Authentic Homemade Italian Tortellini (Tortellini in Brodo)

This homemade tortellini recipe is 100% made from scratch and it’s easier to prepare than you might think (especially filling and folding them). “Tortellini in brodo” or little meat and cheese stuffed pasta cooked in homemade broth is one of Bologna Italy’s most iconic pasta dishes along with Bolognese ragù, and lasagna Bolognese. You’ll just need to set aside ample time to prepare them. This traditional Emilian tortellini consists of three components: fresh egg pasta, pork and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese filling, and homemade Italian meat broth (brodo).

As always, step-by-step recipe photos follow to help make this pasta even easier to make in your own kitchen.

In this post, you’ll learn how to make the official “tortellini in brodo” recipe (tortellini soup) just as Italians living in the Emilia-Romagna region (home to Bologna and Modena) have been making for generations. And just for kicks, I’ve included its somewhat shady history as well.

Tortellini in Brodo is one of my favorite pasta dishes to eat and I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed more than my fair share of them in Bologna and Modena (even Ferrara) and can attest to how very specific(and delicious) the authentic preparation of this dish is.

In fact, although there are proportional variations in the ingredients, and sometimes garlic and rosemary are used for flavoring the filling, tortellini in brodo never wavers from its authentic base recipe and if it does, it’s given a different name. This recipe is not like some of the tortellini in brodo recipes you’ll find online (even from some very well-known food sites) that claim to be “tortellini in brodo”.

If it’s not some form of the official tortellini recipe from the “Confraternita del Tortellino” (The Brotherhood of Tortellino), it can still be super delicious tortellini, but it isn’t ‘tortellini in brodo’. To call it that (when it doesn’t reflect the actual dish) would be a disgrace to the hundreds of years artisans have been making and perfecting it (including the famous “rezdôra” women who keep the tradition alive). That said, I also wholeheartedly believe in tweaking recipes and making up all kinds of tasty new things based on old-school traditional recipes. So, if you’re like me in this way, go for it, just please be kind and give the dish a new name♡).

Why We Love This Italian Tortellini Recipe

• All three components of this pasta are simple to make
• It’s homemade and we know exactly what’s in it (and not in it)
• It’s an authentic Italian pasta recipe from Bologna, Italy
• Traditional tortellini filling takes just 5 minutes to prepare
• Fresh egg pasta is always delicious and has great “chew”
• Homemade tortellini is a great make-ahead and freeze recipe
• Homemade Italian brodo is a masterpiece (also because of the high quality of ingredients used)

The History and Origin of Italian Tortellini 

The real deal Italian tortellini comes from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy (just an hour and a half from where we live in NE Italy) which is home to cities like Modena, Bologna, Parma, Reggio-Emilia, and Ferrara to name a few. And it’s a dish you have to try if you travel to this part of Italy — it’s so delicious.

In fact, Modena and Bologna (which are just about 23 miles apart), both lay claim to having invented tortellini and it’s celebrated with an annual contest where 5 chefs from each city compete to take home the ultimate prize for the best homemade tortellini.

No matter which of these cities produced the first fresh filled pasta we know stuffed tortellini has been enjoyed in some fashion in this part of Italy since at least the 12th century and was traditionally served for Christmas dinner (and still is nowadays). Although back then the ingredients were usually made from leftovers and lower quality ingredients (called “cucina povera” or “poor kitchen” cooking).

How Tortellini Got its Shape

There are also two different stories of the exact origin of how the shape of tortellini was created. And this is where the “shady part” that  I mentioned early comes in. Both versions of the story take place at the Inn of Corona in Castelfranco Emilia (about halfway between Modena and Bologna).

• One story says the innkeeper was peeping through a keyhole to peer at a young Noble’s daughter (Lucrezia Borgia) while she undressed (which is decidedly creepy). He was apparently so “inspired” by the sight that he went back to his kitchen and produced the tortellini in the shape of her navel.

 

• The second story (probably reimagined to make the origin story sound way less creepy) says that tortellini was instead modeled after the goddess of love, Venus’s navel who appeared with Mars and Bacchus at the Corona Inn, and when the innkeeper saw her navel, he was compelled to create the pasta to commemorate her beauty. Peeping Tom tortellini history aside, this is really delicious pasta.

It wasn’t until 1570 that the tortellini as we think of it today was recorded by Pope Pio V’s personal chef. And even this version used a dough that contains no eggs, but instead butter, flour, sugar, salt, rosewater, and warm water (yet somehow still looks just like regular egg pasta). The filling consisted of capon breast (a castrated rooster that’s been fattened up for cooking), beef marrow, ricotta cheese, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, saffron, currants, mint, marjoram, and cooked in capon and beef broth. The long list of spices and ingredients would have shown any guests of the Pope that he had the financial means to afford such luxurious and expensive ingredients (basically a medieval form of keepin’ up with the Jones’s).

Nowadays you will find the famous “rezdôra” (women of Emilia-Romagna who roll out tortellini dough manually) who are still passing down the tradition and art of tortellini-making to the next generations. While the men usually take care of filling the tortellini.  

You will find filled pasta similar to tortellini in other areas throughout Italy like Anolini and Capelletti but they have different fillings and are made from dough rounds instead of squares.

What is Tortellini (aka Tortellini in Brodo or Homemade Tortellini Soup)?

The modern form of tortellini (plural form of “tortellino”) that we enjoy today are small filled pasta squares that have been folded and sealed in the shape of a navel (belly button). There are varying sizes of tortellini with the smallest being called tortellini, the medium-sized called tortelli, and the largest size called tortelloni. Traditional tortellini should officially use a square of pasta that is only 1 1/4 inches x 1/1/4 inches (3cm x 3cm) and 5mm thin weighing a total of only 5 grams each. You can make tortelli (the medium size) which means a lot less filling and folding if you want.

Traditional Emilia-Romagna tortellini consists of 3 components: fresh egg pasta, the meat and cheese filling, and the “brodo” (or broth) which are all described in detail below.

Traditional Tortellini Filling 

There are two ways to prepare traditional tortellini filling (one version uses cooked pork loin and the other version uses raw pork loin) — see photos of both fillings above).

Some say using raw pork in tortellini filling is both easier to digest and juicier but I prefer using the cooked pork because the filling is softer. I’m providing recipes for both raw pork tortellini filling and cooked pork tortellini filling in this post so you can use the one you prefer.

Traditional Italian tortellini filling ingredients:

• ground pork loin (or shoulder or neck) (perfumed with garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper for 2 days)
• Prosciutto di Parma (cured ham from Parma, Italy)
• Mortadella from Bologna (without pistachios, but I”ve made it both ways and you really can’t tell a difference)
• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• butter, rosemary, and garlic to perfume and flavor the pork
• freshly grated nutmeg (never the pre-ground kind)
• egg to bind it all together

Once the filling is made the mixture is left for 24 hours to allow the flavors to meld together before filling the tortellini. However, I’ve also made it where I allowed the filling to rest for just 3 hours before filling them, and the flavor is still good. If you have time though, definitely allow the filling to properly rest (even overnight is better than 3 hours).

Traditional Egg Pasta for Tortellini

Tortellini filling is wrapped in fresh egg pasta (pasta fresca) made simply with 00 flour and eggs (no salt and no water). I recommend using a scale that measures grams, ounces, fluid ounces, etc. because they’re precise and will allow you to cook recipes from anywhere in the world and with more accuracy. Plus, you can very easily scale up a recipe for homemade pasta using the basic tried and true ratio of 1 large egg (50-55g) for every 100g of 00 flour per person. This ratio will actually give you slightly more pasta than is needed for 1 person, but a little extra homemade pasta is never a bad idea.

Traditional Homemade Tortellini Broth (Brodo)

Traditional Modenese and Bolognese tortellini broth (brodo) is made using beef (such as brisket or short rib), capon (a castrated rooster fattened up for cooking, but you can use a free range or regular chicken), onion, carrot, celery, and salt. I highly recommend making a homemade broth for this recipe and save the boxed stuff for another recipe.

A true homemade Italian meat broth is not only super easy to make (especially in a pressure cooker), but it’s essential for true tortellini in brodo (not to mention incredibly delicious).

How to Eat and Cook Leftover Tortellini

Most Italian families (including mine) don’t cook more tortellini than is expected to be eaten at any particular meal. However, sometimes when there’s a large gathering at Christmas or Easter where lots of other dishes are served, leftover tortellini will be removed from the broth (so it doesn’t turn to mush), cooled, and refrigerated.

Tortellini can be reheated in heavy cream seasoned with a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg with a large handful of Parmigiano cheese tossed in at the end creating an easy tortellini Parmigiano cream sauce.

But most Emilians would frown on this preparation because they believe the cream takes away from the flavor of the filling.

How to Fold Homemade Tortellini 

You can fold homemade tortellini in two ways:

• the traditional way (photographed above left)
• the more Chinese wonton-looking way (photographed above right).

Below you can see the steps for how to shape homemade tortellini: Add a dot of filling to the center of the square, fold the dough over the filling bringing the two tips together to form a triangle. Then press out any air around the filling because air bubbles can cause the pasta to burst open while cooking. Fold the top tip down, and fold the two bottom angles together until they meet and overlap them around your finger creating a “hole”.

How to Store Homemade Tortellini 

Making a large batch of homemade tortellini is a great way to have a wholesome dinner ready in 15 minutes or less even on the busiest weeknights. You can refrigerate or freeze homemade tortellini depending on when you plan to cook them. Below are two ways to store homemade tortellini. 

• Refrigerate homemade tortellini: After you’ve filled the tortellini, allow them to air dry for 15 minutes or until they are dry on the outside and do not stick together when they touch. Place the parchment-lined tray filled with tortellini in the refrigerator without covering them (which could cause condensation and ruin them) for up to 5 days for tortellini made with cooked pork filling and up to 2 days for tortellini made with raw pork filling.

 

• Freeze homemade tortellini: After you’ve filled the tortellini, allow them to air dry for 15 minutes or until they are dry on the outside and do not stick together when they touch. Place the parchment-lined tray filled with tortellini into the freezer until they are frozen (about 30 minutes or even up to 1 hour). Place frozen tortellini into an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Cook frozen tortellini from frozen (DO NOT THAW frozen tortellini which would cause the pasta to break and tear). When you’re ready to cook frozen tortellini, add them to boiling meat broth and cook until al dente doneness and cooked through (up to 5 minutes for a raw pork filling and just 3 to 4 minutes for a cooked pork filling).

Authentic Homemade Tortellini Soup Ingredients (Tortellini in Brodo)

I recommend splurging on the best quality Italian ingredients you can afford because the success of this recipe depends on the use of good ingredients. I also recommend scaling down the recipe to 1/4 or 1/2 of the original in order to try it out first without making a huge investment in the ingredients. This way you can taste it and then play around with the ingredient proportions and adjust them if desired before making a much larger batch that you can freeze or serve to a large crowd.

There is so much debate amongst Italians about whether tortellini filling should be made using raw pork or cooked pork. And while every family has their own die-hard preference and recipe with slightly different proportions of these tried and true ingredients, the foundation is always upheld and honored for an authentic dish.

After having made tortellini with leaner pork loin and also with the fattier tender neck and shoulder cuts, I definitely prefer to use the cooked pork neck or shoulder because it produces a more tender filling. But of course, this is up to you and why you should try making tortellini both ways. 

Egg Pasta (pasta fresca) 

• Italian 00 Flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
• eggs

Tortellini Filling

• pork (shoulder, neck, or loin)
• Prosciutto di Parma (sub high-quality San Daniele or other prosciutto crudo)
• Mortadella di Bologna (sub-high-quality Italian Mortadella from another region)
• 25 to 30 month Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (sub high-quality Grana Padano DOP)
• unsalted butter
• fresh rosemary
• garlic
• freshly grated whole nutmeg
• salt
• black pepper (optional)
• egg

Tortellini Broth (Brodo)

• beef (like short rib, brisket, etc.)
• capon (or free range or regular chicken)
• onion
• carrot
• celery
• salt
• 1/2 inch piece of whole cinnamon stick (optional but highly recommended)
• rind of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional but highly recommended)

FYI, homemade tortellini filling has a slightly more “rustic” texture than that of the super smooth commercial tortellini filling found at the grocery store as those often include bread crumbs (possibly soaked in milk) to help with texture. 

 

How to Make Real Italian Homemade Tortellini From Scratch

I’ve outlined below how to make tortellini filling using the cooked pork method but have added the instructions for how to make the raw pork filling in the recipe notes. This way you can decide which recipe you want to make.

FOR THE TORTELLINI FILLING (can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated or even frozen for up to 1 month)

1. Season the raw pork. Season the pork (shoulder, neck, or loin) with salt (and black pepper if desired) and place the rosemary and smashed garlic directly on top. Cover it and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to permeate the pork.
2. Make the COOKED PORK FILLING.  Remove the pork from the refrigerator and chop it into cubes. Place the rosemary, garlic, and 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and sauté the herbs over medium-high heat for a few minutes until the garlic and rosemary are both toasted and golden brown but not burnt. Reduce the heat to medium and add the pork and sauté just until the meat is cooked through. Turn off the heat and remove the mixture to a plate and allow it to cool, then remove the garlic and rosemary setting them aside (do not discard the rosemary). Add the prosciutto and mortadella to the bowl of a food processor and process to a fine paste. Add the cooked pork along with the flavored butter to the prosciutto and mortadella mixture, and process until smooth. Add one egg, a good pinch of salt, and about 1/2 of the crispy rosemary (or more or less to taste), and process until the mixture is smooth and no whole rosemary pieces remain. Add the grated Parmigiano cheese and freshly grated nutmeg to taste and process the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until it is one cohesive mixture. The filling will be sturdy (easily pinchable). If desired, you may add 2 to 4 tablespoons of broth to the mixture to help loosen it up a bit but this is (optional). Heat the skillet back up and cook a small piece of filling so you can do a taste test to see if you need to add more salt, nutmeg, or rosemary. Adjust seasonings if necessary, massage the mixture with your hands for a couple of minutes, wrap it, and refrigerate it for 24 hours (or at least overnight). 

FOR THE PASTA FRESCA (FRESH EGG PASTA) (can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated)

1. Make the dough. Add the flour to a countertop or large bread bowl and make a “well” in the middle. Add the cracked eggs to the center and begin agitating the eggs to combine them with the flour being sure to keep them in the center of the “well”. Work in a circular motion incorporating more flour into the center until the mixture is combined and forms a shaggy, stiff dough. *Alternatively, you may place all of the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and knead them on medium speed for 5 minutes using the dough hook or into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade and pulse until the mixture is combined. 
2. Knead the dough. Form the dough into a ball and remove it to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough by hand turning it clockwise a quarter turn and repeating until the dough becomes soft and pliable, or about 15 minutes. It should be much smoother and somewhat elastic at this point. *Alternatively, you may knead the dough using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment for 10 to 12 minutes on medium-low speed (speed #2 on a KitchenAid). 
3. Rest the dough. Cover the dough with sustainable plastic wrap, or simply cover it with a small bowl turned upside down and allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. This step is essential for the dough (specifically the gluten network formed during the kneading process) to have time to relax making it easier to roll out and help create that springy “bite” we love about good pasta.
4. Roll out the dough. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and work with one piece at a time covering one piece so it doesn’t dry out.  Press down to form a disc just thin enough to be fed through the pasta machine’s widest setting (0). Feed the dough through the rollers while turning the crank. Lightly dust both sides of the pasta sheet with flour and fold it like a letter (bringing in the two ends to the middle) to form a more even rectangle. Feed the pasta sheet back through the rollers on (0) until it is long and rectangular in shape. Cut the pasta sheet in half and dust each piece lightly with flour. Set the adjustment knob to 1 and pass the pasta sheet through one time. Set the adjustment knob to 2 and pass the pasta sheet through one time. Set the adjustment knob to 3, pass the pasta sheet through one time, and continue on adjusting the knob setting and passing the dough through until you’ve reached the desired thickness (the recommended thickness setting is number 6).
5. Cut the squares of pasta and fill the tortellini. Working with one of the 4 pieces of dough at a time (keep the remaining dough covered so it doesn’t dry out), cut 1 1/4-inch (3cm) squares of pasta (or larger if desired) and add about 1/4 teaspoon of filling to the middle of each square (the filling should be about the size of a pea for authentic tiny tortellini). Repeat with all the squares which will help keep the dough moist while you’re folding and sealing them. Fold each tortellini into a triangle, press out any air around the filling, fold the tip of the triangle down, bring the two other points together overlapping them to create the typical tortellini shape, and press firmly to seal. Place filled tortellini onto a parchment-lined tray while you finish filling the rest. Allow the filled tortellini to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes or so before cooking or pop them into the freezer. Once completely frozen, place them into an airtight container or freezer bag until ready to cook. If you’re cooking the tortellini right away,

FOR THE BROTH (can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated or even frozen for up to 3 months)

1. Make the tortellini broth (brodo). Add all of the broth ingredients to a pressure cooker, close the lid, and bring it to high pressure. Once high pressure is reached, cook the broth for 45 minutes and allow for a natural release (which will give you a clear broth). Strain the solids reserving the meat for another use and pour the broth back into the pot and season with salt to taste (and skim off any fat if desired). *Alternatively, you may add all of the ingredients to a large stock pot or dutch oven, bring it to a boil, cover, reduce it to a simmer and cook for 3 hours. 

How to Make Homemade Tortellini From Scratch step-by-step recipe photos

For the Egg Pasta (Pasta Fresca)

For the [COOKED PORK] Tortellini Filling

For the [RAW PORK] Tortellini Filling (this is my preferred method to make tortellini filling, but you may also choose to cook it instead (those step-by-step photos are also outlined directly below so you can see that process as well).

For the Homemade Brodo (Tortellini Broth)

How to Assemble and Cook Homemade Tortellini 

The City of Bologna, Italy’s Official Registered Tortellini Recipe

If you’re up for making 1000 baby (5g each) tortellini, here’s the official Bolognese recipe below courtesy of the Dotta Confraternita del Tortellino in Bologna, Italy.

Other Popular Tortellini Fillings 

Other popular fillings for stuffed tortellini are spinach and ricotta, pork with chicken and Grana Padano, Speck di Asiago and mozzarella, etc. I have even eaten delicious donkey meat tortellini here in the north where donkey meat is a specialty (tortellini d’assino).

Much like ravioli, you can stuff tortellini with pretty much anything you like, but the ultimate tortellini recipe that Italians hold in the highest esteem comes from the Emilia Romagna region where it originates and is always served in brodo (broth).

A Few More Delicious Italian Pasta Dishes

If you love pasta as much as we do, here are a few of our tried and true family favorites to also try.

• Classic Lasagna Bolognese (authentic Italian recipe)
• The Best Homemade Spaghetti Sauce with Beef (Spaghetti con Ragù)
• Baked Ziti with Ragù (from Scratch)
• Asparagus & Prosciutto Cotto (Ham) Lasagna (w/Asparagus Bechamel)
• Abruzzese Almost-Bolognese (Lasagna al Ragù w/Porcini Béchamel)
• Italian Prosciutto Cotto and Mozzarella Lasagna (Lasagne con Prosciutto Cotto e Mozzarella)
• Mama A’s Eggplant & Zucchini Parmigiana (Pinterest & Food52 Golden Recipe Grand Prize Winner)

Let’s get started!

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