tortellinidry or fresh *see note
2/3cupcornstarch
1teaspoongarlic powder
1teaspoononion powder
3large eggs
1 1/2cupsPanko breadcrumbs
2tablespoonsItalian seasoning
1/3cupfinely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
cooking spray
Instructions
Put a big pot of salted water on the stove and heat it to boiling. Add the tortellini and cook until al dente, about 4 minutes for dry or 2 minutes for fresh.
9 ounces cheese tortellini
Immediately drain them, so they don't continue to cook. Run cold water over them for a minute.
Prepare three bowls for dipping. In the first bowl, add the cornstarch along with the garlic powder and onion powder. Stir to mix.
Then combine the panko, parmesan, and Italian seasoning in a medium bowl and stir.
1 1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
Add tortellini to the cornstarch mixture a handful at a time. Coat well.
Transfer the coated tortellini to your egg mixture.
Finally, put the egg-coated tortellini to your panko mixture. Coat them well in the breading.
Preheat air fryer at 350 degrees F for 2 minutes.
Put the tortellini in the air fryer basket, keeping them in a single layer. Spray them with cooking spray.
cooking spray
Cook them at 350 for 10 minutes. Pull the basket out and flip them over or shake it halfway through the cooking time. They are done when they are golden brown and crispy.
Serve with marinara sauce or pesto as a dipping sauce.
Notes
You can use frozen tortellini, but I find it a little trickier to get the timing right. The key is not overcooking the pasta in boiling water. Follow the recipe, but adjust the cooking time in the boiling water to half of what the package suggests.
Make sure not to overcook the pasta when you boil it. The tortellini should end up only partially cooked.
Don't use commercial spray oil because it contains preservatives that can damage the nonstick finish.