Italian Sausage Tortellini — Our Favorite Tortellini Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What kind of sauce goes well with tortellini? ›

Depending on the filling, tortellini are delicious with everything from cream-based sauces to red marinara-type sauces, browned butter, pesto, and even walnut sauce.

Although the whole world is going to hell in a handbasket -- even in Bologna you will find tortellini served with sauce.

Cook tortellini in boiling salted water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until all the tortellini are floating on top of the pot. While the tortellini are cooking, slowly heat the tomato sauce.

Typical from the Emilia Romagna region, tortellini is the world most famous filled pasta. Tortellino comes etymologically from tortello, a diminutive of torta, which means pie in italian. Tortellini are called so because they are filled just like little pies.

Marinara Sauce

This is probably the most common form of pasta sauce, and for good reason too! Marinara sauce is typically made using tomatoes, garlic and other seasonings. You'll often see this in base lasagna dishes, spaghetti and meatballs, and other pasta staples.

Carbonara Sauce

The most beloved sauce in Rome (and all over the world) is a cornerstone dish of Italian cuisine that has been imitated, debated, and confused with lesser sauces. Legend has it that it was an invention of the creative chef Renato Gualandi, who made it in 1944 for American troops in Rome to lunch on.

Tortellini is one impressive pasta vehicle that can be complemented by a whole slew of tomato-based sauces, Alfredo sauces, pesto sauces. You can also go another route and simply dress it with olive oil, butter or even salad dressing!

Tortellini don't call for sauces. They are stuffed pasta, and more particularly a kind of stuffed pasta that is supposed to be had in soups. Boil and serve them in capon, chicken, beef, or even vegetable stock. Other types of stuffed pasta can be served “dry” (asciutti).

Mushy, chalky, whatever floats your tortellini. Your other option is to purposely undercook the pasta by a few minutes before adding it to the sauce to let it finish. Cooking pasta in the sauce instead of in boiling water will increase the amount of time it takes to cook through.

Sprinkle the cheeses over top, then cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the tortellini is cooked and the cheese has melted. Optional: take the foil off once it's done, then broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese up a bit.

Do you eat tortellini by itself? ›

Once your tortellini is cooked, savour by itself, toss with a fresh sauce, or use it in a delicious recipe. If you prefer chicken, shrimp or vegetables, tortellini are perfect for an elevated yet simple meal that the entire family will enjoy.

The many alternative names of tortellini — ranging from “navel” to “love knot” — reflect the folk tales and mythologies surrounding this unassuming pasta.

If the recipe has been followed correctly, all the single flavors of the different kinds of meat should be perceived. Traditions want tortellini to be served in capon's or hen's broth and eaten with a spoon.

In Italy, meat tortellini are traditionally served in broth, but they are enjoyed with other toppings, too: cheese sauce, cream sauce, pesto or tomato sauce. There are also cheese versions of tortellini. Tortellini are also eaten for dessert!

The best side dishes to serve with tortellini are garlic bread, roasted vegetables, stuffed shells, chicken gnocchi soup, baked ziti, pizza pasta, Caesar salad, tomato bruschetta, Italian sausage, antipasto salad, steamed asparagus, and creamy polenta.

In general, the larger pasta shapes with hollows and sauce-hugging curves are best suited for thicker, heartier sauces, while thinner and more delicate strands are used for light oil-based or cream sauces.

Pan fried tortellini comes out perfectly golden, crispy, and makes for a quick & easy weeknight dinner. Serve with a light homemade tomato sauce, or simply with olive oil, salt & pepper!

Wide, flat pastas like pappardelle are ideal for sopping up creamy sauces. Generally, the wider the noodle, the heavier the sauce. Long, round pastas like spaghetti are best with olive oil- and tomato-based sauces, which coat each strand evenly. Go thinner for delicate preparations.