When I have a little forethought and time, fresh pasta is a whole other experience than that quick dinner. The texture of fresh pasta can’t be beat, but even more, being able to stuff your pasta with whatever you want changes everything. Like dumplings, fresh, homemade stuffed pasta is not even close to what you buy at the store. You can taste what’s inside. These ricotta and basil tortellini therefore taste like just that: ricotta and basil.
If you’ve never made pasta before, it’s not something to be intimidated by: you make some dough, rest it for 30 minutes and roll it out. The rolling and shaping step is the longest part, but I think it’s a lot of fun. The trick is to work in small batches and not to let the dough dry out before you have a chance to shape it. Just keep the dough that you’re not using covered in plastic wrap and you will be good.
And what you end up with is pretty special. Imagine a parcel of thin, tender pasta, rolled into a beautiful, pillowy shape, bursting with mildly herby cheese. The tortellini is topped with a pesto, jam packed with basil, walnuts and parmesan. It’s a smooth sauce that makes the whole dish more vibrant, more basil-y, and more cheesy. 
Fresh Tortellini Filled with Basil and Ricotta
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: about 4 dozen tortellini 1x
Description
Make your own thin, tender pasta parcel, rolled into a beautiful shape and bursting with mildly herby cheese. The tortellini is topped with a pesto, jam packed with basil, walnuts and parmesan. I like to roll out, stuff and shape half of my dough and keep the other half covered so it doesn’t dry out. Make sure to re-roll your scraps. Be sure not to overstuff your dough or it will be difficult to fold them.
Ingredients
Fresh pasta
- 300g (10 1/2 oz) all purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1-2 tbsp (15-30 ml) of water (as needed)
Filling
- 450g (2 cups) ricotta
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 40g (1 1/2 oz) basil, finely chopped
Pesto
- 40g (1 1/2 oz) basil
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) walnuts, toasted
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) parmesan
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil
Instructions
Fresh Pasta
- Dump your flour on a clean surface and create a well in the middle of it.
- Add the eggs into the well and slowly incorporate the flour into the eggs, using your fingers or a fork.
- Once the eggs are lightly incorporated, knead the dough for 10 minutes. The dough will be very dry and crumble at first. Keep kneading. If it won’t come together, you can slowly add up to 2 tbsp of water.
- Once your dough is smooth, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
Filling
- Mix everything together in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Folding
- Start with half your dough, keeping the other half covered (so it doesn’t dry out).
- Using a pasta machine, roll out pasta as thinly as possible.
- Starting on the widest setting, pass your pasta through the machine, folding the pasta in half and re-rolling it through the widest setting once more. Slowly decrease the width of the setting (and continue to fold the dough) until you are on the thinnest setting.
- For more photos and instruction check out this Fresh Pasta 101 post.
- Once your pasta is rolled into a thin sheet, place your pasta on a clean surface.
- Using the rim of a glass (or something else that can make a shape of a circle that is 3 inches in diameter), press circles into the dough, creating circles that are 3 inches in diameter.
- Add 1 tsp of filling into the middle of the dough.
- Brush water around the edges of the dough and fold into a half circle shape. Press edges to ensure they are sealed.
- Bring the pointy ends of the half circle together folding the pocket with the filling in half (see photos above).
- Overlap the pointy ends to make a smooth circle and press to ensure it is sealed (see photos above).
- Place tortellini’s onto a parchment lined paper (so they won’t stick).
- Repeat until you have no dough left, re-rolling scraps as you go.
Pesto
- Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Taste and adjust seasoning.
To Serve
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
- Lower tortellini into the water with a slotted spoon, holding the spoon in the water for a couple of seconds. This will help prevent the tortellini from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Cook tortellini for about 5 minutes.They will float to the top of the water and the pasta will be tender.
- Drain tortellini (reserving a bit of pasta water) and toss with pesto, adding pasta water to thin it out as necessary.
- Serve with parmesan cheese and chopped basil.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Pasta, Main
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 580
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the pasta dough need to rest for 30 minutes before rolling?
The resting time lets the gluten relax. If you try to roll the dough straight after kneading it will fight you — springing back every time you try to thin it out. After 30 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap it rolls smoothly and holds its shape.
The dough looks dry and crumbly when I first start kneading. Did I do something wrong?
No — that is completely normal for this dough. Keep kneading. With 300g of all-purpose flour and 3 large eggs, it takes a solid 10 minutes of kneading before the dough becomes smooth. Only add up to 2 tablespoons of water if it truly refuses to come together after sustained kneading.
How do I keep the pasta from drying out while I shape each tortellini?
Work with half the dough at a time and keep the other half wrapped in plastic wrap. Once a sheet is rolled out, work quickly — cut your 3-inch circles, fill each with 1 teaspoon of the ricotta-basil mixture, and seal before moving to the next sheet. Scraps can be re-rolled.
Why lower the tortellini into the boiling water with a slotted spoon and hold it there a few seconds?
If you drop them in they hit the bottom and stick. Holding the spoon in the water for a couple of seconds lets the pasta set just enough to release cleanly. Cook them about 5 minutes — they will float to the surface when they are ready.
