How to Make Tortellini: A Clear, Step-by-Step Method

Tortellini looks like it requires precision most home cooks don't have. It doesn't. The whole shape comes down to three folds, done in order, and once you've done it a handful of times your hands remember the motion without thinking about it.

The fold, broken down

Start with a small square of pasta dough, filling in the center. Fold the square corner-to-corner into a triangle, pressing the edges to seal around the filling. Then take the two bottom corners of the triangle and wrap them around your fingertip, pressing them together so they overlap slightly. That's it: square, triangle, wrap. Three folds.

Getting the filling amount right

Too much filling and the tortellini won't seal properly, or the wrapped points will burst apart at the finishing fold. Too little and the shape looks flat and underwhelming. A rough guide is about half a teaspoon for a two-inch square: enough that you can feel resistance when you press the triangle's edges together, but not so much that filling squeezes out the sides.

Sealing without air pockets

Press out the air as you seal the triangle, working from the filling outward toward the edges, rather than sealing the edges first and trapping air inside. Trapped air causes tortellini to puff and split open during cooking.

Cooking and serving

Tortellini is traditionally served in broth, which suits its delicate size, but it holds up just as well in a light butter or cream sauce. Either way, cook gently at a bare simmer rather than a rolling boil. Filled pasta is more fragile than long-cut shapes and can burst at high heat.

Three folds. That's the whole shape.

For more on filled pasta technique, see our agnolotti del plin and ravioli all'uovo posts, or explore our Filled Pasta Workshop for guided video lessons across six shapes.