Homemade tortellini is one of the most comforting stuffed pasta shapes originated in the region of Emilia Romagna in Italy.
Imagine small morsels stuffed with delicious meat filling. Swirl them in your mouth and they'll burst with flavor as they reveal the enclosing heavenly filling inside.
Traditionally tortellini are prepared in broth or chicken on capon broth (brodo di capone) to be precise.
While tortellini in brodo are one of my favorite comfort foods all year-round, cold season is when I usually crave them the most. They are also a must-make during Christmas time and other big holidays or special occasions.
Another popular way to enjoy tortellini is to make Tortellini Alla Panna - tortellini in cream sauce, super quick and easy meal the whole family loves!
In this recipe you’ll find a detailed guide with step-by-step photos so that you can learn how to make tortellini just like an Italian nonna.
Table Of Contents
Ingredients You Need To Make Tortellini
For the pasta dough
- Eggs - use fresh, organic eggs. They have bright orange egg yolk which is responsible for the characteristic yellow color fresh pasta dough and certainly they’re far superior in taste.
- Flour - Italian soft wheat “00” flour is the best, but it can be substituted with all-purpose flour.
IMPORTANT: Weight both eggs and flour for the perfect result. See my homemade pasta dough guide for details.
For the filling
- Pork loin - slices of a whole piece, which you’ll cut in cubes before cooking.
- Rosemary (for pork loin)- preferably fresh, but you can substitute for dry rosemary. Use whole or chopped.
- Garlic (for pork cloin)- you can use garlic clove and discard it after cooking or finely mince garlic for a stronger garlic taste.
- Mortadella - choose high-quality mortadella. You can buy mortadella already sliced or in block.
- Prosciutto Crudo - Italian prosciutto crudo is the best. Preferably San Daniele or prosciutto di Parma. Keep in mind that the more aged prosciutto is the saltier it will be. If it’s too salty reduce slightly the quantity or add a little be more of pork loin.
- Parmesan Cheese - make sure to use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano, it will make a big difference.
- Nutmeg - essential for tortellini filling, but you can slightly adjust the quantity to your taste.
- Egg - to bind all the ingredients together.
- NO SALT - since both meat and cheese contain enough salt you don’t need to add any extra salt to the filling.
Prepare Filling For Tortellini
- Tortellini filling can be made one day in advance and store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Start by preparing pork loin. Cut it cubes and fry in a pan with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, rosemary and garlic clove. Pay attention not to burn or let the meat dry, we want it to remain juicy. Small cubes will cook quickly so kee an eye on them. Once cooked, let cool completely.
- In the meantime, process mortadella and prosciutto crudo through meat grinder or in food processor.
- If you have mortadella and/or prosciutto as one piece make sure to cut it with a knife into small cubes. Depending on the size of your food processor you might need to pass each meat separately.
- Once cooked pork loin is cool, grind it with all the juices from the pan.
- In a large bowl mix briefly all ground meats, grated Parmesan cheese and an egg. Add nutmeg, mix again until all ingredients are combined.
- Place in a zip log bag or plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge.
Make Tortellini Dough
- Slightly beat the eggs and add them to sifted flour. Mix with a fork, then knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes. It should be elastic, soft and no longer sticky.
- You can also make the dough using a food processor with a dough hook.
- Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes or more.
- Once the dough has rested visually divide it into 6 parts and cut off one piece. Keep the rest of the dough in a plastic bag or sealed with plastic wrap.
- Set pasta machine on the widest setting (on Marcato Atlas 0) and pass the dough for the first time. Fold the dough in half and pass again on the same setting.
- Adjust to the next-narrower setting, and pass the dough through it. Repeat the process until you reach thickness of 1 millimeter or position 7 on Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine.
NOTE: Once the dough sheet starts to get long (usually on thickness setting 5) it’s best to cut it in half and then continue on setting 6 and 7 for each sheet. - Using a pasta wheel cut the dough sheets into squares - 3x3 cm or 1.5x1.5 inches in size.
NOTE: If you want to get precise squares and cut some time doing it this pasta cutting rolling pin is a dream for any tortellini maker!
EXTRA TIP: Cover tortellini squares with parchment paper and plastic wrap to keep them from drying. Leave uncovered only the squares that you’ll roll in the next 5 minutes. Alternatively using a brush dipped in water brush pasta to keep it moist for longer.
How To Fold Tortellini
- Place a small amount of the filling onto each square.
- Fold each square into a triangle. Pinch well the sides.
- Fold slightly the sides of the triangle onto themselves to create small flips.
- Place one side of the triangle on your fingertip (index, middle or ring finger - see which one feels most comfortable), using your other hand take the free side of the triangle and wrap it around the finger to connect both angles creating the typical tortellini shape.
IMPORTANT: You want to work quickly to avoid the pasta getting dry. If this happened you might not be able to wrap tortellino around your finger. In this case just pinch well the sides of the triangle and leave it as is. It will still be delicious when cooked.
Repeat the same process with the remaining dough. Again, remember to work it in small parts unless you have a team of hands to help.
You can cook tortellini right away or prepare them for storage.
FAQs
Freshly made tortellini cook in 3-5 minutes counting from the time they start to boil. Time might vary based on the thickness of the dough.
Frozen tortellini need an extra minute. Taste after 3 minutes and adjust the time accordingly.
If you’re cooking store-bought tortellini check packaging for precise cooking time.
Traditionally, tortellini are cooked and served in broth, known as Tortellini In Brodo (italian). But you can also make a creamy and delicious version of Tortellini Alla Panna.
Let tortellini dry for a few hours, preferably on a pasta drying rack or on a floured surface. We do this to prevent them from sticking to each other in the freezer bag. Once slightly dried you can place them in zip-lock bags and store in the freezer for future use.
How To Make Tortellini In Brodo
Tortellini in brodo essentially means tortellini cooked and served in broth.
Obviously you need to prepare homemade meat broth (italian brodo) first. It can be made up to 2 days in advanced and stored in the fridge.
Bring broth to a boil and drop tortellini. Once the broth comes to a boil again set the timer and cook tortellini for 3-5 minutes.
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Full Recipe
Homemade Tortellini
Ingredients
For the dough
- 4 large eggs , see note 2
- 400 grams flour , see note 2
For the filling
- 100 grams Prosciutto Crudo , about 4 ounces
- 100 grams Mortadella , about 4 ounces
- 150 grams pork loin , about 5 ounces weighted uncooked
- 150 grams Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese , about 5 ounces
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1 garlic clove
Instructions
Prepare Filling For Tortellini
- Start by preparing pork loin. Cut it into cubes and fry in a pan with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, rosemary and garlic clove. Pay attention not to burn or let the meat fry, we want it to remain juicy. Small cubes will cook quickly so keep an eye on them. Once cooked, let cool completely.
- In the meantime, process mortadella and prosciutto crudo through meat grinder or in a food processor.
- If you have mortadella and/or prosciutto as one piece make sure to cut it with a knife into small cubes. Depending on the size of your food processor you might need to pass each meat separately.
- Once cooked pork loin is cool, grind it with all the juices in the pan.
- In a large bowl mix briefly all ground meats, grated Parmesan cheese and an egg. Add nutmeg, mix again until all ingredients are combined. Place in a zip log bag or plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge.
- Tortellini filling can be made one day in advance and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Make Tortellini Dough
- Slightly beat the eggs and add them to sifted flour. Mix with a fork, then knead the dough by hand for about 10 minutes. It should be elastic, soft and no longer sticky.
- You can also made the dough using a food processor with a dough hook.
- Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes or more.
- Once the dough has rested visually divide it into 6 parts and cut off one piece. Keep the rest of the dough in a plastic bag or sealed with plastic wrap.
- Set pasta machine on the widest setting (on Marcato Atlas 0) and pass the dough for the first time. Fold the dough in half and pass again on the same setting.
- Adjust to the next-narrower setting, and pass the dough through it. Repeat the process until you reach thickness of 1 millimeter or position 7 on Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine.NOTE: Once the dough sheet starts to get long (usually on thickness setting 5) it’s best to cut it in half and then continue on setting 6 and 7 for each sheet.
- Using a pasta wheel cut the dough sheets into squares - 3x3 cm or 1.5x1.5 inches in size.NOTE: If you want to get precise squares and cut some time doing it this pasta cutting rolling pin is a dream for any tortellini maker!
Shape Tortellini
- Place a small amount of the filling onto each square. Cover tortellini squares with parchment paper and plastic wrap to keep them from drying. Leave uncovered only the squares that you’ll roll in the next 5 minutes.
- Fold each square into a triangle. Pinch well the sides. Fold slightly the sides of the triangle onto themselves to create small flips.
- Place one side of the triangle on your fingertip (index, middle or ring finger - see which one feels most comfortable), using your other hand take the free side of the triangle and wrap it around the finger to connect both angles creating the typical tortellini shape.
- You want to work quickly to avoid having the pasta dry. If this happened you might not be able to wrap tortellino around your finger. In this case just pinch well the sides of the triangle and leave it as is. It will still be delicious when cooked.
- Repeat the same process with the remaining dough. Again, remember to work it in small parts unless you have a team of hands to help.
- You can cook tortellini right away or let them dry for a few hours and place in the freezer for future use.
Notes
- Crack and weight all the eggs first.
- Take a note of amount in grams, then multiply it by 1.75 - this will be the amount of flour you'll need to use to make the dough.
- You'll also need a little more for dusting the work-surface.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Alice says
Excellent! Will be making your recipe.
Italian Recipe Book says
Thank you Alice <3
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Sue White says
I definitely want to try this recipe- but am concerned about the drying time to store them. Are you not concerned about the meat filling being spoiled after 'a few hours' of drying time??
Italian Recipe Book says
Hello Sue, there's no problem leaving tortellini dry for a couple of hours since all the filling is cooked.