Cook/Heat chicken nuggets according to package directions. Once cooked, quarter each nugget or cut in half if nuggets are small. Set aside. You could also use homemade nuggets or leftover chicken nuggets for this recipe. 

 

 

While nuggets are cooking, combine pasta sauce, diced tomatoes (with juices), Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a medium/large skillet. Stir well.

 

I like to use the Hunts Four Cheese Pasta sauce for this recipe. Mainly I like to use it because we always have it in the pantry, it’s a great sauce to doctor up and it’s super inexpensive. 

However, your favorite pasta sauce will work too. 

 

 

Heat sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

 

When nuggets have been cooked and chopped, bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Add refrigerated cheese tortellini or refrigerated cheese tortelloni to water and cook 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add cooked cheese tortellini or cooked cheese tortelloni to sauce. Add chicken nuggets to sauce and stir to combine.

 

 

Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover skillet and heat on medium heat about 5-7 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is hot.

 

 

This recipe will give you about 4 generous servings but you could probably get 6 smaller servings from it. This recipe can also be easily doubled to make more, just make sure to use a large skillet. 

 

Chicken Parmesan Tortellini is great on its own but even better when served with garlic bread or Texas toast. 

 

 

QUICK GLANCE Semi Homemade Chicken Parmesan Tortellini FAQ:

1. What is the difference in Tortellini and Tortellino?   I mentioned in the recipe that you can use either refrigerated cheese tortellini or refrigerated cheese tortelloni, but what’s the difference? It comes down to size and fillings. Tortellini is much smaller than tortellino and tortellini normally has a meat filling while tortellino has a cheese filling. However, with that being said, you can find the smaller tortellini with cheese filling as well. Either will work with this recipe, it’s just preference. I really prefer the larger tortellino for this. However, I’ve noticed that most people only look for tortellini! 
2. Can I use any pasta sauce? Use your favorite pasta sauce for this recipe. That might be a canned sauce or it might be a homemade sauce, just use your favorite. As I said earlier, I personally love the Hunts Four Cheese Pasta Sauce for this recipe. 
3. Do I have to boil the tortellini before adding it to the sauce? I would indeed recommend it. Since this is a quick, toss together meal, the pasta does need to be cooked before tossing it into the skillet. I know that with some recipes you can just toss tortellini into the sauce but those are normally baked pasta dishes that will be in the oven for a while.
4. Are the chicken nuggets going to get soggy? The breaded chicken nuggets are going to soak up some of the sauce. We don’t have a problem with but if you’re worried about it, you can always toss the nuggets on top of the sauce instead of stirring them in.